Governor calls lawmakers' transportation overhaul 'not good enough'

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

A major overhaul of the state's transportation bureaucracies sought by Governor Deval Patrick became a source of conflict between Beacon Hill leaders today, as the governor accused House and Senate leaders of passing watered-down legislation that he called "not good enough.''

While the Legislature's transportation bills would eliminate the Turnpike Authority, Patrick said the measures were weakened in ways that removed their money-saving potential. It was a significant note of discord among the state's top Democrats.

"The bills just don’t go far enough,” Patrick told reporters after emerging from a meeting with House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray.

He also criticized the Legislature for not passing overall budget-balancing measures he proposed in January.

House and Senate versions of the transportation package do not force MBTA retirees and current workers into the health plan for state employees, which Patrick has estimated would save the agency $19.5 million a year. Also, the House inserted a provision that would require local approval before the MBTA erected billboards at T stops. Patrick's administration says that would cost the state $20 million in potential advetising revenue.

Disagreements also have emerged over who would control a newly merged turnpike and Mass Highway agency. Patrick sought administration control, while lawmakers have inserted more independent authority for the new agency.

“The savings that we have planned for, and organized around, and looked forward to, and anticipated are just not in either the House or the Senate bill,'' Patrick said. "What we have right now is just not good enough.”

Patrick administration officials claim that their legislation would save up to $40 million annually, while the House and Senate bills would save the state little or no money.

“I think they heard me loud and clear,” Patrick added, referring to DeLeo and Murray. “We’ll see.”

Murray, who left the meeting in DeLeo’s office shortly after Patrick, sharply disagreed.

“I think we probably have a difference of opinion on that,” she said.“...I’m a little confused. He just gave us a spreadsheet and we said we’d go and look at it.”

She also criticized the administration's approach to managing the flow of news about potential MBTA cutbacks because of revenue shortfalls, calling it "a scare tactic'' that is "not the right way to go."

The Senate transportation chairman also criticized the governor's approach.

"We're not going to reform so we get a good headline in the newspaper, we're going to reform so that we change things going forward," said Senator Steven A. Baddour, a Methuen Democrat and chairman of the Senate Committee on Transportation. “This doesn’t help the negotiations. It doesn’t help coming out with a final product”

Although it was not mentioned today, the administration and lawmakers also disagree sharply on another key transportation issue, how much to raise the state gas tax to pay for road and bridge improvements. Patrick wants to raise the tax by 19 cents; lawmakers have signalled that is too high and will likely push for an inrease under 10 cents.

Later, after the governor's comments, DeLeo's spokesman released a statement saying that the House transportation legislation "offers real change, real reform, and real savings."

"The people of Massachusetts want the Governor, Senate President and Speaker to work together to achieve transportation reform, and Speaker DeLeo intends to do that,” the statement read.

Patrick today also blamed lawmakers for not acting on some of his proposals to close the budget gap. In January, he unveiled a set of plans that would have raised $128 million in state revenue by increasing taxes and raising fees.

“We would not, frankly, be in the situation we’re in today, at least in part, if the Legislature had acted on some of the solves that we proposed,” he said.

Patrick administration officials tomorrow are expected to lower the revenue estimates for this fiscal year for the third time, which will cause a further gap of about $500 million that will likely need to be closed using state reserves, federal stimulus money, and possibly more midyear budget cuts. House lawmakers tomorrow are scheduled to release a budget proposal for next year that one lawmaker described as “the worst budget in state history.”

House lawmakers decided to prohibit any amendments that would insert revenues for casino gambling or slot machines, a debate that is expected to take place later this year but could bog down the budget discussions.

“It’s very easy for me to say that it’s a stark budget, it’s going to be a very sobering budget -- you can use all the adjectives you want,” DeLeo said in an interview. “But until you see it in writing, that’s when reality will hit.”

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.

• Comment
• Permalink
• Email