This afternoon the House Appropriation Committee by a mostly party-line 18-10 vote, with Representative Greg MacMaster (R-Kewadin) being the lone Republican to join all Democrats in opposition, sent SB 608 to the full House with an additional $100 million for road funding. The House version is different than the Senate version in a few key areas.
The Senate version did not use any general fund money, instead the $100 Million came from the $115 Million that was available in the Road and Risk Reserve Fund. In the House version they are not using money from the Road and Risk Reserve Fund and instead are using general fund dollars. The amount general fund dollars for additional maintenance will be $100 Million and the $115 Million in the Road and Risk Reserve Fund will continue to be available for projects across this state as decided by the legislature.
SB 608 will most likely go to Conference Committee to work out the points of difference between the Senate version and the House version. It appears that both Chambers remain committed to delivering an additional $100 Million to our communities but are undecided as to where that money should come from. The League continues to support the efforts of the legislature to deliver additional funding to help local governments hit hard by this years winter. We encourage you to reach out to your legislators and ask them to vote yes on this legislation.
John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate with the League handling transportation and infrastructure issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303.
