Feb 13, 2009

 In honor of March is Reading Month, I will be reading to local school children in the area next month.

 I would like to make these classroom visits an annual tradition. March gives us an opportunity to encourage students to read not only throughout the school year, but during the summer months as well.

 My office is contacting local schools to set up days and times for me to visit.

 I look forward to meeting local students and sharing the joy of reading with them. By participating in reading month, students of all ages can develop a lifetime interest in books.

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 In other news, Michigan House committees met for the first time this week. We had exciting presentations to set the stage for working on economic development projects.

 We must make job creation policy a top priority in Lansing, and make sure we take genuine steps to improve our economy for Michigan families. I am excited to serve on the House Committee on New Economy and Quality of Life and hope to consider many policy initiatives that will jumpstart our economy.

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 If you have any questions or need assistance with any state issues, please contact me toll free at 1-866-828-4863 or via e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  

FEB. 6 2009

With health care costs skyrocketing at Michigan public schools, I recently unveiled legislation that could help lower costs by giving school districts and municipalities the option of joining the state government's health care plan.

 The legislation creates a program allowing schools, counties and local municipalities to provide health care benefits for their employees using the state government plan.

 The massive amount of funding that schools pay out for health care is affecting the quality of our children's education. The plan could help reduce these spiraling costs and put more money back in the classroom to benefit students.

 Local governments also are strapped for funding, and municipalities could use the potential health care savings for improved services for residents by joining the state government health care pool.

 We could leverage the power of numbers to reduce the cost of health care while still giving school and municipal employees top-notch health care coverage.

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 I participated in a news conference this week with House Republican lawmakers and Attorney General Mike Cox to urge the state to create an easy-to-use Web site where residents can see how their taxpayer dollars are being used.

 Since 2007, House Republicans have advocated for greater government transparency and the creation of the Web site. Despite claims of exorbitant costs, the federal government built www.usaspending.gov for less than $1 million, and the state of Oklahoma built their Web site for $8,000 in software costs plus staff work.

 As many of you know, I have made government transparency a priority during my tenure, along with developing policy to create jobs and strengthen the economy.

 All Michigan taxpayers have an absolute right to know how the state spends their taxpayer dollars.

 Michigan needs this type of Web site now, especially if we are going to receive a multi-billion federal stimulus package to improve our economy. I, for one, want to make sure that money goes to create jobs for Michigan residents.

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 If you have any questions or need assistance with any state issues, please contact me toll free at 1-866-828-4863 or via e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .