OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington state Gov. Chris Gregoire has signed into law a supplemental transportation budget with $57 million in new spending paid for by increased fees related to driving.
The new money in the two-year, $9.8 billion budget approved last year is a far cry from the $3.6 billion increase in transportation funding over the next decade that Gov. Gregoire called for in January.
Signed into law Friday, the supplemental budget includes $9.5 million for the State Patrol, $9 million in aid to regional and local transit agencies and $8 million in preliminary spending on highway projects, all over the next year.
Fees will increase by 80 percent for driver’s licenses and will spike from $5 to $15 for vehicle titles. A new $100 fee on electric cars will also be implemented.