McDonnell might call special session on transportation

By Media General News Service
Published: January 07, 2010

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WOODBRIDGE, Va.—State Sen. Charles J. Colgan said this morning that Gov.-elect Robert F. McDonnell will call a special session of the General Assembly to focus on Virginia’s road woes, but a McDonnell spokeswoman said that decision hasn’t been made.

“I talked to the governor-elect earlier about this, and he said that he plans to call a special session to address transportation,” Colgan said at a breakfast meeting of the Prince William area’s two chambers of commerce.

The Manassas Democrat is the senior member of the state Senate and chairman of that chamber’s budget-writing Finance Committee.

In an interview after the meeting, Colgan said he had discussed the matter with McDonnell about three weeks ago.

The senator said this fall would be a likely time for a special session.

The governor-elect said last month that he wanted to address transportation in his first year in office.

However, McDonnell spokeswoman Taylor Thornley said this morning that how or when transportation would be discussed is “still to be decided.“

McDonnell will start his new job Jan. 16. He laid out a detailed transportation plan when campaigning that included privatizing the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control stores.

State Sen. Linda T. “Toddy” Puller, however, said this morning that money generated by those stores provides money for public safety, mental health and other needs.

“I do not think selling the liquor stores is the be-all and end-all” of transportation-funding fixes, said the Democrat, who represents part of Prince William County.