Different versions of a transportation spending plan working their way through the Washington State Legislature would cost truckers money through higher fees and fuel taxes.

The $6 billion House plan, passed last week, features an 8-cent-per-gallon fuel tax hike, which would have to go to voters for approval. The fuel tax would be phased in, 4 cents October 1, 2002, and 4 cents October 1, 2003. The bill also would increase the weight fees for trucks by 20 percent, with the proceeds dedicated to freight mobility.
The $8.2 billion plan under consideration in the Senate calls for a 9-cent-per gallon fuel tax hike, spread equally over three years, plus an extra 3 cents per gallon on diesel, without the issue going to the voters. The package would increase the weight fees for trucks 40 percent.
Both plans would add a 1-percent sales tax on new and used vehicles.
The bills would pay for highway construction and mass transit to help ease congestion in the state. For instance, the Senate bill includes $2.6 billion for major projects such as the expansion of Interstate 405 and state Route 520.
Larry Pursley, lobbyist for the Washington Trucking Associations, said in a message to members, "This bill passed out of the House last Friday in a form we could support. By the time the Senate Transportation Committee held a hearing on the legislation Saturday, the costs had increased significantly and I was forced to testify in opposition to the bill. While the Senate developments are alarming, we must keep in mind we are only at halftime. Once the Senate passes their proposal, serious negotiations will begin on a transportation funding package."