Swecker satisfied with transportation budget passed by Senate

April 2, 2009

OLYMPIA… Sen. Dan Swecker says the $4.3 billion transportation budget passed Wednesday by the Senate balances the desire to keep promised projects on track with the effect of falling revenues and increasing construction costs the state has seen in the past year.

“It was a difficult budget to work on, but all members of the committee were able to work together and fund many of the projects that were promised to citizens in the state. That is an accomplishment I am proud of,” said Swecker, R-Rochester and Republican leader on the Senate Transportation Committee.

More than 400 projects are funded and scheduled to move forward in the Senate plan, which passed overwhelmingly.

Between double- and triple-digit inflation in construction costs and declining gas-tax revenues due to high gas prices and the increasing number of hybrid vehicles, the net loss of transportation funding amounts to $514 million less for the 2009-11 biennium and $6 billion less over the next 16 years addressed in the spending plan.

The budget bill, Senate Bill 5352, was introduced Friday and amended in committee before it reached the Senate chamber. Three of the four amendments were technical; the fourth limits a test of traffic cameras for detecting speed violations to the city of Seattle.

Sen. Joseph Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, lead Republican on the Senate Ways and Means Committee, spoke in favor of the bill in the Senate chamber prior to Wednesday’s vote.

 “This is the best of anything I’ve seen. It’s very important that when we ask the voters to support something that we actually deliver on that. And this budget demonstrates that commitment at least in the southern end of the state,” Zarelli said.

Speaking prior to the vote, Swecker also recognized the importance of keeping promises made to the people of Washington associated with the nickel gas-tax increase of 2003 and the 9½-cent increase which took place from 2005 to 2008.

“We were able to sustain the original commitment we had in 2003 and 2005 with the exception of 31 projects that are postponed because they weren’t totally funded,” Swecker said.

The budget now travels to the House of Representatives.

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Ashley Forsyth
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