The members of the SR-167 Completion Coalition and the SR-509 Coalition are once again calling upon each member of the South King and Pierce County delegations to tell their leadership it is time for a vote on the Transportation Revenue Package.
According to John Parrott, President of Totem Ocean Trailer Express, “Our elected officials have taken meetings and they have listened; now it is time they pass the Transportation Revenue Package. The opportunity before us will quickly disappear should they not decide to act. I need my legislators to make the Transportation Revenue Package a must have. Our customers and Totem Ocean urge our legislators to pick action over excuses. A number of our Senators and Representatives have done yeoman’s work, and I thank them. If the Legislature as a whole does not act now, we will be responsible for the loss of jobs and critical trade opportunities for our state.”
The Coalitions stressed that a successful session cannot be declared just because the Legislature lived up to its Constitutional duty of passing a 2013-15 Operating budget. Merely passing an Operating budget is not enough, and does not target the economic viability and the long-term health of the infrastructure of our State.
Congressman Denny Heck, who represents most of Pierce County in the U.S. House of Representatives, added, “You cannot reasonably claim to be in favor of job creation and not support the transportation revenue package, the number one job creation proposal in our state right now. It’s time for an up or down vote on this package, and it’s time legislators demand that vote from the leaders of both chambers.”
Scott Mason President of the ILWU Local 23 commented that, “Passing a budget alone, is not a ticket to go home. There are too many jobs at stake with the Transportation Revenue Package to dismiss its importance this year. We expect that no one goes home unless the package gets a vote. It is time for leaders to lead, continuing to use excuses for anything less is a failure. If business and labor can come together now – the Democrats and Republicans should be able to find a way.”