Legislator responds to governor’s State of the State address

State Rep. Beth Griffin, of Mattawan, today issued the following response to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s State of the State address by declaring her plan to bond roughly $3.5 billion for road funding over upcoming years as a “misstep.”

“Just one year ago, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer put forward one of the most unpopular policy proposals in the history of our state: A massive 45-cent per gallon gas tax increase which would have cost many Michigan drivers up to $10 more each time they filled up. It was a failed plan that not even the governor’s own party could rally behind.

“Gov. Whitmer has now opted to take out a multi-billion dollar loan the people of Michigan never approved, nor can afford.

“Bonding is a short-term fix with long-term consequences. While the money is made available immediately, it still requires Michigan families to pay the money back. In fact, Michigan is still paying off billions in road bonding debt from nearly 20 years ago, and will not fully pay it off for another 20.

“All the governor’s road bonding ‘solution’ will accomplish is fixing limited portions of U.S. 131 and I-94 as bonding can only be allotted toward state-owned roads. That means thousands of southwest Michigan families will still experience vehicle wear and tear while driving on local roads.

“We’ve been down the bonding road before. It isn’t pretty and will lead to decades of paying down debt. I hope the governor rethinks this decision before actually taking it. If she doesn’t, Michigan’s future generations will be left picking up the pieces.”