The Governor today agreed to accept the legislative position that the toll increases voted by the Mass Pike Board be delayed, thereby taking away the March 29th deadline he had effectively imposed on the legislature to vote a gas tax increase or accept the toll hike. In return the Governor got committments that the Legislature would take up the transportation reform bills in March. We should now begin to see the shape of the package that will be passed, and the size of the gas tax increase that may have already been agreed to by leadership.
The Governor issued a statement:
The Governor, with the support of President Murray and Speaker DeLeo, will today call on the Turnpike Authority board to use a portion of their reserve funds for the Metropolitan Highway System to address its immediate financial crisis through the end of the fiscal year, and to vote to delay the toll increase previously approved for implementation on March 29, 2009 until July 1st.
In addition, President Murray announced that the full Senate will consider their transportation reform proposal during the week of March 23. Speaker DeLeo also announced that the House of Representatives will take up that reform proposal during the week of March 30.
Leaders of both the Senate and the House of Representatives have agreed to determine the need for new revenues and to enact legislation that would provide adequate revenues to support the reform proposal and fund our long term transportation needs no later than July 1, 2009
And it is clear that we will now have “reform before revenue”, as the bill that will be taken up in March by the Senate will deal with reforms, with revenues to be dealt with sometime before July 1. Today’s press conference with the Governor made that clear. That press conference did not have Secretary Aloisi in attendance.
Bill Manzi.com 
Your Honor,
I listened to the new Speaka tell his radio audience he will be pushing for “reform before revenue”.
I may be cynical but I will give this one a fair chance. ok?
Jules
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Wow. A Fair shake? OK. Lets see what comes out of the reform package, and whether it meets the minimum standards of what constitutes reform. We will know that shortly.
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Your Honor,
I presume by “meets minimum standards” you mean to lower expectations.
Can you define your threshold for , say, retirement benefit “reform”?
My threshold; substitute the existing give away for 401k just like the rest of us.
Look forward to your definition.
Jules
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Not really Jules. There is so much to pick from. Reform the MBTA 23 and out system, but make the retirement age for everyone 65, not 55. You call for an abolition of “fixed benefit” pensions, and unless someone smartens up on Beacon Hill, you will get your wish due to lack of resources to pay existing benefit levels. Additional pension reform would include abolishing all of the “special benefits” neatly tucked into law, such as the benefit for defeated legislators. Health care reform should include moving the MBTA employees over to the state plan. In short I believe that a good place to start would be the reforms advocated by the Transportation Finance Commission. Lets see what we get.
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Sorry, Your Honor, I thought you were talking about REAL REFORM. You picking away at the the little pimples. I’m thinking taking a scalpel to the whole issue and realign it with the constituents.
Don’t forget these guys don’t have a recession to worry about. They should feel the full affect of their actions.
BESIDES, IF YOU ALLOW THEM TO PICK AT THE SMALL STUFF, THEY WILL REPLACE THESE ITEMS WITH ALTERNATIVES THAT ZERO OUT ANY CHANGES.
I think we now understand each other. I do feel they will do it your way, if they do it at all.
Jules
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Your Honor,
My cynicism returns.
Jules
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