Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the Senate on February 28, 2006, the Senate version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2006-2007 capital outlay budget. The bill appropriates $201.4 million in adjusted gross spending, but authorizes dozens of projects, including 13 university and 22 community college projects, that would likely cost more than $700 million when completed, and would cause the state to exceed the $2.7 billion cap on total state borrowing (see also Senate Bill 1189, which would raise this to $4.0 billion). Gov. Jennifer Granholm's most recent proposals for the bill would authorize and additional $501 million in new contruction projects

The vote was 33 in favor, 1 opposed and 4 not voting

(Senate Roll Call 802 at Senate Journal 93)

Click here to view bill details.

Rep. Tobocman, 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: This bill contains unconstitutional language seeking to restrict funding for the Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) study. It is completely unconscionable that the Majority party continues to object to spending federally-allocated dollars to study whether we should enhance our state's ability to accommodate international trade at the Southeast Michigan and Southwestern Ontario border, the continent's most valuable border crossing. With nearly $150 billion of annual trade, insuring that Michigan has the appropriate infrastructure to support and grow this economic activity is critical. It is unfathomable that the Majority party would seek to kill this study given the increasing importance of international trade to local economies. All that I can conclude is that the Majority party is against trade, our economic future and jobs. Or they are unwilling to even investigate the viability of additional border capacity solutions to the virtual monopoly of one of the party's financial contributors. Either way, it simply is terrible and unconstitutional public policy."

Rep. Cushingberry, 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: This bill fails to geographically balance development in our State. It is too little too late. The failure to strengthen the infrastructure by continued reliance on tax cuts is unwise and has led to the exacerbation of the down time of our cyclical economy. Tax cuts do not work and the Center for Budget and Policy in a recent study has shown that those States who have cut taxes the most are in the worst shape. My no vote explanation in the House Appropriations Committee on this bill included a report by the Citizens Research Council which chronicles the demise of a once proud infrastructure ravaged by unwise tax cuts. Michigan cannot succeed unless our full State supports the important biofuels industry as outlined and promoted eloquently by our Governor and our Urban University is given tools to grow and prosper. For this reason I cannot support this bill at this time."