Legislator also stresses need for continued PFAS work, criminal justice reforms

State Rep. Douglas Wozniak, of Shelby Township, responded today to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s State of the State address by declaring her plan to bond for road funding in upcoming years as “severely irresponsible.”

“Instead of working with the Legislature to find a practical solution, she’s kicking the problem to our children and grandchildren in the form of debt,” Wozniak said. “This is a reckless approach. The next generation shouldn’t have to foot the bill for this.”

The governor originally proposed a 45-cent per gallon gas tax increase within the state budget for the current fiscal year. That plan was wildly unpopular across the state and was rejected. After vetoing several funding plans within a budget that advanced through the House and Senate in an ill-fated attempt to get the Legislature to negotiate a gas tax increase of some form, Wozniak helped restore key measures that will fund essential services throughout Macomb County.

Wozniak underscored a previously approved roads funding plan that will be fully implemented by 2021 and is expected to generate roughly $1 billion more for road repairs, noting the governor has decided to act on bonding before the effects of that plan can be evaluated.

Outside of Michigan’s roads, which occupied much of the governor’s address, Wozniak also included continued attention to PFAS contamination and criminal justice reforms as issues he will be working on in the upcoming year. The first-term legislator also plans to expand and improve upon landmark no-fault car insurance reforms he helped to pass in 2019. The new laws, which begin to go into effect in July, offer additional consumer protections for drivers while ensuring they still have access to important medical benefits.

“These are issues that impact our communities and staying committed to them will make it easier to live, work and raise a family in Michigan,” Wozniak said, noting money set aside for PFAS treatment and clean-up sites as well as criminal justice overhauls reforms as raising the age of an adult in the state to 18 in criminal prosecutions. “We’ve made significant strides, but there’s still work to do.”