“I want to thank Rep. Clibborn and House transportation legislators for their hard work and leadership on transportation. I've been advocating for a transportation investment package since my first day in office and this development gets us one step closer.
“Overall, I believe the House put forward a strong proposal. I appreciate that it funds safety and maintenance, completes projects, fully authorizes light rail, and invests in transit, bicycle and pedestrian projects.
“It also adopts the least-cost planning and practical design methodologies advanced by Secretary Peterson to save time and money on projects.
“Finally, it addresses concerns I had with the Senate plan that takes funding from schools and local government, diverts dwindling toxic clean-up funds and pits transit funding against clean air.
“As I’ve been saying, we must make progress on funding transportation and reducing carbon emissions this session. I look forward to working with Republicans and Democrats on those priorities. Now that we have a House package, I'll be working with legislative leadership to begin the next phase of negotiations. I remain optimistic that we can work together and get a package across the finish line this year.”