
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, October 6, 1995                   TAG: 9510060080
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: DAVID REED ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: LEXINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

ALLEN SAYS LEGISLATORS RAIDED HIGHWAY FUNDS

Gov. George Allen criticized state legislators Thursday for diverting money from transportation to social programs and for backing a business group that may advocate tax increases.

Allen said the Democrat-led General Assembly has taken $200 million from the transportation trust fund in recent years.

``They spent it on welfare and other social programs instead of transportation,'' the Republican governor told participants in a transportation conference at Virginia Military Institute.

``This should not be a slush fund for the General Assembly to dip into at will,'' Allen said.

House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell, D-Vinton, said money was taken from the transportation fund three times during the recession and put in the general fund to balance the budget and avoid a tax increase.

Allen also attacked the Northern Virginia Business Roundtable and legislators who support the Commonwealth First plan to spend an additional $500 million-plus for public education, roads and the technology industry.

``So-called leaders of the General Assembly are trying to burden Virginians with hundreds of millions of dollars in increased taxes,'' Allen said. ``Their principles may be for sale, but I'm not going to be suckered into this.''

The Northern Virginia business executives began promoting the Commonwealth First plan in September and said 53 of the 62 General Assembly candidates in Northern Virginia - both Republicans and Democrats - have signed on.

The business leaders have said that new sales or gas taxes may be needed to fund the initiatives, but some of the elected officials said tax increases are unnecessary.

``I don't support the call for higher taxes,'' Cranwell said. ``I think we can do most of what they want to do without raising taxes.''

Cranwell said if state revenue continues to increase at about 5 percent a year, the General Assembly will have about $1 billion more to spend in the next two-year budget.

Daniel Bannister, spokesman for the Northern Virginia Business Roundtable and chairman of Fairfax-based DynCorp., could not be reached for comment Thursday.

by CNB