Honigman Capitol Report

MDOT Signs Deal to Explore Electric Road System

The Michigan Department of Transportation has signed a 5 year deal with Electreon Wireless, Inc. to explore costs and options for creating in-road charging networks for electric vehicles. The agreement comes on the heels of MDOT’s work with the same company to electrify one mile of road in Detroit that will be used as a research laboratory to test electric mobility projects. The one mile road is designed to keep electric vehicles charged as they travel down the roadway.

Governor Whitmer Wants More for SOAR

Governor Whitmer has called on the Legislature to put another $500 million into the new Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve (SOAR) fund to keep momentum on major economic projects but House Republicans are pushing back unless they can get a tax cut as part of the deal. The Legislature started the SOAR fund with $1 billion and most of that money was used to lure General Motors to build an electric vehicle plant in Delta Township. With only $233.1 million left, the money will lapse if not spent by the end of the year. While both the Governor and Senate Republicans have projects in mind for the remaining funds, there is not enough currently to fund everything.

Court of Claims to Issue Opinion on Prevailing Wage Directive

Court of Claims Judge Douglas Shapiro will issue an opinion within the next month on whether to grant a preliminary injection at the request of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan (ABC) regarding the Governor’s Prevailing Wage Directive. Governor Whitmer has mandated union wages on state construction projects. ABC claims that the directive causes harm to its members by locking out smaller contractors who do not have collective bargaining units and cannot pay the same rates. The Attorney General’s office argued that ABC lacks standing and that not a single member of ABC has been harmed by the directive.

Whitmer up 16 Points According to Recent Polling

According to a recent EPIC-MRA polling for the Detroit Free Press, TV-6 Lansing and other media outlets, incumbent Democrat Gretchen Whitmer now leads at 55%, while Republican Challenger Tudor Dixon is at 39% with undecided voters at 6%. Pollsters claim that part of the cause of the widening gap is that Dixon’s campaign issues aren’t resonating as much with voters. For example, Dixon’s crime fighting package polls at only being important to 3% of voters and her focus on school issues only impact the 27% of surveyed voters who have kids in school. However, Dixon leads with voters who say that inflation and government spending, the economy and jobs are their top issues.