After spending weeks reviewing tax hikes and reforms proposed by Gov. Deval Patrick to make $1.9 billion in transportation and education investments, legislative leaders on Tuesday morning plan to announce their own transportation financing plan.
House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray are scheduled to brief the media about their proposal at 10:30 a.m. at the State House. They will outline plans to advance their proposal in "the weeks ahead."
"The plan will identify and solve the current transportation finding gap, require agencies to meet reforms and provide adequate revenue to enable future capital investments," according to an advisory circulated Tuesday morning by aides to DeLeo and Murray.
House and Senate budget chiefs Sen. Stephen Brewer and Rep. Brian Dempsey will attend the briefing in the House Members' Lounge, as well as Transportation Committee Chairs Sen. Thomas McGee and Rep. William Straus.
DeLeo has said there's little appetite in the House to increase in the income tax a full point, to 6.25 percent, as Gov. Patrick has proposed, and expressed interest in a plan that addresses the MBTA's fiscal problems, the practice of funding transportation salaries with borrowed funds, and regional transportation needs. DeLeo has also raised concerns about hiking the gas tax and Straus has touted the idea of raising revenues for transportation system users.
A joint House-Senate plan could reduce areas of conflict between the branches that could slow progress on the bill.
