The House of Delegates passed a bill to set up a blue ribbon commission to study funding of the state's transportation funding needs. The preliminary vote was 119-21, with most of the nays coming from Republicans.
The bill has already passed the bill, but with a slight variations in amendments. The differences don't appear to be all that stark, so the legislation appears to be all but done. Such a commission could lay the groundwork for an expected -- and most concede much-needed -- increase in transportation revenue after the 2010 election. That also helps explain the GOP votes gainst it.