Barve: Votes for transit funding not there

ANNAPOLIS — The House of Delegates is short of the votes needed to raise more revenue for transportation projects, according to a top Democrat in the chamber.

“It just doesn’t look to me right now like any kind of revenue enhancement for transportation is going to happen,” House Majority Leader Kumar P. Barve said Friday.

“I don’t think it’s close to 71 votes,” the Montgomery County Democrat said, referring to the threshold needed to pass legislation in the House.

Transportation spending emerged as a top issue last year, and the governor and General Assembly leaders have signaled their desire to raise a combination of taxes and fees so the state can spend more on roads, bridges, trains and other infrastructure projects.

Gov. Martin O’Malley, a Democrat, is scheduled to unveil his legislative proposals Monday, but transportation funding will not be among them.

Raquel Guillory, the governor’s spokeswoman, said the administration is still crafting its plan to increase transportation spending.

“It’s needed,” she said. “It’s been a long time coming. It’s been decades and unfortunately, whether it’s a gas tax or some other option, there are must-needed investments in our infrastructure that must be funded.”

In response to Barve’s comments, Guillory said “I think the delegate should wait until the governor releases the details of his proposal before he handicaps it.”

An increase to the state’s gas tax, which has been 23.5 cents per gallon since 1992, is still on the table, she said.

The Blue Ribbon Commission on Maryland Transportation Funding recommended in November that the state raise an additional $800 million per year to fund transportation projects.

To hit that total, the commission called for lawmakers to raise the gas tax by 15 cents over three years and increase transit fares and a wide-range of transportation-related fees.

Before the legislative session began, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. said a $500 million package would be more likely.

He set a lower floor on Friday.

“I haven’t seen what numbers the governor is talking about. I don’t know if it’s going to be phased in and I don’t know the amount,” said Miller, D-Calvert and Prince George’s. “It needs to be more than 5 cents a gallon, I know that. But what exact numbers the governor is looking at, I don’t know.

“It has to happen,” he said.

A gas tax hike of 5 cents would raise only $164 million per year and would have to be coupled with significant increases to vehicle registration fees and other fees to bring in $500 million.

“None of this is going to happen,” Barve said when asked about alternatives to the gas tax hike. “To me, it’s almost irrelevant to discuss it because I don’t think the votes are there.”

The top Democrat in the House acknowledged the tall task in marshaling support for raising more money for transportation.

House Speaker Michael E. Busch said political leaders in the Democratic strongholds of Baltimore City and Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties would have to lobby their General Assembly delegations for the votes.

“It’s quid pro quo. They want to know what projects they’re getting before they come out and say ‘I’m going to ask my delegation to support this,’” said Busch, D-Anne Arundel. “It’s early on in the session yet. We just got the budget. We’re going to take a litmus test on all of it.”

Transportation funding is a top priority for the business community this legislative session, and the speaker said he has urged business leaders to lobby lawmakers on the issue.

The Greater Baltimore Committee, Maryland Chamber of Commerce, Greater Washington Board of Trade and other groups held a rally in Annapolis on Thursday to support increasing infrastructure spending.

“Our infrastructure is getting worse. It’s not getting better. There’s no new funding for new construction anywhere in Maryland,” chamber President and CEO Kathleen T. Snyder said on Friday.

Raising the gas tax, however, remains widely unpopular, according to a recent poll.

Paid for by the Mid-Atlantic Petroleum Distributors Association, the poll found 76 percent of registered voters in Maryland oppose a 10-cent increase to the levy.

“The governor understands that it’s complex, and tough decisions are going to be necessary,” Guillory said. “The governor believes that we need to make these modern investments in our infrastructure to get people back to work.”