FILE - In this file photo taken Dec. 11, 2012 Gov. Rick Snyder speaks at a news conference in Lansing, Mich. Early forecasts suggest that the political climate at the Michigan Capitol will be chilly when lawmakers return in January. A slightly larger bloc of Democrats in the state House won't be enough to overcome majority Republicans or the GOP grip on the Senate and governor's office. But the party out of power remains bitter about a legislative landslide in the final working days of 2012 that included sending nearly 300 bills to Gov. Snyder and transforming labor bastion Michigan into the nation's 24th right-to-work state. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
Gov. Rick Snyder is asking legislators to put short-term political concerns aside and make a long-term commitment to patch up Michigan's crumbling roads and bridges.
In his State of the State address Wednesday, Snyder proposed raising an additional $1.2 billion per year with a combination of higher fuel taxes and increases in motor vehicle fees.
His speech was short on specifics. A senior adviser told reporters Snyder will negotiate details with lawmakers but favors replacing the tax paid on fuels at the pump with a levy at the wholesale level, which could rise with inflation.
Snyder says the increases would be an investment in a healthy economy. Democratic leaders say he's asking too much of the middle class and too little of wealthy corporations.
