House Republican Leader Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, on Thursday issued the following statement:

“Gov. Whitmer’s heavily-skewed, partisan commission is nothing but a Trojan horse for new taxes. After four years of failure, the governor has no plan to keep young people in Michigan, no excuse for our crumbling roads, and no vision to improve childhood reading levels. She’s doing what every politician does when they have no real plan — create a commission and kick the can down the road. Gov. Whitmer just wants to raise taxes and throw more money at the problem. This panel of insiders and big spenders will give her political cover to do just that instead of compromising or simply owning her own ideas. The governor’s partisan council is a drastic downgrade from the new co-chair’s previous recommendation for a truly bipartisan effort. If Gov. Whitmer wants a real plan, she should do what governors are supposed to do and work with the people’s elected representatives in the Legislature.”

John Rakolta, a co-chair of the governor’s new commission, last year recommended a truly bipartisan commission with members appointed jointly by the governor and Republican legislative leaders.