WILDER SAYS HE'S NOT RULING OUT TRANSPORTATION BILL

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

DATE: FRIDAY, January 15, 1993                   TAG: 9301150307
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY  
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Short
WILDER SAYS HE'S NOT RULING OUT TRANSPORTATION BILL
Gov. Douglas Wilder said Thursday that although he did not propose a transportation bond issue for the 1993 legislative session, he would not rule out signing any highway measures passed by the General Assembly.
However, he did not sound inclined to support a bill by Sen. Charles Colgan, D-Manassas, to finance transportation projects with the $20 million in real estate recordation taxes.
Wilder has proposed once again delaying the long-awaited return of the taxes to localities where they were collected. He says the state needs the money to help pay for $116 million in new spending for the second year of the budget.
Wilder also said he hopes supporters of his gun control bills will be able to raise some money to combat an expected media blitz by opponents of the legislation.
The National Rifle Association is leading the charge against Wilder's bills to limit handgun buyers to one gun a month and prohibit juveniles from possessing handguns.
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB