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House Speaker Says Road Funding Getting in Way of Other Issues

MPRN

(MPRN-Lansing) Republican leaders in the state Senate hope to hold a vote this week on a road funding plan. Many lawmakers are becoming more eager to get roads out of the way so they can move onto other major issues. 

Not only does Gov. Rick Snyder want the Legislature this year to commit hundreds of millions of dollars to rescue Detroit Public Schools – lawmakers are also set to take up a major overhaul of Michigan’s energy policy.

State House Speaker Kevin Cotter says road funding talks are getting in the way of those issues moving forward.

“We can certainly multitask, but when it comes to these big issues the roads issue has become a bit of a dam and it’s holding up some other big issues,” said Cotter. “Let’s address road funding, get it signed, put it behind us and then focus on energy and Detroit Public Schools.”

The House and Senate failed to agree on a road funding plan last week. Many Senate Republicans said they couldn’t support the plan because it relied too heavily on raising vehicle registration fees.

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