After 15 hours in session, the state Senate failed to come up with a plan for more than a billion dollars a year to fix roads.
Today is the last day to come up with a solution before lawmakers leave town to start summer campaigning.
President and CEO of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Rich Studley, said the Chamber is pushing for lawmakers to come up with almost $1.6 billion in road funding.
Studley said the governor put forward a plan to invest $1.2 billion, and the state House has approved a plan to reallocate $450 million into road funding.
A statewide public poll showed that motorists are strongly in favor of fixing the roads and are willing to pay for it.
Studley said there is no good reason for the Legislature to recess for the summer.
“Our message is stay in session and do your job,” Studley said. “While Michigan lawmakers have been talking about this issue, virtually every other state in the country has tackled this problem.”
Studley added that for every year the state doesn’t take action, the state loses almost $100 million in value with deteriorating roads and bridges.
“Michigan’s motorists now in effect pay an inaction tax of over $300 a year in unnecessary road repairs,” Studley said.
*Listen to the full interview above.
– Bre’Anna Tinsley, Michigan Radio Newsroom.
