LANSING — Gov. Rick Snyder signed a $175 million supplemental road funding bill today in an attempt to fix the 2015 roads plan. In response, state Rep. Fred Durhal III (D-Detroit), Democratic vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, issued the following response:
“While I am glad to see this funding go to our communities so repairs on pothole-filled roads can begin immediately, Michiganders deserve better than this stopgap measure. The fact that we had to pass this supplemental budget bill proves what my Democratic colleagues and I have been saying all along — the 2015 Republican roads plan is a failure. I tried to improve this bill and offered an amendment to add another $75 million for roads, but the majority party defeated my amendment. Emergency funding, ultimately, is not the way to repair and maintain our roads. House Democrats know that Michigan families deserve long term solutions that allow people to drive to work safely, and ensure companies are able to conduct the business that allows our communities to thrive. We need to implement a plan that will fix our roads immediately so families can focus on what matters most to them, putting their hard-earned money toward retirement or their kids’ college fund instead of costly auto repairs.”