Inslee vetoes proposed raise to speed limits

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — In his first veto of 2015, Gov. Jay Inslee struck out a section of a bill that would have enabled raising the speed limit from 70 to 75 miles per hour on state highways.

Inslee's partial veto Wednesday morning of House Bill 2181 left intact the sections of the bill that authorize investigation of the potential safety effects of raising the speed limit on sections of Washington highways.

In his veto message, Inslee said the bill would originally have authorized a 75 mile per hour limit on a section of Interstate 90, but its reach had been extended to affect potentially thousands of roads before it reached his desk.

He also said the bill should have commissioned a safety study before authorizing a higher limit, instead of attempting to do both simultaneously.