January 27, 2021--

Educating special needs youth is a challenging task and recently a creative program at Kreeger Elementary School in Fowlerville received well-deserved recognition for their work. The Kreeger Café is a café run by the special education students themselves. It was started six years ago by Kreeger's special education teachers and the program has grown significantly. The program teaches these students real-world cooking, planning and management skills that can be used as a career path later in life.

The Kreeger Café was recently named 2011's best program serving special education students by the Michigan Association of School Boards.  This amazing program teaches youth important life skills through an incredibly unique hands-on learning experience. Without a program like this, many of these students would never have this type of opportunity. Their statewide recognition was well deserved and I applaud the teachers, school and everyone for making this achievement possible.

The award-winning program is funded by donations from customers and local business organizations. Last week, the Michigan Restaurant Association presented a donation to Kreeger Café that will help the program upgrade its equipment. Contributors like the MRA are giving these students a chance for success and I want to thank them for investing in the future of our local students. This is another great example of public-private partnerships at work to benefit Michigan and its residents. I'm extremely proud of Kreeger Café's accomplishments.

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The Michigan Public Service Commission is providing a consumer tips sheet on utility shutoff protection for eligible military families. Eligible military families can include a utility customer, spouse of a customer or a customer whose spouse is in the military on full-time active duty deployed overseas or within the United States in response to a declared emergency that results in a reduction in household income. A full list of details can be found on the fact sheet. For more information about LARA, please visit www.michigan.gov/lara.

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If you have any questions or need assistance with any state issues, please contact me toll free at 866-828-4863 or via e-mail at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

January 20, 2012--

This week Gov. Snyder gave his second State of the State address before a joint session of the Legislature. The governor gave an extremely positive yet honest speech, discussing our successes over the last year and also addressing the areas where our state needs additional work. Efforts to reform our state are not complete and I'm pleased that the governor recognizes this. I agree with Gov. Snyder that we need to look reasonably at changes to government.

As part of his address, Gov. Snyder showcased his dashboards and how they track our state's progress. I applaud the tracking of our progress and agree with the governor that we need to make sure policy changes yield the results we are hoping for. If reforms don't yield the needed results, we need to keep looking for additional reforms to help our residents and I'm pleased the governor realizes this too.

It was good to hear the governor say we need to continue to increase government transparency and reduce government waste. There is always a need to make sure that our government is operating effectively and finding ways to be more efficient is essential to our revitalization. In 2011, the House greatly increased transparency and I applaud the governor for highlighting the need for additional transparency throughout all areas of government.

I'm hopeful for the upcoming year and for Michigan's future. I was inspired by the governor's positive and realistic attitude. Things are definitely looking up in Michigan.  I am seeing great optimism in our local communities. I'm thrilled to be a part of it and impressed by the dedication of local residents to improve our communities.

Lastly, I greatly appreciate the governor candidly laying out the state of our great state as of this year. For too long we received a rosy picture that didn't paint an accurate picture of our state.  I look forward to continuing to work with Gov. Snyder this year and continuing to revitalize our state so that our children and grandchildren can stay here instead of moving away. Just like the governor said last night, our best days are not behind us… they are yet to come.

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If you have any questions or need assistance with any state issues, please contact me toll free at 866-828-4863 or via e-mail at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

January 13, 2012--

Last week I had the privilege of serving as a judge in the finals of a statewide competition on citizenship and the Constitution for statewide high school students. The 'We the People'competition, sponsored by the Michigan Center for Civic Education, brings high school students together to learn about the Constitution and being involved in government. I have been a judge for this valuable competition for several years and am always impressed by the vast amount of knowledge Michigan high school students bring to the table.  It's so exciting to see young people in Michigan so passionate about the Constitution and being good citizens.

This year, Howell High School students made it to the finals and participated in the competition at the Capitol on January 6. Howell's team placed second in the state and I want to congratulate them for their significant accomplishment. With all the knowledge that has been gained preparing for this competition, I have no doubt that many future government leaders were part of this exciting event and can't wait to see what they achieve in the future. A short video recapping this year's event is available on my website-www.gophouse.com/denby.htm.

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At the start of 2011, we unveiled our Guiding Principles plan of action for the term. This plan outlined the significant reforms House Republicans set out to accomplish and I'm proud to say we've accomplished most of the goals in 2011. Our caucus has compiled a year-end report highlighting our accomplishments in efforts to get Michigan back on track. These achievements include but are not limited to passing the budget before Memorial Day, cutting spending by $1.5 billion, reducing unemployment insurance and Bridge Card fraud and reforming Michigan's outdated item pricing law.  This resource is available to download off of my website, www.gophouse.com/denby.htm by clicking the publications link.

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If you have any questions or need assistance with any state issues, please contact me toll free at 866-828-4863 or via e-mail at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

January 6, 2012

Happy New Year! I hope all of you had a safe and happy holiday season and are ready to kick off 2012. As the New Year begins, I'm excited to continue work in Lansing to get Michigan back on track. 2011 was an extremely busy year filled with structural reforms that were essential to begin our state's revitalization. I'm ready for the fast-paced reform efforts to resume in Lansing, including committee meetings and House session, and know that although we made lots of progress in 2011, there is lots of work to be done this year.

The first day of House session for the year begins at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 11. I look forward to getting down to business on reforms to continue to make Michigan a better place to do business and raise a family. Gov. Snyder will give his second State of the State address on Wednesday, Jan. 18. I look forward to hearing the governor describe our progress over the last year and share ideas on how to further revitalize our state in 2012 and in the future.

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Winter is now in full swing in Michigan and our state provides many great outdoor recreation opportunities for residents to take advantage of during this cold and beautiful season. State park recreation passports are available for purchase and provide access to some of the best outdoor spots our state has to offer. Snowmobiling, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and other wintertime outdoor activities are available in Michigan's state parks.  State boat launches are also available to lead anglers to new ice-fishing spots. Some state parks also offer cabins and other lodging.

For only $10 per car or truck, residents have access to all Michigan's natural beauty. The passport allows entry into all state parks, natural areas and boat launches for no additional cost and is valid until the expiration of your vehicle registration tab. Those without a Recreation Passport can also purchase one when entering a state park. Those who purchased a recreation passport last year may still have access to state parks depending on when it was purchased and when your vehicle registration renewal date is. In addition, the Secretary of State now allows residents to obtain their Recreation Passport when renewing their driver's license. More information on Recreation Passports is available at www.Michigan.gov/recreationpassport.

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If you have any questions or need assistance with any state issues, please contact me toll free at 866-828-4863 or via e-mail at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .