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SU N DAY, F E B RUA RY 1 2 , 2 0 17
THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
More funding for roads and bridges in Snyder’s budget Emily Lawler elawler@mlive.com L A N S I N G — G ov. R ick
Emergency workers attend to a single-vehicle crash that injured two teenagers in Dalton Township in 2012. The two were trapped when the car left the road and struck a tree. MLive.com files
Road age: Young drivers, more crashes Julie Mack jmack1@mlive.com
Michigan drivers younger than 21 are three times more likely to be in a traffic accident that causes a fatality or serious injury compared to older drivers, according to data collected by the Michigan State Police. From 2011 to 2015, the data shows, Michigan had 32,143 vehicle accidents in which someone was killed or suffered an “incapacitating” injury. Of those, 6,777 — or 21 percent — involved a driver under 21, according to Michigan State Police data. Yet these young adults make up only 6.6 percent of the state’s licensed drivers, according to the data. “Inexperience, risk-taking behavior, immaturity and greater risk exposure are all factors that increase crash risk for young drivers,” says a fact sheet from the state Office of Highway Safety Planning. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, crashes are the leading cause of death and account for almost one-third of all deaths among people age 16-19. Other highlights from the state data: 1. The number of licensed drivers younger than 21 is continuing to trend down. Michigan had 474,427 drivers under 21 in 2015, compared to 474,555 in 2014 and 521,467 in 2010. One reason is a shrinking population in the 16-20 age group. But the bigger factor is that more teens delay getting a driver’s license. A 2016 University of Michigan study found 25 percent of American 16-yearolds had a license in 2014 compared to 46 percent in 1983. Among 19-year-olds, it
Crashes among young adults Michigan counties where drivers ages 16-20 made up the largest percentage of all drivers involved in crashes in 2015 Drivers, 16-20
Pct. of all drivers
1,714
7.2%
227
16.7%
Ottawa
16,187
8.1%
2,052
15.9%
Livingston
12,345
8.1%
1,269
15.4%
Isabella
3,101
7.6%
579
15.0%
Shiawassee
3,626
6.8%
385
14.9%
1,271
6.5%
179
14.3%
Barry
3,224
7.0%
259
14.3%
Alpena
1,313
5.8%
160
13.9%
Mecosta
1,663
6.1%
305
13.3%
Ionia
3,258
7.4%
281
13.3%
Monroe
8,377
7.1%
835
13.2%
Midland
4,577
7.0%
503
13.2%
Lapeer
5,170
7.5%
533
13.0%
Clinton
4,564
7.8%
360
12.8%
Allegan
6,200
7.2%
579
12.5%
Houghton
Otsego
dropped from 87 to 69 percent. Among the reasons teens are waiting to get a license: The internet makes it easier to stay in contact with f r iend s w it hout s e ei ng them in person; some teens say they’re “too busy” to go through driver’s education, and teens are put off by the expense of owning and maintaining a vehicle. 2. The number of fatal crashes involving young drivers has dropped dramatically over the past two decades. In 1995, the year before
No. of Pct. of all crashes crashes
Michigan introduced its graduated license program that put more restrictions on teen drivers, there were 314 fatal accidents in Michigan involving drivers age 16- 20. In 2015, there were 148 fata l accidents a nd 158 deaths involving drivers 16-20. Fifty-nine of those who died were a teen driver. 3. Crashes related to teen drinking have dropped by 70 percent since 1995. In 2015, there were 626 accidents in which a Michigan driver under 21 had been drinking. That compares to 2,132 in 1995.
The same year, 40 fatal crashes involved a lco hol and a driver under 21. That’s about 15 percent of the state total. 4. Up to 16,000 people were injured in 2015 Michigan crashes involving a young driver. In addition to 158 deaths, there were 900 people who suffered an “incapacitating” injury; 3,835 people with a non-incapacitating injury and 11,530 with a minor or “possible” injury, the state numbers show. 5. Young drivers get into more crashes than older drivers because they make more mistakes. The Office of Highway Safety Planning said teenagers and young adults were more likely than older drivers to: › Be involved in shoulder/ outside curb crashes. › Speed, over t u r n, be unable to stop in assured clear distance, run into ditches and hit trees. › Have passengers in their car at the time of the crash. › Be involved in fata l c r a s he s whe n t he i r speed was too fast. They also were more likely to be involved in a crash on weekends. 6. Fatal accidents involving teen drivers spike during the summer months. T he per iod bet ween Memorial Day and Labor Day has been dubbed “the 100 Deadliest Days” for teen drivers by the American Automobile Association. Crashes increase significantly during the summer months because teens drive more during this time of year, according to AAA.
Panel takes on retiree health care, pensions Emily Lawler elawler@mlive.com L A N S I N G — Two months after lame-duck efforts to address public retiree health care costs at the local level folded, Gov. Rick Snyder has formed a task force to study the issue. “My goal for this task force is to have collaboration among legislators, state and local government officials and employee representatives to ensure the
financial stability and effective delivery of local government services for the coming decades,” Snyder said. “As we discuss this growing financial problem across the state it is imperative that we also keep retirees in mind who rely on these programs.” Former House Speaker Kevin Cotter proposed a plan late last year that would have required local governments whose retiree health plans aren’t well-funded to pay 80 percent or less of benefits.
Retirees would have to pay the remainder. But shortly before the plan was due for a second committee hearing, Cotter took it off the table, citing a need for more information on municipal finances. Hundreds of police and firefighters had gathered at the Capitol to oppose the changes, which would have affected those who already had retired. Snyder’s new task force includes representatives of
firefighters, police, local gover n ment s a nd t he health care industry. The group is expected to produce a report this spring. According to Snyder’s office, 344 local units of government in Michigan provide retiree health care, a pension or both. The total unfunded pension liability is estimated at $4 billion, while the total unfunded health care liability is estimated at $10 billion.
Snyder’s $56.3 billion budget for puts an emphasis on additional funding for infrastructure. Snyder’s budget recommendation, presented to the Legislature on Wednesday, totals $56.3 billion, with $10.1 billion from the state’s general fund. That’s a 2.5 percent increase in the overall budget and 1.75 percent increase in general fund. The plan covers the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. Snyder ’s recom mendations for spending on roads, bridges and the like build on the work of the 21st Century Infrastructure Commission he created last year. Its November report also covered the needs of utilities and communication systems. The governor proposes a $20 million deposit into the Michigan Infrastructure Fund, $2 million to implement a pilot program on a statewide asset management database to help coordinate projects, a $214.3 million increase over FY 2017 levels for state and local roads and $15 million for transit and rail programs. He said that while the overall task of improving the state’s infrastructure may be daunting, his proposal chose bite-size pieces to work on. “I think there’s great savings opportunities,” Snyder said. “So can we bring that number down dramatically by doing smart things? I think we can do some smart things, and we need to get started.” The Legislature passed a road funding plan in 2015, and additional revenue is coming in from gas taxes and registration fees starting this year. But that was less funding than some experts had recommended. Other highlights from the governor’s proposed budget include: › Increasing the higher e duc at ion bud get by $36 million, bringing universities back to the funding levels they had prior to a huge cut in 2011. Snyder proposed doing that last year, but lawmakers did not fully fund it. › A d d i n g 10 0 M i c h i gan State Police troopers and increasing other law enforcement funding. › An increase for emergency management. “We seem to be seeing more of those,” Snyder said. › Increasing the clothing allowance for foster children from $140 to $200 per child. › An additional $48 million related to the Flint water cr isis, to f und improvement of water resources, filter cartridge replacements, early childhood programs and school nursing. The governor’s ask includes a $25 million fund for unanticipated expenditures. The Legislature in late 2015 and in 2016 appropriated $234 million to address the Flint crisis. › Increasing the funds school districts get for at-risk children by expanding eligibility for homeless and foster kids as well as for reduced-cost lunch. “These are students that are economically disadvantaged or have other issues in their life,” Snyder said, and there’s evidence that additional resources are an important investment in helping these children succeed.
State Police would get money to enforce new pot law Brad Devereaux bdevera@mlive.com L A N S I N G — G o v. R i c k
Snyder’s budget would use newly imposed fees a nd taxes on medical marijuana to bolster Michigan State Police enforcement of regulations on the drug. The “regulatory fees” projected at $8.8 million include a 3 percent tax on sales at provisioning centers under Public Act 281, which Snyder signed in December. The law licenses and regulates the medical marijuana industry at every stage. The money would be used to establish dedicated State Police enforcement teams, support increased testing and increase investigative support to identify current trends and methods in illegal operations, the governor’s budget says. Under the law, the State Police are responsible for doing background investigations on licensees, among other things, spokeswoman Shanon Banner said. She said they also anticipate more submissions for testing in potential criminal cases. The money is part of a $693.6 million allocation for for the State Police and public safety. That’s a 6.8 percent increase over the current year, State Budget Office Spokesman Kurt Weiss said. Roughly 346.8 million, or half the total, would fund troopers and post operations. Snyder’s public safety budget also proposes: › $10 million for the Disaster and Emergency Contingency Fund to ensure disaster readiness. › $9.2 million for a recruit school a nt icipated to graduate 100 troopers. › $2.6 million to support and expand forensic sciences. › $1.5 million to expand St ate Police capacit y to prevent, detect, and investigate cyber-crimes. › $1.5 million to support equipment replacements, including in-car camera systems, ballistic vests and tasers. › $1 million in grants to law enforcement agencies for training on how to reduce and manage biases. › $978,900 to strengthen the state’s disaster readiness and response capabilities through training, outreach and education. › $608,300 to support the c on t i nu e d o p e r a t ion of the OK2SAY student safety hotline. › $600,000 in grants to help prevent sexual assaults on college campuses.
The governor’s presentation officially kicked off budget season in Lansing. The House and Senate Appropriations committees spend months scrutinizing specific budget items. In the end, the House and Senate have to agree on and pass a final budget and Snyder must sign it for it to become law. The hard timeline on getting that done is by Oct. 1, when it goes into effect. But Snyder during his tenure has set a tighter timeline and asked lawmakers to be done by June 30. They have delivered each year of Snyder’s tenure. “Being t h ree mont h s ahead gives greater certainty to our local governments and school districts that they deserve,” Snyder said.