March 1, 2009

I am a proud member of the new Michigan House Bipartisan Freshman Caucus, which met for the first time this week in an effort to heal the partisan rancor in Lansing and work together to help the state of Michigan.

 The state House has 46 new Republican and Democrat lawmakers, one of the largest classes of freshman lawmakers in the history of the Legislature. The group's main purpose is to help new lawmakers become friends to encourage better government.

 As Michigan tries to weather this economic crisis, the last thing Lansing needs is more petty partisanship. We all need to work together to help people and strengthen Michigan's economy, and that means putting an end to politics as usual.

 I will continue to stand by my principles of lower taxes, less government regulations and more accountability, and will do so without personally attacking my colleagues across the aisle.

 The bipartisan caucus will have ongoing meetings throughout the legislative session.

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 Local businesses should be aware of a scam involving the U.S. Small Business Administration and the recently approved economic stimulus package.

 According to warnings issued by the federal government, fraudulent letters with what appears to be official Small Business Administration letterhead were mailed to businesses across the country, advising recipients that they may be eligible for a tax rebate as part of the economic stimulus package. The fraudulent letter asks the small business owner to provide the name of their bank and account number.

 In addition to this most recent scam, identity thieves have been targeting elderly residents in connection with the federal stimulus package.

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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 .