In the latest example of their complete lack of respect for the struggles of everyday Washingtonians, state House Democrat leaders “scoped” amendments to the I-405 tolling scheme out of the supplemental transportation budget proposal. That means that they did not allow their fellow lawmakers the opportunities to vote on the amendments.
Just what amendments are we talking about?
Two of the amendments were introduced by Republican state Representative Mark Harmsworth. One proposed giving back a toll lane in each direction on I-405. As the Washington Policy Center points out, a study from the Puget Sound Regional Council “shows that operating one toll lane instead of two would increase general purpose speeds and lower toll prices for travelers.” Also, taxpayers already paid for the lanes with gas tax increases.
Harmsworth’s second amendment “would have given back the toll lanes on I-405 and removed tolls entirely, as laid out in the 30,000-plus citizen petition.”
Another amendment proposed by Republican state Rep. David Taylor would have capped tolls at four dollars.
These issues are relevant to the constituents of many House Democrats. Their refusal to allow for a debate on the amendments is another example of Democrats’ out-of-touch, irresponsible transportation agenda.
I-405 Democrat Extortion Scheme