Oregon's political and business leaders agree on the need to pass a state-funded transportation spending package. But they don't agree on how soon it should be approved.
That difference of opinion was on display Monday at a summit meeting in Portland.
On one hand, Oregon Governor Kate Brown was clear. ”I've said it before and I'll say it again: Oregon needs a transportation package,” she said.
But the Democrat doesn't think the time is right for lawmakers to work towards a deal in the 2016 legislative session. She wants to wait until after next year's election. That's when voters could potentially decide whether to repeal a hotly debated clean fuels standard that could drive up the cost of gas.
Republican state Representative John Davis was among those who told the business leaders he doesn't think the issue can wait.
"The need is crushing and the need is now,” he said.
The transportation package would pour millions into repairing and improving Oregon's roads. It would likely be financed largely through an increase in the state's gas tax.
Copyright 2015 Northwest News Network
