State Senator Bruce Caswell (R-Hillsdale) and state Representative Matt Lori (R-Constantine) provided a ‘Legislative Update’ during a breakfast gathering Friday morning (February 10th) at the Joco Center in Three Rivers, an event sponsored by the Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce.

The lawmakers shared information on a variety of legislative topics, commented on the Fiscal Year 2013 budget proposal unveiled by Governor Rick Snyder on Thursday, and responded to a number of questions from audience members.

Caswell led off the formal presentations and talked initially about the Transportation Infrastructure Package, a collection of bills aimed at reforming transportation funding in Michigan.  He provided breakfast attendees with a printed summary about the various pieces of legislation – a sheet with the Senate and House bill numbers, sponsor information, and a description of each of the bills.  To download this summary, click on the following link:  Transportation Infrastructure Package.

State Senator Bruce Caswell with the printed Transportation Infrastructure Package summary he provided during Friday's Chamber-sponsored 'Legislative Update' breakfast at the Joco Center in Three Rivers.

Regarding the legislative package on transportation, Caswell said, “It’s a major change in terms of what we’re doing in the way of funding and so on.”

Caswell said, “As I’ve gone around and talked to villages and townships,  there’s basically the concerns that I hear from people – besides the fact that it’s a tax increase – is the fact that, if you are a municipality getting less than $50,000 a year in road funding, if this package of bills passes you won’t get anything.”  He also noted that – if the legislation is approved as proposed – there will be TWO transportation funds set up, the old one known as the Michigan Transportation Fund and a new Commercial Corridor Fund.

Caswell indicated that the legislation would allow counties to approve a county operational registration fee to fund transportation programs and projects, something that would have to be approved by voters.  And he explained that the package includes a bill that would increase the tax on gasoline from the current 19 cents a gallon to 28.3 cents, a tax that would be paid by everybody, and a proposal that would boost annual registration fees by an average of $60 per car.

In commenting on feedback he’s received regarding the Transportation Infrastructure Package, Caswell said constituents have asked, “Why don’t we just increase the sales tax one cent and dedicate that one cent completely to the Transportation Fund?”  Caswell said, “A penny increase in the sales tax would generate about $1.2 billion which is just about what the need is.  That’s a second proposal that I’ve heard from citizens as they talk back to me.”  And he said, “If we did that, that would have to require a vote of the people.  Sales tax cannot be raised in Michigan unless people vote on it.”

Caswell said, “It’s going to be a long term discussion – these proposals.  This is not going to be something that’s going to happen right away so I would appreciate your input on it.”

Lori also touched on the Transportation Infrastructure Package in his presentation and, in particular, noted HB 5305, a bill he has introduced as part of the package.  It would say that all road projects may be subject to competitive bid regardless of cost.  Present law requires federal aid projects and all state projects over $100,000 to be competitively bid, but not lower cost projects.

Lori talked about House consideration of the package and said, “We’re meeting weekly on these bills and trying to go through a bill or two a week to try and get through it and see if we can’t do something sooner than later, but, as Bruce said, it will probably be later before we actually get down to business on this package.”

To hear Senator Caswell’s remarks about the Transportation Infrastructure Package, click here (4:46 – 4.36 MB).

To hear the entire formal presentations by Senator Caswell and Representative Lori – plus opening remarks by Christy Trammell, President  & CEO of the Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce, click on the following link:  Legislative Update presentations ( 30:59 – 28.3 MB).