Senator Richardville asked and was granted unanimous consent to make a statement and moved that the statement be printed in the Journal.
The motion prevailed.
Senator Richardville’s statement is as follows:
I would like to speak, with your permission, to not only this resolution, but also Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 15. What these do is urge Congress to enact legislation to waive for a two- year period the requirement for Michigan to match federal highway funds. They are not unlike the previous resolutions.
Representative Candice Miller has a bill that would waive the 20 percent match required for states like Michigan. Michigan is a donor state. It receives less in federal funding than it collects through the 18-plus cent per gallon federal fuel tax. Michigan receives only about 92 percent in return for every $1 it sends to Washington, D.C.
At this point in time, Michigan’s unemployment rate remains at about 14 percent, we’re the only state to have surpassed the average national unemployment rate by 40 percent over the past 24 months. There is little chance of Michigan being able to meet the matching fund requirements if the unemployment rate in Michigan continues to remain high. With less jobs, there is less money coming in by way of income, sales tax, et cetera.