19th Dist. lawmakers split on gas tax bill

In the 19th Legislative District, Sen. Brian Hatfield voted for legislation that would raise the tax on gas by 11.7 cents over three years, but Reps. Brian Blake and Dean Takko are against it.

Senate Bill 5987, part of a $15 billion revenue package to address some of the state’s transportation problems. moved out of the Senate on Monday and saw its first reading in the House’s Transportation Committee on Wednesday. Hatfield, D-Raymond, was one of 27 lawmakers who voted in support of the bill in the Senate.

The bill proposes a tax increase by 5 cents in July, 4.2 cents next year and 2.5 cents in 2017.

Blake, D-Aberdeen, said Wednesday morning that he couldn’t get behind the bill in its current state, adding that he wanted to see other projects added to it before it went forward, though he said he couldn’t name any specifically. “There are several other important projects in the 19th District that I think deserve consideration,” he said. “But I don’t have the list in front of me.”

Takko, D-Longview, also said the bill was in need of work, and said only a few of the projects were worth his vote. “I could go for some, some I can’t, and some I’m not sure if they really matter all that much,” he said.

The bill also removes sales tax from transportation projects, which some lawmakers say would remove millions from the state’s operating budget. Some are concerned about meeting the Supreme Court-mandated funding to education that could be missed without that tax.

“I think a lot of us might, philosophically, think that it’d be nice if we could keep the sales tax or the sales tax equivalent on the highway projects and not have to put it in the operating budget,” Takko said. “But we’ve got such a hole in our operating budget that it’s needed.”

Despite some lawmakers’ views that the bill lacks a focus on Grays Harbor, Hatfield said the bill proposes about $150 million in projects for the 19th District.

That number includes $11.7 million in the upcoming 2015 to 2017 biennium to fix the Chehalis River bridge approach in Montesano.

“That’s no small potatoes,” Hatfield said. “A lot of times, these projects are spread over two, four, six, eight years. This one is pretty front-loaded.”

Though he supported the tax hike, Hatfield said he agrees that the tax dollars from transportation should remain in the operating budget, adding that he voted for that in a separate bill.

“We need every tax dollar we can get to stay in the general fund and not shift somewhere else,” he said. “That’s a couple hundred million over I think 10 to 20 years. It’s a big chunk of money.”

Kyle Mittan, 360-537-3932, kmittan@thedailyworld.com. Twitter: @KyleMittan