Section 247.659c - Review of adequacy of surface transportation and aeronautics service provision and finance; appointment of task force by governor; duties; membership; citizens advisory committee; creation; purpose; technical staff and administrative support; focus of task force; report and recommendations(1) By February 1, 2008, the governor shall appoint not more than 9 persons who shall serve as a task force to review the adequacy of surface transportation and aeronautics service provision and finance in this state. The governor shall not appoint a member that represents the state transportation department or a local authority as that term is defined in section 27 of the Michigan vehicle code, 1949 PA 300, MCL 257.27. The appointments shall be subject to the advice and consent of the senate. The task force shall review strategies for maximizing the return on transportation investments and shall evaluate the potential of alternate strategies to replace or supplement the state motor fuel taxes, existing and alternative user fees, and nonuser revenues to support economic activity and personal mobility in this state. The task force shall appoint a chairperson from among its members who shall schedule meetings and submit reports required under this section. The task force shall include at least 1 representative of the following interests: (2) Beginning February 1, 2008, the task force shall also include the majority and minority leaders of the senate or a member of the senate designated by each leader and the speaker and minority leader of the house of representatives or a member of the house of representatives designated by each leader.(3) A citizens advisory committee shall be created to receive and comment upon all reports, studies, and recommendations prepared by the various designated technical subcommittees of the citizens advisory committee before but not later than the submission of the reports, studies, and recommendations to the task force. The citizens advisory committee may create any subcommittees that it deems necessary, and any subcommittee that is created may make recommendations to the full committee. Each committee shall designate a chairperson from the members and that person shall schedule committee meetings and shall be responsible for submitting reports. The members of the citizens advisory committee shall provide members of the task force their majority, minority, or individual views of the reports, studies, and recommendations of the various designated technical subcommittees. The governor shall appoint not more than 19 persons, who shall serve as a citizens advisory committee and shall include a member of the general public and 1 representative from a list of 3 recommendations supplied by each of the following organizations:(a) Michigan farm bureau.(b) Michigan trucking association.(c) Michigan association of counties.(d) Michigan townships association.(e) Michigan state chamber of commerce.(f) Michigan tourist association.(g) County road association of Michigan.(h) Michigan municipal league.(i) Michigan public transit association.(j) Asphalt paving association of Michigan.(k) Michigan concrete paving association.(l) Michigan infrastructure and transportation association.(m) Michigan railroads association.(n) American council of engineering companies.(o) Michigan building and construction trades council.(p) Michigan association of airport executives.(q) Michigan business aviation association.(r) The state transportation department.(4) The state transportation department shall provide qualified technical staff and administrative support to the task force, and by March 1, 2008 shall recommend a work program to the task force to enable it to perform the requirements of subsection (1). The department shall invite regional metropolitan planning organizations to assist.(5) The primary focus of the task force is to examine alternatives to the portion of transportation funding that has fuel taxes as a source and to suggest or recommend alternative revenue collection systems funded through user pay methods or methods other than user pay methods. The task force shall include an analysis of the feasibility of alternative methods. The task force may make recommendations for implementation of pilot programs to test feasible alternatives to replace the portion of transportation funding that comes from fuel taxes. The task force shall make a preliminary recommendation on pilot programs by October 31, 2008.(6) By a majority vote of the task force, the task force shall report to the governor, the state transportation commission, and the legislature on the identified capital and maintenance needs, transportation investment and maintenance priorities, funding for state trunk line roads and bridges, local road agencies, and public transit agencies, relative use of transportation systems, responsibilities for the identified needs including alternative transportation funding options, historical transportation financing patterns as they relate to total statewide fiscal resources, and strategies for maximizing the returns on transportation investments. All studies and reports relating to highways shall be reported according to functional and legal classification. The task force shall publish a preliminary report of the data, findings, and recommendations by October 31, 2008. The task force, after holding appropriate public hearings, shall recommend, if it considers it necessary, alterations of formulas for and alternative sources of transportation funding and alterations to the distributions of transportation responsibilities in the final report by April 1, 2009. The final report and recommendations shall also include any minority and individual views of task force members.Added by 2007, Act 221,s 1, eff. 1/2/2008.