Government Affairs

General Assembly Update

January 24, 2013

Yesterday the House Finance Committee considered a number of transportation funding bills, including the Governor’s bill (HB2313). Many of the bills were “tabled” (Committee can reconsider tabled bills, but it is unlikely) and several more were “rolled” in (consolidated) with the Governor’s bill. The House Finance Committee meets next Monday (28th) at 8:30 a.m.

The Senate Finance Transportation Subcommittee also reviewed, and took some testimony, on about a dozen transportation bills. They took no position (votes) on any of the bills. They will likely be considered next week. The full Senate Finance Committee meets on Tuesday (29th) at 9:00 a.m.

DETAILS:

House Finance

Incorporated the following bills into the Governor’s bill (HB 2313):

• HB 1403 (Cole) - Increases amount of existing sales tax dedicated to transportation from 0.5% to l.0%
• HB 1438 (Purkey) - Indexes gas tax based on USDOT Transportation Services Index.
• HB 1663 (Minchew) - Allows localities to impose 10-cent per gallon gas tax.
• HB 1677 (Hugo) - Eliminates the gas tax and increases state sales and use tax by 0.75%
• HB 1888 (LeMunyon) - Adjusts Virginia gas and income tax rates for inflation.
• HB 2253 (Albo) - Places 5% sales tax on motor fuels, increases electric vehicle registration fees, changes some individual and corporate income tax rates and provides Northern Virginia localities with transportation funding options.

Tabled the following bills:

• HB 1409 (Jim Scott) - Converts gas tax from per cents per gallon to percentage rate.
• HB 1472 (Watts) - Applies 5% sales tax to motor fuels statewide. Provides Northern Virginia regional funds through 0.5% regional sales tax, 40-cents per $100 recordation tax; reduces sales tax on food.
• HB 2063 (Rust) - Authorized planning district commissions to utilize additional 0.5% sales tax and 15-cents per $100 grantors tax
• HB 2179 (Rust) - Places 5% sales tax on motor fuels, increases vehicle registration fees, lowers income tax rates in lower tax brackets and eliminates some tax credits. (Same as SB 717)
• HB 2224 (Algie Howell) - Increases gas tax by 10-cents per gallon.
• HB 2333 (Watts) - Similar to HB 1472

Senate Finance Subcommittee on Transportation:

Bills discussed but not acted on included:

• SB 717 (Watkins) - Applies 5% sales and use tax to gasoline, increases registration fees on alternative fuel vehicles, lowers income tax rate in lower income tax brackets, and eliminates some transportation-related tax credits.
• SB 733 (Petersen) - Indexes gas tax to a fuel efficiency index.
• SB 855 (Petersen) - Increases the gas tax by 10-cents per gallon to 27.5 cents per gallon and adjusts the rate annually based on a fuel efficiency index. Adds a $10 fee for electric batteries and increases size of CTB from 18 to 23 members
• SB 1140 (Peterson) - Removes all current allocations made by the Commonwealth Transportation Board to mass transit and implements performance-based funding for mass transit.
• SB 1313 (Stosch) - Removes sunset clause and referendum provisions for existing law allowing localities to impose income tax of up to 1% for transportation purposes.
• SB 1340 (Saslaw) - Raises gas tax 5-cents per gallon in 2013 and 2014; increases state sales tax by 1.0% with 0.5% to transportation and 0.5% for k-12 and higher education.
• SB 1355 (Newman) - Governor’s bill
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