East Michigan News

State Representative Tom Kunse expressed his firm opposition to the Democrat Department of Transportation budget on Wednesday, citing a lack of crucial funding for local roads. The budget instead allocates $15 million for aerial drones and $2.95 million for electric bike incentives. This comes at a time when Michigan ranks 47th nationally in terms of pavement road quality.

"Our local roads are crumbling, yet Democrats have shown little interest in making real investments in repairing them," Kunse, R-Clare, stated. He criticized the focus on interstates and highways, arguing that this does not address the full scope of the problem. "Our roads are costing people money; it’s as simple as that. Every day Democrats ignore this crisis another family is facing thousands of dollars in vehicle repairs after losing a fight with a bathtub-sized pothole."

The Department of Transportation budget also includes $5 million for the state to develop and implement a road usage tax. The proposed tax would require Michigan drivers to install trackers in their vehicles so that the government can monitor mileage and tax accordingly. While Democrats argue this would replace the current 28.6 cent gas tax, Republicans remain skeptical.

"Democrats are literally proposing that we spend taxpayer dollars to research how to take even more money from everyday people," Kunse said. He voiced concerns about fairness and wasteful spending, questioning the necessity of a fuel tax.

Furthermore, Kunse criticized the removal of several key transparency measures from the budget, which were previously installed by Republican leadership to ensure government accountability. These include record retention requirements, notification requirements for long-term contracts entered into by MDOT, promotion of best practices for public transportation and regular reporting on efforts made in these areas.

"This is yet another example of Democrats showing their true intentions when it comes to transparency and accountability in Lansing," Kunse said. He accused Democrats of avoiding committee hearings while introducing controversial legislation and ignoring alleged ethics violations among their members.