March 25, 2010

I am wholeheartedly supporting a new state budget proposal unveiled this week that will bring spending in line with Michigan's current economic realities, reprioritize state programs and services, and protect Michigan residents from increased taxes.

Michigan needs to approve a state budget that protects essential services for the people of our state without raising their taxes.  The plan is a practical approach that requires state government to live within its means.

The House GOP budget plan increases per-pupil education by $18, phases out the job-killing Michigan Business tax surcharge, suspends the Earned Income Tax Credit and expands domestic energy generation that will provide long term stable reliable energy rates.

The plan also preserves Michigan's share of federal road funding by using $84 million in existing state revenues to leverage $475 million in federal dollars; provides resources to keep felons in prisons until they have completed their sentence; enacts a real 48-month time lifetime limit for able-bodied welfare recipients; and increases timber production on state-owned lands.

With a $1.5 billion-dollar state deficit, Lansing must reprioritize state services and programs.  It would be wrong to ask Michigan taxpayers to send more of their hard-earned money to Lansing.  Our budget plan is based on the reality of our financial and economic situation.

The budget plan can be seen at http://www.gophouse.com/plan.

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Two House lawmakers this week introduced legislation to ban Asian carp as fishing bait to help prevent the invasive species from entering the Great Lakes watershed.

House Bill 5986 prohibits the removal of minnows from known Asian carp infested waters and bans the use of Asian carp as bait.

Two University of Michigan scientists have requested legislation to plug a gap in current law.  They reported that the fish will eventually gain entry as bait unless legally excluded.

The Great Lakes are one of the most important natural resources in the world, and we must protect them with every means possible.

Asian carp could ruin the ecology and economy of the Great Lakes.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has said that allowing Asian carp into the lakes would be an "ecological and economic disaster."

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The Michigan House has declared March 2010 as Emergency Services Month to honor our state's police, fire and ambulance personnel.

The special resolution was introduced to honor the dedicated men and women who serve state residents.

These tremendous public servants help save lives, prevent property damage and protect our environmental resources, and they deserve to be recognized for their efforts.  Countless lives are saved every year by their heroic efforts, and I am happy to recognize their hard work.

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This past week the School Funding Workgroup of the Bipartisan Freshman Caucus gave their final report to the Speaker of the House.  The workgroup, consisting of five Republicans and five Democrats, has been working on these issues since the Speaker challenged our freshman group to provide some solutions for schools.  I served as the Republican Co-Chair of this group.

The report contains two tiers. The first tier includes items that can be considered and moved through the legislative process rather quickly.  Second tier items need further discussion as to real cost-savings and viability.   These topics include the cost of benefits, fiscal timing issues, looking at school funding mechanisms and how to provide some optional tools for our school districts to utilize.

Deciding what is best for Michigan's kids in these tough economic times was the sole focus of the group.  Not all members of the workgroup supported all of the items but there was consensus that all of them should be moved through the process to allow study and debate.

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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