OOIDA Call to Action – Michigan members
June 23, 2010

Dear Member,

A Michigan Senate committee needs to hear from you about a bill that would permit the Michigan DOT to lease out transportation infrastructure.

HB4961 would authorize certain transportation projects to be built as public-private partnerships and financed with tolls. But that’s not all! Private operators would have the ability to toll truckers and other drivers elsewhere in the state and do it without legislative oversight.

The House-approved bill does not adequately protect taxpayers and drivers from excessive tolling. To make matters worse, it would allow contracts that could last longer than 99 years, and opens the door to financial penalties that local governments would have to pay to private road operators in order to build or expand “competing” public roads.

Lawmakers cannot overlook these provisions and instead focus solely on what the bill does for the proposed Detroit River International Crossing.

Members of the Senate Transportation Committee need to be told that there is NO WAY this kind of bill, in its current form, should pass muster with lawmakers.

Michigan residents must demand that authority for public-private partnerships be in the hands of the Legislature instead of unelected MDOT officials who would then be working alone with the private operators to set or increase toll rates.

In addition, no tolling authority that is not a 100 percent domestic governmental entity should have the power to contractually handcuff Michigan drivers to these tolling agreements.

Contact information for the Senate Transportation Committee is listed below.

Sen. Jud Gilbert, chair
Phone: 517-373-7708 or 877-445-2378
Fax: 517-373-1450
Email: senjgilbert@senate.michigan.gov

Sen. Roger Kahn, vice chair
Phone: 517-373-1760 or 866-305-2132
Fax: 517-373-3487
Email: senrkahn@senate.michigan.gov

Sen. Gerald Van Woerkom
Phone: 517-373-1635
Fax: 517-373-3300
Email: sengvanwoerkom@senate.michigan.gov

Sen. Ray Basham
Phone: 517-373-9310
Fax: 517-373-9310
Email: http://www.senate.mi.gov/basham/contact.php

Sen. John Gleason
Phone: 517-373-0142 or 866-268-2914
Fax: 517-373-3938
Email: http://www.senate.mi.gov/gleason/contact.php