The Michigan Senate is unlikely to vote this year on a proposed public-private partnership that would clear the way for another bridge to be built between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.
A spokesman for Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop said Thursday that the senator says there doesn't appear to be consensus on the issue.
If the Senate doesn't vote this year, it would be left to the next Legislature and governor to address the issue starting in 2011.
Makes you wonder if the Canadians will pull their $550 million from the table at some point. Bet they are tired of waiting around on a bunch of people who are more interested in playing politics than they are with helping to create jobs or making it easier to facilitate trade between our countries. Maybe those folks in New York would be interested...
UPDATE: Gongwer/MiTech has the complete story - this was an interesting tidbit:
Critics of Bishop's decision will question the influence of the Moroun family, which owns the bridge through the DIBC. The Morouns recently gave $30,000 to the Senate Republican Campaign Committee, the Senate GOP's political arm. And they put $35,000 into the Capitol Affairs political action committee from May through July. That PAC later gave $20,000 to Bishop's attorney general campaign fund (a major donation also went to the gubernatorial campaign of Oakland Sheriff Mike Bouchard).
Some might say we have the best government money can buy. The Detroit Regional Chamber and other supporters are still hoping for a vote before the end of the year, but "reluctant" Republicans are concerned with the "awkwardness of an incoming governor inheriting responsibility for implementing a massive project he did not support."
You folks that need jobs don't factor into that equation.
UPDATE 2: Apparently Mike Bishop is going to refuse to do any work at all for the rest of the year. The House passed a bill that would let community colleges offer four-year degrees for high demand fields, but of course the Senate will not take it up.
The bill received bipartisan support in the Democrat-led House and moves to the Republican-led Senate, where it may have a tougher challenge. Matt Marsden, spokesman for Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, said "it's not something that is on the majority leader's radar."
"We think that's something for the next administration to consider," Bishop said.
Might as well clock out and call it a career then, "Senator". The quicker you leave the public dole, the better.