Michigan State House Speaker-elect Matt Hall presents his plan for road funding in Lansing, Michigan on Nov. 25, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)
The only thing that might run deeper than the political divisions in Michigan may be its potholes, Republican state House Speaker-elect Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp.) reasoned during a news conference Monday calling for bipartisan efforts to fund local road repairs.
Hall is proposing $2.7 billion in annual road funding featuring an immediate $1.2 billion allocation of corporate income tax (CIT) revenue towards infrastructure in the state. Part of the plan resurrects a previous plan Republicans have put forward to redirect the 6% sales tax on gas from schools to road repairs.
Hall, who will take over leadership for the Republican majority in Michigan’s state House of Representatives in January, is calling on the current Democratic majority to come to the table in the last weeks of the legislative session to work on a road funding solution. He notes that if Democrats are going to be largely quiet about what they plan on getting done in their last days of leadership, he hopes that they consider his plan.
“How nice would it be if we ended this year with a roads plan that funded our roads fully, and people could have confidence that their local roads were going to be fixed. People would love that,” Hall said.
Infrastructure has been a long-standing point of concern for Republicans and Democrats alike, but how to fund the repair of long-neglected local roads around the state has had political leaders butting heads for years.
Much of the funding Hall is looking at from CIT revenue is currently dedicated to special projects aimed to bolster Michigan’s economy by bringing jobs to Michigan, such as projects to fund General Motors’ transition to electric vehicle production in Orion Township and investing in a controversial Gotion electric vehicle battery factory in Mecosta County.
“Roads is a higher priority than giving the money to corporations…I would say the people need it for roads more than the corporations need it… I mean, [General Motors] is way up there, billions of dollars of profit, but they want $250 million from us to tear down the Renaissance Center as they’ve left Detroit and just laid off 1,000 people in Warren,” asked Hall. “Does GM need it more? Or does your local county need it more?”
Currently, the majority of sales taxes at the gas pump help to fund Michigan schools and Hall’s plan would allocate those funds to road repairs. But schools will be back funded, Hall vehemently said Monday, with Rep. Tom Kunse (R-Clare) saying that if schools are left with a hole in funding, he will vote against Republicans’ plan for road repairs.
But education funding shouldn’t be reshuffled to accommodate road funding, Michigan Alliance for Student Opportunity Executive Director Peter Spadafore said in a news release Friday.
A plan for funding roads is welcome in Michigan, Spadafore said and he appreciates Hall’s willingness to focus efforts in that arena, but a comprehensive plan for funding schools has to be fully fleshed out before Hall’s plan proceeds.
“Infrastructure and education should not be competing priorities. It is vital that Michigan does both well if we are going to attract and retain people and businesses to this state,” Spadafore said. “Schools are still recovering from years of underfunding, and any policy that diverts funding from the classroom would be devastating to districts, teachers, and the over one million students whose futures depend on a well-funded education system.”
There are several other areas in the state and budget for schools to get funding, Hall said, pointing at income tax revenue and even leaving some of the CIT revenue aside for schools.
Michigan has some of the higher numbers in taxes collected at the pump, but uses too little for repairing crumbling infrastructure, Hall said.
“We’re going to make sure all of the money that you spend at the pump goes to roads,” Hall said. “We were planning on doing this next year when we’re in majority, but I thought, Well, if there’s no one with lame duck priorities, we’ll just put this out and let’s focus on the roads.”
In 2020, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer bypassed the Republican-led legislature to fund repairs to major highways with $3.5 billion worth of bonds as Republicans were attempting to meet her halfway on her previous plan to effectively raise gas prices by 45 cents per gallon, by proposing the redistribution of the 6% sales tax on gasoline to road repairs.
But people need better safer roads in their local communities, driving their kids to school and getting groceries, Hall said, not just on the highways.
“We’re open to negotiations with Democrats. We’re going to need Democrats to get this plan done,” Hall said. “We could work together. We could solve this. It’d be great. I’m hopeful they’ll embrace our plan. Their criticism sharpens it and makes it better and we could come up with something really good for the people of Michigan.”
When asked to comment, Gov. Whitmer’s spokesperson Stacey LaRouche told the Advance that major road repairs in Michigan have already been funded, but the Governor is open to further discussions.
“Governor Whitmer is committed to fixing the damn roads and bridges across the state. By the end of this construction season, we will have rebuilt or repaired nearly 23,000 lane miles and 1,600 bridges, supporting 118,000 jobs. We agree on the need for a long-term funding solution, and Governor Whitmer will work with anyone who is serious about getting things done,” said LaRouche.
One Democratic lawmaker who has already come out against the plan is state Rep. Phil Skaggs (D-East Grand Rapids).
“Matt Hall and the Michigan House Republicans have an ill-conceived plan to gut $1 billion out of our schools. The Republicans want to do away with free school lunches, more & better teachers, school safety measures, and more. I stand with students,” he posted to social media.