By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network
LANSING, MI – The state Legislature returns from its spring break this week. Lawmakers are expected to dive back into budget disputes.
Funding for the Department of Transportation is quickly becoming one of the more contentious debates in Lansing. Democratic state Representative Lee Gonzales chairs the subcommittee that oversees that budget in the House.
"If you think all of the other budgets are bad, can you imagine that the transportation budget is 15 percent less than the current year, projected for the start of the next fiscal year, October 1," Gonzales says. "From $3.2 billion down to $2.7 billion. Which means we cannot address the need of our infrastructure here in Michigan."
Gonzales says lawmakers need to figure out a way to fund transportation so the state does not lose money from the federal government.