Centralia — In response to Gov. Jay Inslee’s comments about the possibility for another special session in November to pass a gas-tax increase, Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, a ranking Republican on the House Transportation Committee, said he believes the governor is “jumping the gun.”
“Calling a special session in November of this year, or any other month in 2013, would negate the vital information coming from a study currently being conducted to determine why similar transportation projects in Washington state cost up to two-and-a-half times as much as other states,” Orcutt said in a news release. “The difference between addressing our transportation issues in November during a special session that costs taxpayers more money, or January, when the Legislature is scheduled to be in session, is negligible.”
“Once we have a handle on those cost-drivers, we can implement legislation to drive the costs down,” he went on. “Then we can determine how much projects should cost and develop a package accordingly. That will give taxpayers confidence they are putting their hard-earned money into a system that is efficient, responsible, and accountable.”
Orcutt is not against addressing transportation needs, he said, but wants to do it in a fiscally-responsible way.
