May 9, 1997

Legislative & Political Week in Review

• The week started with a call from the Coalition to Fix Our Roads to put $400 million into annual road repair efforts; the appeal includes an increase in the state’s fuel tax. The coalition—a broad-based group of business interests comprising the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Michigan Farm Bureau, Michigan Manufacturing Association, Michigan Trucking Association, and Detroit Renaissance and others—is urging lawmakers to focus attention on the pothole problem before adjourning for the summer. A day later, Charlie Owens, state director of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, begged to differ with the impression that all business in Michigan is of one mind on the issue: He says small business owners in the state are very reluctant to hop aboard the tax bandwagon and will support a gasoline tax increase only after all other alternatives are exhausted.
• Thursday found Governor Engler in a state highway garage in Grand Ledge, articulating a plan to raise an estimated $570 million a year for road maintenance. Engler’s plan includes hiking the gasoline tax by four cents a gallon, reallocating to the state $105 million in federal highway funding now going to the counties, and taking responsibility for maintaining many county roads (tripling, from 9,606 to 33,113, the roadway miles the state maintains). To take part of the bite out of the gasoline tax hike, the governor proposes changes in Michigan’s no-fault insurance law that he believes will result in savings on motorists’ automobile insurance. Engler also announced the appointment of Jim DeSana—Wyandotte mayor and former state senator—to the directorship of the Michigan Department of Transportation; he replaces Bob Welke, who is retiring. Upon hearing Engler’s proposal, House Democrats unveiled their own road plans; they envision being able to conjure up $430 million without the need for a tax increase.
• The Senate adopted a series of bills designed to increase the access of children to their divorced parents; SBs 288–93 will restrict where custodial parents may take up residence in relation to their ex-spouse. If the custodial parent decides to move more than an hour away from his/her current residence, the bills allow the noncustodial parent a court ruling on whether the move is allowable under the current custody arrangement. Opponents argued in vain that custodial parents in search of better vocational possibilities—especially those who live in areas of high unemployment—should be allowed to do so without sacrificing their custody for this reason alone.
• A slew of new policy mandates may be in store for the Department of Corrections and the prisoners in their charge. In approving the House corrections budget bill (HB 4307), the lower chamber imposed conditions including requiring chemical castration of repeat rapists, not allowing inmates to acquire a college degree, charging prisoners for electricity use, and using nonviolent offenders on certain state road-maintenance projects. The bill calls for a $24.1 million increase over the current $1,299 million budget.
• Sen. William Van Regenmorter (R-Jenison) has had a change of heart over the last few years regarding the efficacy and fairness of the laws requiring life without parole for certain drug offenses. The senator is sponsoring a four-bill package to loosen certain mandatory minimum sentence requirements for those convicted of possessing less than 650 grams of cocaine and allow for the possibility of parole in cases involving over 650 grams. Testimony on the proposals was taken this week in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which Van Regenmorter chairs.
• Thirteen private qualified health plans have been preliminarily approved by the Michigan Department of Community Health to provide comprehensive managed-health care for Medicaid recipients in southeastern Michigan. The department expects that the managed-care plan will be operational by July 1.
• The House Education Committee traveled to Macomb County this week, to begin a series of hearings to learn more about the state’s high school proficiency test. In coming weeks the committee will hear from interested citizens in Battle Creek (May 16), Flint (May 23), Dearborn Heights (June 6), and Grand Rapids (June 9).