June 30, 2004

LANSING – Governor Jennifer M. Granholm on Tuesday told a gathering sponsored by the Michigan Road Builders Association (MRBA) that it is urgent Congress pass a federal highway bill that returns a fair share of gas taxes back to Michigan so that the state will have the necessary resources to maintain its roads.

"Congress needs to immediately pass, and President Bush needs to sign, a federal highway bill that returns our fair share of gas taxes back to Michigan and provides us with the necessary resources to maintain our roads," Granholm said. "Michigan has a lot at stake in the federal transportation reauthorization debate and, as the Congressional clock ticks away, we’re running the risk that they will leave for summer recess without getting the job done."

The Governor said failure to pass a bill with the $318 billion in funding over six years approved by the Senate has already cost Michigan more than a quarter of a billion dollars in highway funding this year alone. Emphasizing that transportation funding is not a partisan issue, she noted that every member of our congressional delegation, Democrat and Republican, has recognized the need for additional transportation funding, with several members from Michigan co-sponsoring a bill to provide $375 billion over the same period of time.

"Sadly, the President has threatened to veto any bill that exceeds $256 billion, which would not even keep pace with inflation," Granholm said. "At the President’s funding level, our commitment to preserve our roads and bridges is in serious jeopardy."

The Governor said the President’s position is troubling given comments he made on a recent visit to Michigan about the poor condition of our roads, while conveniently failing to acknowledge that he is the roadblock preventing the conferees from making any progress toward getting the reauthorization passed.

Granholm acknowledged the MRBA for its efforts both as road builders and as co-chairs of the Michigan Transportation Team. The association has made a tremendous difference through their letters and emails to Capitol Hill, their calls to Congress, and their networking with other donor state coalitions – donor states being those states that send more gas taxes to Washington than they receive in federal transportation dollars.

The Governor’s comments on the federal highway transportation bill are just the latest action taken by the Governor to highlight Michigan’s role as a donor state.

In February, Granholm met with the Chair of the House Transportation Committee, Representative Don Young (R-Alaska).

Earlier this month, the Governor participated in a teleconference on the federal highway bill with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee ranking member James Oberstar. She also joined with other governors in sending a bipartisan letter to Congress urging inclusion of the Senate-passed border provisions.

"Our collective efforts have brought us so close…this is not the time to let up. All of us need to redouble our efforts and push Congress and the President as hard as possible in the next 25 days before this extension runs out and Congress goes home for the summer," Granholm concluded.