Late Tuesday, the state’s Transportation Commission took a nonbinding vote recommending that the Legislature consider implementing a mileage tax to replace stagnating gas tax revenues. State Sen. Phil Fortunato, who is a member of the Senate Transportation Committee and on the mileage tax pilot work group, voiced sharp criticism of...

Calls for special session to uphold will of the voters Groundhog Day is still a little more than two months away, yet Sen. Phil Fortunato sees events unfolding eerily similar to the first time Washington voters approved $30 car tabs in 1999. Following that vote the state’s high court struck...

State Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, says voter approval of Initiative 976 has cleared a path for his legislation to meet the state’s transportation-infrastructure needs without new taxes. I-976, which has so far received a 56-percent “yes” vote in the general election that concluded yesterday, will return annual licensing fees to...

  Greetings Friends and Neighbors, I hope that you’ve had a great summer. Things have been quiet in Olympia, but something groundbreaking just happened. Late last week, the state Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case Black v. Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority. About a year ago, when...

Legislation sponsored by state Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, to clean up Washington’s highways was approved Tuesday by the state Senate. Senate Bill 5093, known as the “Welcome to Washington” act, would prioritize litter control on state highways and require coordination of the state’s agencies, including the departments of Ecology, Transportation...

I need your input. Please take the survey below concerning transportation plans being considered in the Senate. Below are examples of revenue sources for a new transportation package. Note billions in new taxes and fees versus my proposal that uses existing revenues you already send to Olympia.   Create your...

Earlier in the second week of the 2019 legislative session, I joined John Carlson for an update on transportation and other issues before the legislature.

My bold proposal on transportation funding has received public hearings in previous legislative sessions and demonstrated that it can work. The measure, Senate Bill 5743, would fundamentally change how the state pays for transportation infrastructure projects by providing a stable and fair alternative to the unpopular vehicle mileage tax proposal....

Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, is calling on Sound Transit’s governing board to reverse a decision made last week to transfer millions of dollars of property over to non-profits at a financial loss. Sound Transit plans to transfer property valued at $18.5 million for a third or half of its market...

By now, you should have received your 2017 Legislative Newsletter.   In case you missed it, you can read it by clicking on the photo below.