This session, I am co-chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, and we’re responsible for crafting a state transportation budget. Historically, the transportation committee has been one of the more (if not the most) bipartisan, cooperative committees in the Legislature, and this session has been no different. The other co-chair, Democrat Senator Tracy Eide of Federal Way, and I have been working side-by-side to develop the elements of a budget proposal.

The Senate is first this session to release a transportation budget proposal, and ours will likely be released sometime next week. It will be a bare-bones proposal since the state doesn’t have any additional funds to devote to transportation projects. There is reportedly a proposal coming from the House of Representatives that will increase the gas tax by 10-cents per gallon (a 2-cent increase each year for five years). I would appreciate it if you would answer the following four questions:

• Do you feel our state transportation system is poor, adequate, good, or excellent?
• Do you feel that our state transportation system needs more revenue?
• Would you support a 10-cent increase in the gas tax?
• Does it make a difference to your support if a 10-cent gas tax increase it is spread over five years at 2-cents per year?

Please click this link or the image above to take a quick survey to answer these questions and share with me your thoughts about transportation, as it really is the one issue in the state that directly affects every single resident. Thank you for taking the time to respond.

Click here to read the full Olympia Update for March 29, 2013.