The lame duck legislative session is winding down in Lansing this week, and Democrats are discussing more than 100 bills as their trifecta majority comes to an end.
State Representative Brad Paquette of Niles tells us one topic is road funding.
“There’s a handful of different conversations around a 20 cent gas tax increase, toll roads, a couple other issues around there that the Democrats have plans for that are non-starters for most of us Republicans,” Paquette said. “The Speaker-elect made a commitment along with a handful of us that we have enough money in our budgets right now if we cut out our pork spending, our corporate welfare giving to fund our roads and to fulfill those promises that we all made to voters.”
Meanwhile, Republicans have been pushing their own roads plan that would slash spending in other areas to move $2.7 billion in existing tax revenues to road infrastructure.
Paquette says he’s diametrically opposed to most of what the Democrats are discussing. However, with total control still in the hands of Democrats, he says they could theoretically pass just about anything.
Paquette is pushing for changes that would require a two-thirds majority vote to approve legislation during lame duck sessions, something that’s been previously discussed but never adopted.
