Rogers Opposed House Transportation Bill, Backed Patrick's Measure

By a nearly two-to-one margin, the Massachusetts House approved a comprehensive transportation financing plan that will be paid for with $500 million in new taxes.

But for Dave Rogers, Belmont's Democratic representative to the House, his vote against his party's leadership and a majority of his new colleagues was cast for what was missing in their measure: a clear long-range solution to financial woes in public and state transportation and no discussion of increasing education funding to cities and towns. 

The House passed the bill late Monday night, April 8, 97-55, a few votes from the needed two-thirds margin required to defeat an anticipated veto by Gov. Deval Patrick who says the measure will not repair and upgrade the state’s aging transportation infrastructure.

The governor's own transportation proposal would spend $2 billion in new revenue from a rise in the state income tax which would also be used to increase Chapter 70 state aid to the state's public schools. 

The House $500 million measure, which was written with input from the Senate, would hike the gasoline tax by three cents per gallon and increase tobacco taxes, resulting in erasing the MBTA’s operating deficit and increase by $100 million what the state spent on local road projects last fiscal year. 

While the House and Senate worked extremely hard to craft that they thought would solve certain issues while being practical "i.e. achievable" in passing both legislative chambers, Rogers could not see himself voting for the measure.

" ... my analysis tells me that, while well-intentioned, the House/Senate plan is simply not adequate to meet the monumental infrastructure and transportation issues we face, let alone the need to invest in education and fund social services," said Rogers in an e-mail to Belmont Patch.

Rogers, who was  said in the House plan, T fares and tolls would likely rise significantly as soon as next year. Moreover, finding adequate money to purchase new cars for the Red Line and Green Line would be questionable.

"Some of those cars are many decades old and I am sure many of us heard the story last week of a door opening on a Red Line car while the train was in motion. Under the House/Senate plan, even achieving a 'state of good repair' in many sectors of our infrastructure and transportation systems would be difficult if not impossible. We need a long-term solution to our transportation and infrastructure woes, not a relatively short-term fix," said Rogers. 

Finally, the combined House and Senate plan has no resources allocated, "none at all," for education or social services such as combating homelessness, Rogers noted.

While some in the legislature are cautioning patience, Rogers believes the "while we have a progressive Governor and an economy that, while still not firing on all cylinders, [the economy] is clearly improving."

"I believe that this point in the economic cycle is the most opportune time to raise the necessary revenue to make important long-term investments," he said. 

Now that the House voted "in dramatic late night fashion (which was really something else for a freshman legislator)," Rogers said that an impasse between the legislature and Patrick need not come to a veto. 

"I met with the Governor yesterday and he said that he is open to compromise and new approaches. I hope that all sides will take a fresh look and try to craft a package that better meets the challenges of our time," said Rogers.