Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that appropriates $1.6 billion for infrastructure projects.

Highlights:

• Appropriates $1.63 billion for various state departments and agencies for supplemental funding (Sec. 101).

• Specifies if the state administrative board transfers funds from an amount appropriated under this law, the legislature may, by a concurrent resolution adopted by a majority of the members elected to and serving in each house, inter transfer funds within this law for the particular department, board, commission, office, or institution (Sec. 203).

• Requires bridges to be selected for inclusion in the program subject to available funding and according to the following order of priority (Sec. 301-1):

• Locally-owned vehicle bridges currently closed to traffic;

• Locally-owned vehicle bridges currently posted or restricted from Michigan legal loads; and

• Locally-owned vehicle bridges in need of rehabilitation or replacement as rated by Regional Bridge Councils to ensure citizen safety or unimpeded commercial traffic.

• Requires funds appropriated for the bundling of local agency bridges program to be considered work project funds and will not lapse at the close of the fiscal year and shall be available for expenditures for projects under this law until the projects have been completed. The following is in compliance with appropriations law (Sec. 301-3):

• The purpose of the work project is to provide funding for the rehabilitation or replacement of bridges owned by local road agencies through the bridge bundling program;

• The projects will be accomplished by utilizing state employees or contracts with service providers, or both; and

• The total estimated cost of the work project is $1.5 billion.

• Appropriates funding that may be used by the funding recipient for any stage of design and construction related to either of the following (Sec. 302-3):

• A grade separation project; and

• A project that improves traffic at the rail crossing without full grade separation, including, but not limited to, construction of a rail siding or spur.

• Requires the Standing Committees on Transportation of the Senate and House of Representatives, the Senate and House of Representatives Appropriations Committees, and the Senate and House of Representatives fiscal agencies to file a report which must include (Sec. 302-5):

• The number of funding applications received;

• The name of each city, village, or county road commission that submitted a funding application, and whether each application was approved or denied; and

• The amount of local match for each funding application approved under this law.

• Requires funds for the local rail grade separation program to be considered work project funds and must not lapse at the close of the fiscal year and will be available for expenditures for projects under this section until the projects have been completed. The following is in compliance with appropriations law (Sec. 302-7):

• The purpose of the work project is to provide grants for the separation of motor vehicle traffic and railroad traffic in this state;

• The projects will be accomplished by utilizing state employees or contracts with service providers, or both.

• The total estimated cost of the work project is $126,000,000.00.

• Alleges it is the intent of the legislature that the appropriations for county road commissions and cities and villages be used to compensate for revenue lost in fiscal years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Sec. 303-2).

Full Bill Text