GARVEE passes Senate, 28-6

The Senate has voted 28-6 in favor of SB 1186, the $82 million GARVEE bonding proposal for major road projects. Sen. Monty Pearce, R-New Plymouth, spoke out against the bill. “We’re talking about our children and our grandchildren. We’re placing debt on them,” he said. He added that his own districts has bridges on Highway 95 that need replacement, and the bill “isn’t going to change that.” Sen. Jim Hammond, R-Post Falls, urged support for the bill. “The kind of debt we’re talking about isn’t buying TVs and cars,” he told the Senate. “It’s buying a substantial long-term 50- to 70-year asset. And when you’re putting money into an asset that is going to last that long, it makes sense.” He added, “And quite frankly we’re doing it at a very cheap rate that we probably won’t get the opportunity to do again.”