On Wednesday, January 27, Sen. Steve Hobbs (D–Lake Stevens), Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, released his nearly $19 billion transportation revenue package. The proposal includes the following revenue sources:

• Fuel tax: increase of $0.06
• Tax on new construction
• Per trip tax on for-hire vehicles
• Rental car tax
• Air Quality Surcharge on the purchase of new vehicles
• Various other taxes and fees

The proposal also includes two carbon-based options to generate revenue:

• Option 1: A carbon fee of $20 per metric ton
• Option 2: 50% of state revenues generated from a Cap and Invest system

Other key investments included in the proposal:

• Transportation Improvement Board (TIB): $100 million
• Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board (FMSIB): $50 million
• Fish passage barrier removal: $3.5 billion, including investments based on watersheds and funding for both state and local culverts
• Direct distributions to cities and counties for local maintenance and operation needs: $375 million
• Bicycle/pedestrian improvements: $165 million
• Safe Routes to Schools: $60 million
• Complete Streets (administered through TIB): $90 million

A brief summary of the revenue proposal can be found here. A summary of the expenditures can be found here. The current project list can be found here.

On January 28, Marian Dacca testified on behalf of AWC, expressing support for a transportation revenue package. She shared data from the recent Joint Transportation Committee study that found that in the next ten years, cities will need to spend $20-$28 billion to maintain and improve our transportation assets, not including what is needed for deferred maintenance and preservation. She acknowledged that the development of a proposal is an ever-evolving process and that cities will continue working on legislation that supports cities’ diverse transportation needs.