"I thank Representative Clibborn for her leadership on this and am glad to begin a robust conversation about how to move forward in building a transportation system for the 21st century. This is an issue vital to the environmental and economic health of Washington State.
"Many groups have worked hard to get us to this point. We clearly need to address the growing maintenance and preservation needs in our current infrastructure, the big-ticket needs to improve freight mobility across our state, and the unmet needs for sustainable transportation options such as pedestrian and bicycle improvements.
"We can't afford to not take action and this is a job I expect the Legislature to accomplish. I'll be working with legislators on both sides of the aisle to craft a package that they can send to my desk for approval."