Two months after a transportation funding package died on the Oregon House floor in the final minutes of this year’s legislative session, Democrats successfully passed a revised proposal through the chamber Monday afternoon.
On the fourth day of an ongoing special session, one Republican and all but one Democrat in the House voted to raise taxes and fees to boost funding for road and bridge maintenance and public transit. The proposal is expected to raise about $4.3 billion over the next decade, according to a legislative revenue analysis.
The Republican who voted yes, Cyrus Javadi of Tillamook, cited worsening traffic infrastructure as his central rationale and leaned heavily into the specific roads and bridges of his coastal district. The lone Democrat who voted no, Annessa Hartman of Gladstone, centered her opposition on her Clackamas County constituents’ mistrust of Oregon Department of Transportation effectiveness and management.
The funding plan, which now heads to the Senate for a vote in the coming days, would increase the state’s 40 cents per gallon gas tax by 6 cents, hike title and registration fees, require electric vehicle users to soon pay a fee per mile driven and double the state’s 0.1% payroll tax for transit for two years.
Most of the revenue raised by the bill would be split between local governments and the Oregon Department of Transportation, which is poised to lay off nearly 500 workers in mid-September if the Senate does not also vote to raise more funding for the agency.
“We need meaningful reinvestment to fix the roads and bridges as we go forward. This bill is that first step,” said Rep. Susan McLain, a Forest Grove Democrat. “This bill will go forward to allow us for more dialogue, to continue to make sure that we’re doing our job and taking on our responsibility of funding services that our Oregonians want.”
The proposal also includes some measures to increase legislative oversight of the state transportation agency, which has seen major projects under its purview swell in scope and cost. Additionally, the package lays out a long-term plan to fix the cost imbalance between light vehicles and heavy trucks for their share of wear and tear on Oregon’s roads.
Apart from Javadi, all Republicans present on Monday voted against the proposal, saying it would harm Oregon businesses and residents by increasing their tax burden. They also said they were unwilling to give more money to the Oregon Department of Transportation without more closely scrutinizing its current spending.
“This bill expresses someone’s values, but not those of everyday Oregonians,” said House Republican Leader Christine Drazan of Canby. “I heard on the floor today that we need a system that is resilient and equitable, and I would like to fix that by suggesting we need a system that is functional and affordable.”
Helped by Javadi, Democrats passed the package with no votes to spare.
Hartman, the Gladstone Democrat who was the lone holdout in her party, said her constituents “are fed up (that) the first answer to our problems is always increasing costs for working families. They are fed up with poor project management, and they are frustrated with the lack of oversight and accountability.”
Meanwhile, Javadi agreed that the Oregon Department of Transportation deserves closer scrutiny, but he said raising taxes was the most realistic short-term solution to bolster vital road maintenance and operations, rather than defer them and see things crumble. He said Oregonians would either have to “pay a little more at the pump or a lot more down the line.”
“The cost of doing nothing is far greater than the cost of doing something if we fail to act,” Javadi said. “I’ve received a lot of phone calls … from people I have never met in my life, asking me to vote no and threatening me I will lose my job if I dare vote yes. And to them, I say, ‘I think my job is worth the handful of jobs it’s going to save up in Astoria, if it comes down to that.’”
— Carlos Fuentes covers state politics and government. Reach him at 503-221-5386 or cfuentes@oregonian.com.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Source link
