LANSING – Michigan House Republicans are
working on a revised transportation funding plan that would include $600
million in new revenue and $600 million in cuts, with the hopes of holding a
vote when the chamber meets next week, several sources told Gongwer News
Service on Thursday.
Sources, speaking on condition of
anonymity, said specifics of the plan are non-existent at this point, including
where cuts and new revenue would come from, though they would come from
multiple sources. Those specifics will develop as votes are gathered. But the
basic framework is $600 million in new revenue and $600 million in cuts, with
those funds reallocated to roads, these sources said.
Though there is hope to hold a vote
next week, when the chamber is slated to meet Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday,
55 votes – the number needed for passage with one current vacancy reducing the
House to 109 members – have not yet been found for the plan.
Coming up to $600 million in new
revenue is significant for House Republicans. The plan the House passed in June
would have started with $38.2 million in new revenue and increased to $119.1
million in its fourth year, according to the House Fiscal Agency. The
Senate-passed plan calls for $800 million in new revenue from increasing the
gasoline tax, and House Republicans quickly squelched that plan.
It is the anti-tax sentiment in the
House Republican caucus, coupled with Democratic resistance to spending cuts in
key services,that makes marshaling 55 votes so difficult.
Spokespersons for both House Speaker
Kevin Cotter (R-Mount Pleasant) and Senate Majority
Leader Arlan Meekhof (R-West Olive) said progress has been made though they
did not discuss details.
“They’re progressing.
Discussions at the leadership level, it’s often easier to come to a consensus
between a handful in a room versus bringing that to an entire chamber,”
Meekhof spokesperson Amber McCann said. “It’s still early yet to make
predictions about a roads deal until the Legislature comes in for a full
meeting.”
House Minority
Leader Tim Greimel (D-Auburn Hills) spokesperson Katie Carey said the two
House leaders have not discussed roads since the last Legislative Quadrant
meeting, which was a week or two ago.
Peter Pettalia (R-Presque Isle) said the concept of $1.2 billion for roads
with half coming from new revenue and half coming from existing funds is
“not a new concept.”
Pettalia also said constituents
appear willing to pay more as long as the funding is guaranteed to go to roads.
And he said lawmakers are ready to consider new revenue.
On a vote next week, Pettalia said
members don’t have a concrete proposal in front of them. But he said it is
possible that will happen.
Harvey Santana (D-Detroit) said the plan is “rough” at this point
with no real specifics. He also said he expects any vote to be close.
“There’s a lot of preliminary
talk on a middle-of-the-road solution,” Santana said. He said Democrats
would likely be turned off by any cuts to education, child protective services
or senior services.
On a vote next week Santana said he
is optimistic something could happen.
“I think that this thing has
had time to breathe,” he said. “I think it has time to rest.”
This story was published by Gongwer News Service. To
subscribe, click on www.gongwer.com
