In a little bit of a surprise move, the Senate Transportation committee voted unanimously yesterday afternoon to report the main bill in the Complete Streets package to the Senate floor for further action. The committee was originally scheduled to just hear testimony from interest groups on the two bills in the package, with further committee meetings and testimony expected prior to a vote, sometime later this summer. After hearing testimony and support from a host of advocacy groups, including the League and the Let's Save Michigan campaign, committee chair, State Sen. Jud Gilbert (R-Algonac), announced that the committee would take a vote on the bills and House Bill 6151 was reported without amendment on a 3-0 vote.
As mentioned previously, the League is actively supporting this legislation and will now work with Senate leadership to secure passage of the bills by the full Senate. The Michigan Department of Transportation is expected to pursue one final issue in the legislation before a final vote, however. The department is now expressing concerns with previously agreed to language detailing the mechanism for MDOT projects to coordinate with a community's Complete Streets policy prior to the department moving forward with a project. This is a critical issue for League members and we will be deeply involved in any discussions by the department in trying to change the House-passed language. Check back here for further updates as this issue continues to evolve.
Chris Hackbarth is the transportation policy advisor for the Michigan Municipal League. Chris can be reached at 517-908-0303, or by email at chackbarth@mml.org
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