The Michigan Republican Party of Rick Snyder is still intact, as Republican lawmakers in Lansing are getting ready to push another gas tax on us!

We just did a gas and fee increase in 2015, which was also pushed by Republicans. They are getting ready to screw us again. Freshman State Rep. Jack O’Malley (the next Arlan Meekhof in training) is leading this new round of armed robbery against the unsuspecting taxpayer.

O’Malley wrote an op/ed in the Detroit News yesterday arguing how his “smart spending” legislation will fix the roads:

I recently unveiled a bipartisan legislative package with the minority chairman of the House Transportation Committee, state Rep. Tim Sneller, D-Burton, providing locals with this flexibility. The proposals encourage more collaboration between state and local officials to save on costs, change spending structures to allow counties and communities to spend road money how they see fit, and reform construction work requirements to allow crews to work later or earlier in the year if weather allows.

They also put in place forward-thinking methods that account for technological advancements with roads and what’s driving on them. Now and into the future, these plans will get more mileage out of our investments in infrastructure and help get more roads fixed from driveway to highway — where it’s needed the most.

The governor’s 45-cent per gallon gas tax was unpopular for many reasons, but two significant issues were a lack of say from the people and too few dollars going to rural areas for roads from the new funds.

A bill I have proposed within our wide-ranging plan will instead give counties the ability to enact a local fuel tax through a ballot measure. If approved in a vote, this would ensure counties — whether metro or rural — can put what they collect at the pump toward their own roads instead of shipping that revenue elsewhere.

Opponents will say this plan would cause people to drive to the next county over to buy gas and hurt businesses in the process. I contend that if I know my dollar is going to keep the roads I drive on every day in good shape, I’m more likely to invest that dollar locally. The appeal of local circulation should not be underestimated.

Smart spending paves more roads. We ought to be able to fix our roads with what we have available to us. We have started hearing testimony on these bills in a series of House Transportation Committee meetings separate from budget negotiations. As is the case each year, we’ll have a dollar number for transportation funding when a budget is signed.

If anyone is familiar with the ballot initiative process, you know there is a million different ways to sneak these measures through. O’Malley’s legislation would mean dozens of fights throughout the state of Michigan to keep new taxes from being implemented!

In short, O’Malley’s bills would be a nightmare that would create little swamps in every county around the state devising ways to de-fraud you out of your money!

We all know there is plenty of waste in government. We’re already paying 60 billion a year because of the corrupt legislature, and members of both parties are to blame. We must find the money in Lansing to fix the damn roads. This message needs to be heard loud and clear.

We need to ring the phones of the transportation committee off the hook to defeat these three bills that will ultimately lead to higher fuel taxes.

The three bills are:

House Bill 4963 (HB4963), which would empower counties to make ballot initiatives to increase gas taxes.

House Bill 4964 (HB4964), which would empower counties to create ballot initiatives to hike vehicle registration fees.

House Bill 4972 (HB4972), which would allow state bureaucrats to increase license plate taxes for vehicles that get a lower miles-per-gallon rating. It would also permit Regional Transit Authorities to hike registration fees.

Call every member of the House Transportation Committee and demand that they reject HB4963, HB4964, and HB4972. If they are your state rep, tell them they will lose your vote if they approve these abominable bills.

Jack O’Malley (R) Committee Chair, 101st District – (517) 373-0825
Gary Eisen (R) Majority Vice-Chair, 81st District – (517) 373-1790
Triston Cole (R), 105th District – 517-373-0829
Jason Sheppard (R), 56th District – 517-373-2617
Julie Alexander (R), 64th District – (517) 373-1795
Joseph Bellino (R), 17th District – (517) 373-1530
Gary Howell (R), 82nd District – 517-373-1800
Lynn Afendoulis (R), 73rd District – (517) 373-0218
Tim Sneller (D) Minority Vice-Chair, 50 District – 517-373-3906
Cara Clemente (D), 14th District – 517-373-0140
Tenisha Yancey (D), 1st District – 517-373-0154
Jim Haadsma (D), 62nd District – 517-373-0555
Nate Shannon (D), 25th District – 517-373-2275

Call House Speaker Lee Chatfield at 517-373-2629 and tell him he must not move these bills forward to a House vote under any circumstances.

Also, give Reps. O’Malley, Howell and Afendoulis a particular tongue-lashing for sponsoring some of these awful bills. Let them know we are taxed enough already, and this backdoor gas tax hike must not stand!

While you’re at it, call your state house rep and state senator and urge them to vote against HB4963, HB4964, and HB4972 as well. Tell them your vote depends upon them opposing all gas tax hikes, whether they are these three bills or any other ones!

Governor Whitmer axed most of the transportation funding from the state budget yesterday. The lobbyists are likely plotting to fast track HB4963, HB4964, and HB4972 as apart of a “bipartisan compromise” to bend us over for higher fuel taxes and other associated fees.

Spread the word! Time to take a stand and say enough is enough, and derail these three bills before it’s too late and we get screwed yet again by Lansing.

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