Senator Kahn asked and was granted unanimous consent to make a statement and moved that the statement be printed in the Journal.
The motion prevailed.
Senator Kahn’s statement is as follows:
In substantial point similar to the Senate concurrent resolution that we just discussed, Senate Resolution No. 68 is about our transportation woes. This resolution is to urge President Obama to grant Michigan a waiver from federal matching requirements for federal-aid highway projects.
As our people know, the condition of Michigan’s roads and the infrastructure are deteriorating rapidly. Dollars for construction, improvements, and maintenance dwindle with our stricken economy. Michigan is facing a crisis in infrastructure funding exacerbated by rising inflation in materials costs, decline in fuel tax revenue, reduced travel, improvements in gas mileage, and, of course, the slow economy.
Last year, Governor Granholm’s Transportation Funding Task Force recommended raising transportation-related taxes and fees by over $3 billion. At that time, it was noted that the Michigan Department of Transportation will lose almost $600 million in federal aid beginning in 2011; $1.9 billion between 2011 and 2013. Losing these funds would greatly reduce highway improvement projects and cost the state an estimated 17,000 jobs.
So granting Michigan a waiver from the federal matching requirement, which is much like what the Obama Administration provided to every state under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, would help us to alleviate our needs for massive fuel and vehicle registration fee increases. It will act to stimulate our economy and further diversify the state economy by attracting new businesses. I urge this resolution’s adoption.