Senate Passes Third Version of Transportation Bill

There are now three official visions on the table for funding the state's transportation needs.

The Massachusetts Senate, on Saturday, passed a transportation bill that would provide about $800 million for state's transportation agencies by fiscal year 2018, according to Boston.com.

The news website said the Senate's package "seemed [like] a compromise between packages proposed by House legislators and Governor Deval Patrick in recent weeks."

It says the bill, which passed with a vote of 30-5, would raise revenue in part from diverting money from a "little-known gas tax fund for underground storage tanks" and by having the MBTA seek licensing and naming rights on its subway, bus and commuter rail stations.

Boston.com says the Senate bill will now move to a joint conference committee with the House. The two legislative bodies must iron out an agreement before a transportation financing package heads to Patrick's desk for consideration.

The House previously passed a transportation financing bill that called for less revenue. Two of Somerville's state representatives, Carl Sciortino and Denise Provost, voted against the bill because they felt it was inadequate.

The outcome of the debate over transportation financing has implications for federal funding of the Green Line Extension in Somerville.

A lot of numbers have been batted around during the debate over transportation financing, and one group, the Conservation Law Foundation, tried to look at the numbers in a way that lets people make useful comparisons.

The law foundation determined the different financing plans can be compared in this way:

• Governor's plan: $858 million per year
• House bill: $504 million per year
• Senate bill: $602 million per year (these numbers were posted Friday, before the Senate's Saturday session. This number is based on the Senate's proposal before the vote)

"There are still significant differences on how these amounts would be raised and the assumptions about growth underlying them," the Conservation Law Foundation noted.

Related coverage

• Somerville Reps Split on Transportation Financing Vote
• MBTA: Federal Funding for Green Line at Risk Under Recent Proposal