State Rep. Timmy Beson on Wednesday voted for proposals that will put more money each year towards local roads without more taxes or additional debt.

The legislation – House Bills 4180-87 and 4230 – would commit an extra $3 billion to roads each year, including $2.5 billion to local roads. These resources will be critical for communities and counties throughout Michigan that have delayed projects or been forced to shift money away from other critical services to fund repairs.

  “Many local roads across Bay County are in rough shape. This has been obvious for a long time, but for far too long Lansing has been can-kicking and politicking instead of prioritizing ways to get more funding to our communities to make repairs,” Beson said. “These plans offer real, long-term solutions to fix our roads and address a priority for people in districts we all represent.”

The roads plan would rededicate $2.2 billion from the Corporate Income Tax (CIT) to roads, shifting $220 million to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and $1.98 billion to local road agencies each year. The plan would also reallocate hundreds of millions of dollars from expiring or inefficient spending programs to roads.

“We have seen many corporate incentives that have routinely underdelivered and not given people a good return on their tax dollars,” Beson said. “We should be putting the priorities of the people over corporate welfare and pork spending.”

The bills remove the sales tax on fuel and replace it with a fair, fixed motor fuel tax, securing nearly another $1 billion for roads without raising taxes. The legislation will hold school funding harmless by dedicating $755 million in sales tax revenue to account for the decrease in what is normally allocated through gasoline sales tax.

The bills now advance to the Senate for consideration.