LANSING — Today, the House Appropriations Committee approved House Bill 4321 adding an extra $175 million in road funding to the state budget. State Rep. Henry Yanez (D-Sterling Heights) supported an amendment adding another $75 million for roads, but that amendment was rejected. In response, Rep. Yanez issued the following statement: 

“Michigan’s roads are broken. Every week I hear from colleagues and neighbors about the ruined tires and broken axles they’ve had to pay for because of our bad roads. While I’m glad to see an additional $175 million in resources to fix our roads, the people in my district know we need more than stop-gap proposals that kick the can down the road. I supported an amendment last year that would have accelerated the process for fixing our roads, but it was summarily rejected on a party-line vote. I am disappointed that House Republicans continued to put partisanship ahead of policy solutions today when they once again rejected a proposal to add additional resources to fix our roads. The proposal that made its way out of committee today is a start, but it isn’t a solution. I will continue to fight to ensure our counties, cities and towns have the resources they need to fix local roads as the budget process moves forward.”