The four legislative Transportation Committee chairmen have been meeting and all want a new funding bill that will raise substantially more than the $1.8 billion proposed by Gov. Corbett, said Sen. John Rafferty (R-Montgomery), Majority Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, according to Capitolwire reporting.

Sen. Rafferty said the Senate would introduce a bill with bi-partisan support at a press conference in April after he and the other committee chairmen negotiate its contents, and that the Senate would pass the bill first, and that Senate leaders were on board with that plan.

Then the House would likely pass a similar bill after the Senate bill came over, so that as a revenue bill, the final legislation would have “originated in the House” to meet the state constitutional requirement that revenue measures originate there.

The other Transportation Committee Chairs include: Sen. John Wozniak (D-Cambria), Minority Chair Senate;  Rep. Dick Hess (R-Bedford), Majority Chair, House; Rep. Michael McGeehan (D-Philadelphia), Minority Chair House.

3/11/2013