2008 House Bill 5808 / Public Act 275

Appropriations: 2008-2009 Transportation budget

Introduced in the House

Feb. 26, 2008

Introduced by Rep. Lee Gonzales (D-49)

The executive recommendation for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008-2009 Department of Transportation budget. This would appropriate $3.424 billion in gross spending, compared to $3.360 billion, which was the FY 2007-2008 amount enrolled in 2007. Of this, $1.316 billion is federal money (mostly from gas taxes), compared to $1.200 billion the previous year.

Referred to the Committee on Appropriations

March 20, 2008

Reported without amendment

With the recommendation that the substitute (H-1) be adopted and that the bill then pass.

Substitute offered

To replace the executive proposal for this budget with one that expresses the preferences of the House majority on various spending items and funding sources. For more see the House-passed version, and for detail see <a href="http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2007-2008/billanalysis/House/htm/2007-HLA-5808-4.htm">analysis</a> from the non-partisan House Fiscal Agency. Note: the substitute was later reconsidered and replaced by an essentially identical substitute as a means to sweep away a series of Republican amendments without requiring "vulnerable" Democrats to case "no" votes on these that might be used against them in a political campaign.

The substitute passed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. David Agema (R-74)

Require the Department of Transportation to post on a website all its expenditures during a fiscal year, and the purpose of each. Note: Although passed, the amendment was not included in a subsequent substitute version of the bill that was adopted.

The amendment passed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Kevin Elsenheimer (R-105)

To require the state to assume jurisdiction of county road C-56 between US 31 at Charlevoix and M-75 at Boyne city in Charlevoix County.

The amendment failed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. David Agema (R-74)

To waive tolls for U.S. military vehicles on the Mackinac Bridge.

The amendment passed 98 to 9 (details)

Amendment offered by Rep. Lee Gonzales (D-49)

To strip out a provision requiring the state to provide an easement to cetain homeless shelter in Grand Traverse County.

The amendment passed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. David Agema (R-74)

To remove $10 million from the department's information technology line item and shift it grants to local governments for road and bridge projects, to be "designated for mitigation of road surface distress caused by the severity of the 2007-2008 winter season".

The amendment failed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. John Moolenaar (R-98)

To require priority be given in allocating Transportation Economic Development Fund infrastructure subsidies to a firm that makes solar photovoltaic energy components. Note: The sponsor of the amendment has also introduced legislation authorizing potential cash grants to a company in this business in the form of refundable tax credits.

The amendment passed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Lee Gonzales (D-49)

To require that not more than $25,000 be spent to to post on a website all the department's expenditures during a fiscal year, per the Agema amendment.

The amendment passed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Phil Pavlov (R-81)

To earmark $500,000 for enhanced inspection of imported products entering the port of Detroit, with inspections targeted at "product safety standards" and products that are "contaminated, adulterated, harmful, or a threat to border security".

The amendment passed 73 to 34 (details)

Substitute offered by Rep. Lee Gonzales (D-49)

To adopt a substitute version of the bill that is essentially identical to the original substitute before it was amended, as a means to sweep away a series of Republican amendments that were added to the bill. This allows the amendments to be indirectly defeated without requiring "vulnerable" Democrats to cast "no" votes on them that might be used against them in a political campaign.

The substitute passed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Lee Gonzales (D-49)

To strip out a provision requiring the state to provide an easement to cetain homeless shelter in Grand Traverse County.

The amendment passed by voice vote

Passed in the House 57 to 50 (details)

The House version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008-2009 Department of Transportation budget. This would appropriate $3.424 billion in gross spending, compared to $3.360 billion, which was the FY 2007-2008 amount enrolled in 2007. Of this, $1.316 billion is federal money (mostly from gas taxes), compared to $1.200 billion the previous year.

Motion by Rep. Steve Tobocman (D-12)

To give the bill immediate effect.

The motion failed 58 to 48 (details)

Received in the Senate

March 25, 2008

Referred to the Committee on Appropriations

May 27, 2008

Reported without amendment

With the recommendation that the substitute (S-1) be adopted and that the bill then pass.

Substitute offered

To adopt a version of this budget that expresses the fiscal and policy preferences of the Republican-majority in the Senate on various spending items and programs. Among other things the Senate version contains $167.4 million in federal money also contained in <a href="http://www.michiganvotes.org/2007-HB-5221">House Bill 5221</a> and <a href="http://www.michiganvotes.org/2007-SB-511">Senate Bill 511</a> for airport safety and improvement projects. For more details see <a href="http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2007-2008/billanalysis/Senate/htm/2007-SFA-5808-F.htm">analysis</a> from the non-partisan Senate Fiscal Agency.

The substitute passed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Sen. Ray Basham (D-8)

To strip out a provision that allows the transportation department to finish a $20 million Detroit River international crossing (DRIC) study, but only on the condition that this does not bind the state in any way to construction or future action on the project. Note: The owner of the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario has proposed building a second bridge with essentially no Michigan taxpayer dollars; the DRIC project would use state money to build a second bridge a short distance away.

The amendment failed 18 to 19 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Glenn Anderson (D-6)

To strip out a provision that allows the transportation department to finish a $20 million Detroit River international crossing (DRIC) study, but only on the condition that legislation is enacted permitting "public private partnerships" to pay for the project. Note: The owner of the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario has proposed building a second bridge with essentially no Michigan taxpayer dollars; the DRIC project would use state money to build a second bridge a short distance away.

The amendment failed 17 to 21 (details)

Passed in the Senate 38 to 0 (details)

The Senate version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008-2009 Department of Transportation budget. This would appropriate $3.593 billion in gross spending, compared to $3.360 billion, which was the FY 2007-2008 amount enrolled in 2007. Of this, $1.449 billion is federal money (mostly from gas taxes), compared to $1.200 billion the previous year. The Senate version contains $167.4 million in federal money also contained in <a href="http://www.michiganvotes.org/2007-HB-5221">House Bill 5221</a> and <a href="http://www.michiganvotes.org/2007-SB-511">Senate Bill 511</a> for airport safety and improvement projects.

Received in the House

May 27, 2008

June 12, 2008

Failed in the House 10 to 96 (details)

To concur with a Senate-passed version of the bill. The vote sends the bill to a House-Senate conference committee to work out the differences.

Sept. 24, 2008

Received

Passed in the House 107 to 0 (details)

To adopt a compromise version of the 2008-2009 Transportation budget reported by a House-Senate conference committee. This would appropriate $3.612 billion in gross spending, compared to $3.360 billion, which was the FY 2007-2008 amount enrolled in 2007. Of this, $1.460 billion is federal money (mostly from gas taxes), compared to $1.200 billion the previous year. A controversy over funding for a Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) project held up the budget and was resolved with an agreement to allow the Department of Transportation to proceed with various preliminary activities for a publically-funded bridge including acquisition of some property, but cannot commit the state to actual construction. The controversy is centered on the fact that the owner of the existing Ambassador Bridge is willing to build an additional bridge with little or no taxpayer money.

Received in the Senate

Sept. 25, 2008

Passed in the Senate 37 to 0 (details)

Signed with line-item veto by Gov. Jennifer Granholm

Sept. 27, 2008

Received in the House

Nov. 12, 2008

Referred to the Committee on Appropriations