Oregon Lawmakers Make Another Go at a Transportation Funding Package

"Now, Kotek hopes legislators will be able to finish the job, and approve enough additional funding to prevent mass layoffs at the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), among other calamities. A proposed funding package from Kotek and Democratic lawmakers known as House Bill 3991 (or LC 2, the former placeholder title) sets out to raise $6 billion over the next decade through motor vehicle use and fuel tax increases, a 0.1 percent increase in the payroll tax that funds public transit, and new road user charges for electric vehicles."

"The dialogue among legislators and their constituents has revealed a deep, pervasive distrust of ODOT and how they spend Oregonians' tax dollars. But transportation agencies say the stakes are high. Portland public transit agency TriMet is already planning to make significant service cuts starting this fall, and leaders say they need new transportation revenue from the legislature in order to avoid further devastation."

"With no quorum, Oregon's special legislative session was stalled Friday, when lawmakers were supposed to reconvene to find a funding solution for Oregon's transportation system. While some initially thought Governor Tina Kotek could wrangle legislators into passing a transportation package quickly, it now appears that the process will extend well into next week. As of 4:30 pm Friday, the Legislature still wasn't able to do a first reading of the bill, due to absent lawmakers in the House of Representatives leaving them without a quorum."

Oregon's special legislative session stalled when absent lawmakers left the House without a quorum, postponing action on a proposed transportation funding package. The package, House Bill 3991, aims to raise $6 billion over the next decade through motor vehicle and fuel tax increases, a 0.1 percent payroll tax increase for public transit, and road user charges for electric vehicles. The funding seeks to prevent mass layoffs at the Oregon Department of Transportation and avoid deep service cuts by agencies like TriMet. Deep public and legislative distrust of ODOT spending complicates negotiations. Democrats hold a supermajority, but absent members prevented a first reading Friday, extending the process into next week.

Read at Portland Mercury