The final hours of the Virginia State Senate session have handed Governor Bob McDonnell the legacy-building legislation he's been fighting for. Lawmakers voted for a landmark transportation funding package that will raise $880 million dollars for road construction, maintenance, and transit. The legislation replaces the per gallon gas tax with

VIRGINIA -- "Our groups pressed for major progress at every step of the legislative process, including pushing for the needs of the Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads regions, funding for local roads, substantially more funding for transit, and most of all - for a meaningful, on-going evaluation of VDOT spending," said Jeff Painter Executive Director for the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. "While a number of the priorities we recommended were included, such as funding for Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, for intercity rail, for Dulles Rail, and for road maintenance, there remains a great need for thorough evaluation of how and where all of these new taxpayer dollars will be spent."

The state Senate has passed the first long-term reform to Virginia's floundering 27-year-old system for funding repairs and upkeep of its 58,000-mile network of highways. The 25-15 vote sends to Gov. Bob McDonnell what would be the defining policy legacy in the fourth and final year of the single, non-renewable

The Coalition for Smarter Growth has launched an advocacy campaign called "Get Maryland Moving," BethesdaNow.com reports. The effort is intended to prod lawmakers in Annapolis to provide transportation funding for projects designed to ease congestion. Read the original article here >>

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