Rep. Beth Griffin, R-Mattawan; audio on House passage of legislation protecting student athletes
Rep. Griffin talks about House passage Wednesday of a package of legislation designed to protect student athletes. Rep. Griffin’s HB 4376 includes athletic trainers in a list of professionals required to report evidence of child abuse, neglect and sexual abuse. Additional bills in the package add physical therapists and physical therapist assistants to existing…
Rep. Thomas Albert, R-Lowell; audio on committee testimony on marijuana warning label legislation
Rep. Albert talks about his testimony Tuesday before the House Judiciary Committee on the importance of warning pregnant and breastfeeding mothers of the harmful effects marijuana use can have on babies. Rep. Albert’s legislation, HBs 4126-4127, would place warning labels on recreational and medical marijuana products sold in Michigan. The labels would be similar to…
Rep. Matt Hall, R-Emmett Twp.; audio on Oversight Committee hearing on Grand Rapids Veterans Home
House Oversight Committee Chair Matt Hall says Tuesday’s joint hearing between his committee and its Senate counterpart on the Grand Rapids Veterans Home will result in his calling on the Michigan Auditor General for an expedited follow-up audit. Rep. Hall says the hearing outlined issues with the administration of medication and management of veteran subsidiary…
Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield, R-Levering; audio on passage of House version of 2020 state budget
Speaker Chatfield talks to the state Capitol press after Thursday’s House session, saying the 2020 state budget approved by the House this week dedicates taxes paid at the pump to transportation and focuses on priorities like roads and education.
Rep. Beth Griffin, R-Mattawan; audio on passage of House version of budget
Rep. Griffin talks about passage this week of the House version of the 2020 state budget, and says efforts to make sure all taxes paid at the pump go to transportation will have an impact on budget negotiations.
Rep. Jack O’Malley, R-Lake Ann; audio on 2020 state budget
Rep. O’Malley looks back at a week when the House passed its version of the 2020 state budget and says he’s encouraged by efforts on road and school funding as the process continues.
House Approps Chair Rep. Shane Hernandez, R-Port Huron; audio on passage of House version of 2020 budget
Rep. Shane Hernandez, the Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, says the House this week approved a budget for the state’s 2020 Fiscal Year that makes sure all taxes paid at the pump go to transportation, and that smart adjustments have been made to fund priorities.
Rep. Ann Bollin, R-Brighton; audio on toll road study
Rep. Bollin talks about how she amended the 2020 Michigan Department of Transportation budget during House debate Thursday to include language for a study on the viability of toll roads in Michigan.
Rep. Matt Maddock, R-Oakland County; audio on committee passage of 2020 Michigan roads budget
House Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee Chair Rep. Matt Maddock talks about the 2020 transportation spending plan that will go to the House this week, saying it directs all state tax dollars collected at the pump to Michigan roads.
Rep. Thomas Albert, R-Lowell; audio on House passage of 2020 DOC budget
Rep. Albert, the Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees spending for the Michigan Department of Corrections, says the 2020 spending plan for Corrections works to improve staffing and make efficiencies in a departmental budget that accounts for about one-fifth of the state’s unrestricted expenditures.
Rep. Greg Markkanen, R-Houghton; audio on Ojibway Correctional Facility
Rep. Markkanen talks about House passage of his amendment to the state’s 2020 Department of Corrections budget that includes funding to study potential locations for a training academy for corrections officers. The Markkanen amendment adds the former Ojibway Correctional Facility to existing budget language.
Rep. Trison Cole, R-Mancelona; audio on Free Fishing Weekend
Rep. Cole, who has worked as an outdoor guide in the past, talks about Free Fishing Weekend in the state on June 8 and 9. Anglers can fish without a license this weekend, although weight and limit regulations still apply.
Rep. Matt Maddock, R-Oakland County; audio on transportation funding
Rep. Maddock, who chairs the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Michigan Department of Transportation, talks about the transportation funding plan his committee is offering to the House. Rep. Maddock says plans to learn the value of assets like the Bluewater Bridge also take into account the huge capital costs involved in their on-going maintenance.
Rep. Roger Hauck, R-Union Twp.; audio on physical therapist mandated reporter legislation
Rep. Hauck talks about his HB 4108, which adds physical therapists and physical therapist assistants to the list of individuals required to report suspected child abuse or child neglect. The bill is now pending before the full Michigan House.
Rep. Brad Paquette, R-Berrien Springs; audio on Niles school visit
Rep. Paquette talks about a visit to the state Capitol Tuesday by some of his former students at Niles New Tech, where he taught prior to his election to the House in 2018.
Rep. Jason Sheppard, R-Temperance; audio on distracted driving legislation
Rep. Sheppard talks about his HB 4199, which increases the penalty for texting while driving in Michigan. The plan raises the penalty from $100 for a first violation to $250, and from $200 for a second violation up to $500. HB 4199 is part of a bipartisan package that would add reading an email or…