WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Candice Miller (MI-10) today made the following comments praising Governor Rick Snyder’s recommendations to revitalize Michigan’s infrastructure:

“This is exactly the kind of leadership our great state needs and I applaud Governor Snyder for putting any and all options on the table to address our transportation infrastructure needs. Governor Snyder is absolutely correct when he says that if we are going to reinvent Michigan’s economy we must reinvest in Michigan’s infrastructure. This doesn’t mean just more money; it also means we need to be smarter with how those dollars are spent.

“Our state must re-evaluate everything to make certain not a penny is wasted simply because of an out-of-date cost allocation structure or unnecessary bureaucracy. We must update Public Act 51 which allocates state transportation dollars on a per-mile basis and instead transition to a formula which allocates scarce resources based on how often a road is used. The Governor is also correct to focus on more than just roads and look at helping communities to rebuild outdated underground infrastructure, such as aging sewer systems which are contributing to polluting our waterways. It is also wise to give counties and regions the options to form coalitions to propose raising funds to meet their own infrastructure and transit needs. In order to accomplish this, more money must also be brought into the system, and as the only member from Michigan on the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I have been fighting to make certain that our state’s taxpayers get fair return of the tax dollars we send to Washington and work to end the practice of Michigan being a donor state. That will be a central goal as we move forward in Congress to reauthorize the national highway bill.

“The Governor is showing visionary leadership which is vital if we are to build a better Michigan that attracts great jobs and provides plentiful opportunities for our children and grandchildren.”

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