Virginia Governor Crusades For Transportation Tax Dollars

"Gov. Timothy M. Kaine is taking his transportation crusade on the road again to pressure a badly divided GOP-dominated legislature to produce a package of transit improvements."

"Kaine, a Democrat, will hold at least five town-hall meetings, beginning Monday night in Norfolk, to stump for his $1 billion-a-year transportation plan and better coordination between land use and transit in Virginia localities."

"The rally came hours before the Senate Local Government Committee unanimously approved one of the key planks in Kaine's plan to tie land use to transportation planning."

"The bill would allow the Virginia Department of Transportation to make traffic assessments when local governments are considering zoning requests."

"Just a day earlier, the House Finance Committee, with a large Republican majority, shot down Kaine's transit-financing package. It included a rise, from 3 to 5 percent, in the state tax on vehicle sales and a doubling of the insurance-premium levy."