Press release from House Speaker Bill Howell's office....
RICHMOND, VA -- Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates William J. Howell (R-Stafford) issued the following statement today on the General Assembly's bipartisan passage of House Bill 2313, Governor Bob McDonnell's long-term transportation funding overhaul:
"The House and Senate passage of House Bill 2313 represents a truly historic moment for the Commonwealth. We have crafted a compromise plan that addresses Virginia's critical transportation needs, provides a long-term, sustainable source of revenue for transportation, and makes Virginia the best state in the nation for business and job creation.
"Thanks to the leadership of Governor Bob McDonnell and the hard work of House and Senate members on both sides of the aisle, Virginia has once again demonstrated its commitment to results-oriented governing based on the best interest of the people. We have chosen to put politics aside and instead crafted a bipartisan solution to one of the most complicated and vexing public policy challenges the Commonwealth has ever seen.
"This legislation paves the way to addressing our maintenance funding shortfall, generates hundreds of millions of dollars for new road, highway and rail construction, will alleviate congestion in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads and puts transportation funding on a stable and secure foundation for the future.
"Make no mistake - this is a compromise piece of legislation. Neither Republicans nor Democrats achieved exactly the kind of solution that they wanted. But this moment shows why Virginia is so fundamentally different from the rest of the country - in a time of crisis and need, we came together and worked in a bipartisan fashion to find a solution. We did not stick our heads in the sand. We did not duck the tough decisions. At the end of the day, regardless of how you feel about this bill, that I think we can all be proud of that."
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