Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the House on June 10, 2009

The vote was 58 in favor, 49 opposed and 3 not voting

(House Roll Call 458 at House Journal 0)

Click here to view bill details.

 

Rep. Meekhof, having reserved the right to explain his protest against the passage of the bill, made the following statement:

“Mr. Speaker and members of the House:

I can not vote for this bill, it will dilute road funding at a time when Michigan already faces a transportation funding crisis.”

 

Rep. Agema, having reserved the right to explain his protest against the passage of the bill, made the following statement:

“Mr. Speaker and members of the House:

Once again, this bill takes money from roads and gives it to the GF which will necessitates a tax increase on gas down the road.”

 

 

Rep. Opsommer, having reserved the right to explain his protest against the passage of the bill, made the following statement:

“As Minority Vice-Chair of the Transportation Committee I must protest the passage of HB 5072. This bill continues the historic trend of taking money designated for roads and moving it to the General Fund where it gets used for a variety of non-transportation related purposes. It is difficult to justify generating new revenue for roads until we stop taking away money that should be going to roads and spending it elsewhere. Otherwise, road related taxes and fees are subsidizing other programs, and it is disingenuous to ask taxpayers for more road money when we know it will not stay there. As an example, in Michigan the 6% sales tax on gasoline, automobiles, and automobile related accessories has recently generated $1.9 billion dollars in revenue. In other states a portion of this money goes to roads, but in Michigan none of it is earmarked for that purpose. Several members have introduced bills to stop the raid on the TEDF or to allow those funds to be used for other road funding purposes so that they could stay in transportation. At the very least these bills should be tie-barred to HB 5072 so that it is the last time these funds are raided in this manner. The Priority Now! road funding package should also be passed so that roads can get a portion of the $1.9 billion dollars that should at least partially belong to them. Taxpayers rightfully expect that all the taxes they pay at the pump or their equivalent should go to transportation, especially roads.”

 Absolutely not! The same thing will happened when they (Our beloved Michigan government) said that any lottery income will go to the schools. Did they not subtract a similar amount of money from the general fund when that happened, or a variation there of?

An across the board percentage cut in ALL expenditures of tax payer money to balance the budget is what must be done, regardless of the likes of the MEA, etc.

When our senators and representatives are in bed with greedy unions and other lobbyists, what do you expect from our lame, godless, immoral leaders? We, the average citizens of Michigan, are the slaves of the elite taxpayer paid bureaucracy, that just don't get it, where being a servant to the people has been replaced by dictator of the people.