Michigan Senate votes to double gasoline tax

LANSING, Mich. – After multiple failed votes and plans to fix Michigan's crumbling roads the Michigan Senate, in a bipartisan move, has voted to double the state's gas tax over a four-year span.

The bill calls for a tax on the wholesale price of gas, starting with 25 cents in 2015 and going up to 41 cents by 2018. The same plan failed this summer and failed Thursday afternoon, but after a series of behind-the-scenes meetings the deal was made.

"It's a gas tax increase, something nobody likes, but nobody likes the roads in a worse way, so I think we took a leadership role and did something to the fix the roads," said Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville - Monroe (R).

Richardville worked with Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer to secure the votes to make the plan happen.

"I feel very good that this was the type of compromise that will keep us from getting into the ugly partisan stuff that often plagues lame duck," Whitmer said.

Democrats are still livid over the right to work legislation that passed in lame duck. This time they're trying to fight off a bill that would change how Michigan divvies up its electoral votes. The bill calls for presidential candidates to get votes apportioned by how they perform in the election, which means no more winner take all.

It makes perfect sense to the bill's sponsor, Rep. Pete Lund - Shelby (R).

"Michigan is completely irrelevant in the presidential process. All these presidential candidates care about is about 10 states and Michigan is not one of those 10 states. We're a flyover state," Lund said.

Democrats said they feel confident by playing ball on the gas tax bill, adding that the electoral votes bill will never gain any ground in the Senate.

So now the gas tax heads over to the state house, where it faces an uncertain future. The governor has made it clear road funding is his top priority.


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