The Legislature is on a summer break until mid-August. The House and the Senate both adjourned today (Tue.) with no quorums and no votes on road funding.
The effort to reach a road funding deal was the main reason for meeting into July. Although the House and the Senate have both adopted plans, no package has made it through both chambers and to Governor Rick Snyder’s desk.
The split among Republicans is how much of roughly $1.2 billion in new revenue should be funded through cuts in other state spending, and how much should come in the form of new fees and taxes.
Republican state Representative Earl Poleski (R-Jackson) was one of a handful of lawmakers who showed up for Tuesday’s House session. Poleski says his constituents aren’t ready to accept a big tax increase.
“They want to make sure you’re spending your money in state government as efficiently as possible – and even shrinking state government if that could be done,” he says. “I’m good with that. But, at the same time, roads are very fundamental function of government.”
Lawmakers were facing a lot of pressure to come up with a new plan for road funding after Proposal One was thrashed by voters in May. But Poleski says it’s been evident the Legislature is not close to a deal, which is why almost no one showed Tuesday.
