Michigan Gov. Snyder plans restructuring to help poor, urges sales tax hike for improved roads

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is announcing plans to "dramatically" restructure state government to help the poor enter society's mainstream.

He's also calling for passage of a sales tax hike on the May ballot to improve deteriorating roads.

The Republican governor made government reorganization and transportation spending key themes of his fifth State of the State address Tuesday night.

He will issue an executive order in coming weeks to combine the Community Health and Human Services agencies into one new department.

Snyder says it's part of a second-term plan to realign or eliminate well-intentioned programs that too often address symptoms but don't get at the root cause of people in need of public assistance.