Category Archives: Transportation, Transit

Senate Passes Repeal of Annual Certification to MDOT

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In December of 2012 Public Act 506 was enacted that required local road agencies to certify the the Michigan Department of Transportation that the had developed and publicized an employee compensation plan or were in compliance with with PA 152 of 2011. The law requires a local road agency to maintain a searchable website accessible by the public at no cost that includes the following: a) current fiscal year budget, b) the number of active transportation employees of the local road agency by job classification and wage rate, c) information on financial performance, d) the names and contact information for the governing body of the local road agency, and e) a copy of the certification mentioned above. Compliance with these provisions needs to take place no later than September 30, 2014.

The League has advocated that certifying to MDOT that we are in compliance with PA 152, which by law we are required to be in compliance with, is redundant, unnecessary, and an inefficient use of time. We have also advocated that the creation of another dashboard is unnecessary because of the public access to our current EVIP dashboards, F65 Forms, audits, and our comprehensive annual financial reports.

As a result Senator Casperson introduced SB 882 that would repeal the provisions section 18j for cities and villages. This bill was take up before the full Senate today and vote out with nearly unanimous support. This bill now moves to the House where we are hopeful that progress will continue to be made and these unnecessary requirements will be repealed before the implementation date of September 30, 2014.

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation and infrastructure issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303

Senate Hopes to Vote on Significant Transportation Funding Increase Next Week

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The Senate has adopted a substitute to HB 5477 that would gradually increase the new percentage tax on gasoline over four years from 9.5 percent beginning January 1, 2015, to 11.5% beginning January 1, 2016, and to 13.5 percent beginning January 1, 2017. For the year beginning January 1, 2018, the rate would be increased to 15.5 percent.

The changes to the bill, which repeals current fuel taxes, 19 cents per gallon and 15 cents per gallon on diesel, and replaces them with a percentage tax on the wholesale price, was the most significant change the chamber made to several House and Senate bills whose goal is to increase revenue to improve our transportation system. The House had originally proposed in HB 5477 a rate of 6 percent, a level said to be revenue-neutral.

The Senate is looking to hopefully pass these bills Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.

Earlier in the day, the Senate Infrastructure Modernization Committee had reported the bills with only one change to HB 4630, which would remove a provision of current law that offers a 10 percent reduction in registration fees for purchasers of new vehicles over three years. It is estimated that change could yield about $140 million.

Overall the package of bills represent nearly $2 billion in new revenue for our transportation system.

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation and infrastructure issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303

Senate Transportation Committee Votes Out Repeal of Annual Certification to MDOT

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In December of 2012 Public Act 506 was enacted that required local road agencies to certify the the Michigan Department of Transportation that the had developed and publicized an employee compensation plan or were in compliance with with PA 152 of 2011. The law requires a local road agency to maintain a searchable website accessible by the public at no cost that includes the following: a) current fiscal year budget, b) the number of active transportation employees of the local road agency by job classification and wage rate, c) information on financial performance, d) the names and contact information for the governing body of the local road agency, and e) a copy of the certification mentioned above. Compliance with these provisions needs to take place no later than September 30, 2014.

The League has advocated that certifying to MDOT that we are in compliance with PA 152, which by law we are required to be in compliance with, is redundant, unnecessary, and an inefficient use of time. We have also advocated that the creation of another dashboard is unnecessary because of the public access to our current EVIP dashboards, F65 Forms, audits, and our comprehensive annual financial reports.

As a result Senator Casperson has introduced SB 882 that would repeal the provisions section 18j for cities and villages. The committee unanimously voted this bill out of committee today. We are committed to working with the legislature to see this bill move forward and are hopeful that it will be voted out of the Senate as soon as next week.

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation and infrastructure issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303

Senate Infrastructure Modernization Committee Takes Testimony on Increased Road Funding

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This afternoon the Senate Infrastructure Modernization Committee took testimony on a series of bills (HB 4630, 5477, 5493, 5459, SB 6 and 149) that represent another step forward in achieving a sustainable solution to fund Michigan’s transportation network.

These bills would change the tax paid at the pump from a cents per gallon tax to a tax paid on the wholesale price, charge the same tax rate on diesel and gasoline, streamline registration fees, and dedicate the unallocated general fund revenue from sales tax paid at the pump to roads.

The League testified that these bills were another good step forward in solving our funding shortfall but that significant revenue needs to be add. This committee plans to meet again tomorrow morning (5/21) and vote these bills out. It is then anticipated that the Senate will take these bills up on the floor and take the necessary steps to add significant revenue.

We are hopeful that the Senate will increase the funding in this package and we look forward to working with them to ensure that this happens.

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation and infrastructure issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303.

MDOT Accepting Transportation Economic Development Fund Category F Applications for Fiscal Year 2016

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The Michigan Department of Transportation Office of Economic Development is will begin accepting Transportation Economic Development Fund Category F applications for Fiscal Year 2016 on April 15. Eligible applicants include cities, villages and county road commissions.  Proposed projects must be on federal-aid designated routes within a Federal Adjusted Census Urban Boundary located in a county with a population of 400,000 or less. Higher consideration is given to applications that propose improving all-season capabilities on routes having high commercial traffic or those that improve access to state trunklines.

The application deadline for Category F grants is Friday June 30, 2014. The application and instructions can be accessed at http://www.michigan.gov/tedf. For questions, please contact Matt Wiitala at 517-241-2152 or wiitalam@michigan.gov

The following is a link to a flyer about the Category F grants. Category F Economic Development Flyers

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation and infrastructure issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303.

Senate Transportation Committee Takes Testimony on Repealing Annual Certification to MDOT

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In December of 2012 Public Act 506 was enacted that required local road agencies to certify the the Michigan Department of Transportation that the had developed and publicized an employee compensation plan or were in compliance with with PA 152 of 2011. The law requires a local road agency to maintain a searchable website accessible by the public at no cost that includes the following: a) current fiscal year budget, b) the number of active transportation employees of the local road agency by job classification and wage rate, c) information on financial performance, d) the names and contact information for the governing body of the local road agency, and e) a copy of the certification mentioned above. Compliance with these provisions needs to take place no later than September 30, 2014.

The League has advocated that certifying to MDOT that we are in compliance with PA 152, which by law we are required to be in compliance with, is redundant, unnecessary, and an inefficient use of time. We have also advocated that the creation of another dashboard is unnecessary because of the public access to our current EVIP dashboards, F65 Forms, audits, and our comprehensive annual financial reports.

As a result Senator Casperson has introduced SB 882 that would repeal the provisions section 18j for cities and villages. The League testified in committee today supporting this bill and there was no opposition. We are committed to working with the legislature to see this bill move forward and are hopeful that it will be voted out of committee as soon as next week.

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation and infrastructure issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303.

House Transportation Committee Votes Out Bill Regulating Solicitation of Charitable Donations in the Public Right-of-Way

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Under House Bill 4916 a city, village or township may by written authorization allow a charitable organization to solicit donations in the public right-of-way within their geographic boundaries. Individuals soliciting donation must be at least 18 years of age and must wear high visibility safety apparel. The written authorization must include name of the charitable organization, the dates, times and locations of when they will be conducting their fundraising activities. The authorization will be contingent upon the charitable organization releasing the local unit of government from any liability for all claims for damage that arise out of the use of the public right away.

This bill was passed out of committee unanimously and the League supports this bill.

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation and infrastructure issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303.

House Sends Transportation Funding Bills to the Senate.

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The House today voted out ten bills that represent another step forward in providing additional funding for our transportation system. These bills would eliminate the gas tax paid at the pump and instead charge a 6% tax on the wholesale price. They would ensure taxes paid on diesel are equal to those paid on gasoline. The Secretary of State would be required to streamline registration fees, and overweight truck permits and fines are increased. These bills also includes efficiency measures to increase competitive bidding done by the Department of Transportation, and would require warranties on construction and preservation projects over $1 million dollars.

The League has been successful in having amendments added to these bills to protect our locals ability to fix their crumbling infrastructure. We will continue to advocate for further changes to improve on the package passed by the House.

There has been very positive news coming out of the Senate that they want to find a comprehensive solution to fix our transportation network. The League recognizes that the funding solution passed by the House is not a comprehensive solution, but it does represent the most progress made on this issue in many years. We have begun discussion with key members of the Senate to ensure that any solution represents a full solution for the transportation needs of this state. Based on early indications, we are hopefully that the Senate will take the necessary steps to finding this solution.

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation and infrastructure issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303.

Road Funding Bills Passed Out of House Committee

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The House Transportation and Tax Policy committees voted out a series of bills today that represent the first step in securing more road funding for our local communities. Each of the bills received bipartisan support, but the acknowledgement still remains that there is more work to be done.

This is the first real step taken by the legislature to come up with a solution to fix our infrastructure. Changes are still needed to these bill to ensure that they represent a comprehensive solution for the transportation needs of this state. The League continues to work with leadership, the sponsors, and other interest groups to improve these bills.

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation and infrastructure issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303.

Additional Testimony Taken by House Transportation Committee on Road Funding

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For the Second time this week the House Transportation Committee took testimony on the transportation fund plan proposed by Speaker Bolger.

In testimony today the League thanked the legislature for the continued discussion but expressed our concern about this plan not representing a comprehensive solution and the lack of funding it provides in support of public transit. We have, and will continue to, offer suggestions on way to improve this legislation with the goal of finding a sustainable solution for the needs of Michigan’s transportation network.

Also testifying today were the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, the Michigan Environmental Council, and the Michigan Public Transit Association. Each of these three organizations echoed the need for additional funding to be added and strong support for the inclusion of transit in any long-term solution.

The League is very appreciative of the comments made by these organizations and will continue to work with them to find a solution to Michigan’s infrastructure needs.

John LaMacchia is a Legislative Associate for the League handling transportation and infrastructure issues. He can be reached at jlamacchia@mml.org or 517-908-0303.