Statement of Senator Deeds on Virginia Supreme Court Ruling on 2007 Transportation Package

Statement

Statement of Senator Deeds on Virginia Supreme Court Ruling on 2007 Transportation Package

In response to the Virginia Supreme Court's ruling in Marshall v. Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, Senator R. Creigh Deeds released the following statement:

"The decision handed down by the Supreme Court of Virginia today invalidating the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority's taxing ability granted by the General Assembly sends a clear and unmistakable message to legislators in Richmond. We will not solve the transportation challenges facing us if we continue to pass the buck and shirk our responsibilities to lead.

"I have long argued that last year's transportation package was an abdication of leadership, a short-term fix, and a political solution-not a public policy prescription for Virginia's future. While today's decision is most certainly a setback for the regions of our state mired in traffic congestion, it also offers us the opportunity to enact a statewide transportation vision that will move us forward.

"Now we can and must start anew to develop a statewide transportation plan that recognizes the critical role of moving people, goods and services in the 21st century economy. We must have the political courage to fund new construction projects and provide the necessary resources to maintain and expand our transportation network as our state grows. And we must finally recognize, as the state Supreme Court has today, that Virginians are tired of the political games and partisan posturing that led to the enactment of last year's plan in the first place. Now is the time for leadership."

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