Rep. Annette Glenn, R-Midland; audio on human trafficking hearing at Capitol
Rep. Glenn talks about her participation in a legislative hearing Thursday at the state Capitol on how human trafficking is impacting Michigan. The House Appropriations Subcommittees on Health and Human Services and Health Policy will listen to testimony from a variety of experts. January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
Rep. Matt Hall, R-Marshall; audio on auto insurance reform
Rep. Hall looks back on 2019 and says auto insurance reform was the single biggest accomplishment at the state Capitol, pointing to a planned 55% decrease in Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association fees in 2020 as the first sign of significantly lower rates for Michigan motorists.
Rep. Jack O’Malley, R-Lake Ann; audio on Great Lakes water levels
Rep. O’Malley talks about his plans for the establishment of a state task force to create policies to deal with fluctuations in water levels in the Great Lakes.
Rep. Rodney Wakeman, R-Saginaw Twp. audio on first year in state House
Rep. Wakeman looks back on his first year in the Michigan House, and says auto insurance reforms and efforts to bring more efficiency to the way the state funds roads are his top accomplishments for 2019.
Rep. Matt Hall, R-Marshall; audio on signing of gaming legalization legislation
Rep. Hall talks about the signing Friday by the Governor of a package of legislation, including legislation he sponsored, that legalizes sports betting in Michigan. Rep Hall’s bill provides a regulatory framework for sports betting around the state and he adds that communities with casinos – such as Emmett Township in Calhoun County, where FireKeepers…
Rep. Greg Van Woerkom, R-Norton Shores; audio on signing of July 1 budget presentation deadline
Rep. Van Woerkom talks about the signing into law Friday of his HB 5177, which gives the Michigan Legislature a July 1 deadline to present the budget for the following fiscal year that starts on October 1 to the Governor. Rep. Van Woerkom says the legislation is about the type of government accountability that…
Rep. Greg Markkanen, R-Houghton; audio on first year in the Michigan House
Rep. Markkanen looks back on his first year in the state House, saying auto insurance reform was a key achievement, and discusses working on better curriculum options for schools in the western U.P. in 2020.
Rep. Jack O’Malley, R-Lake Ann; audio on budget supplemental to restore Pure Michigan funding
Rep. O’Malley talks about the $37.5 million budget supplemental bill he introduced Thursday that would restore full funding for the Pure Michigan program for the balance of the 2020 Fiscal Year. Rep. O’Malley, whose district includes the Sleeping Bear Dunes, says Pure Michigan has been a fantastic avenue for promoting Michigan and that it needs…
Rep. Matt Hall, R-Marshall Twp.; audio on Child Protective Services reforms
House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. Matt Hall talks about how the committee went to work in 2019 to review what he termed a troubling audit of Child Protective Services and how that review led to reforms to better protect vulnerable kids. The reforms include a proposal to require CPS investigators to confirm the safety of…
Rep. Mike Mueller, R-Linden; audio on Michigan Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration
Rep. Mueller, a retired sheriff’s deputy who is currently serving on the Governor’s Michigan Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration, talks about his work to make government work better through criminal justice reforms that protect taxpayers while also keeping the public safe.
Rep. Brad Slagh, R-Zeeland; audio on 2020 state budget
Rep. Slagh talks about finishing work on the state’s 2020 Fiscal Year budget this week, saying completion of the process “stopped the hurt for many folks.”
Rep. Brandt Iden, R-Oshtemo Twp.; audio on gaming modernization
Rep. Iden, who helped lead passage of a bi-partisan package of legislation to modernize gaming in Michigan, says he thinks the plan will see quick implementation and projects sports fans could be placing bets by late March of 2020.
Rep. Hank Vaupel, R-Fowlerville; audio on House passage of horse racing modernization
Rep. Vaupel talks about final House passage Wednesday of his HB 4310, which updates state law to allow parimutuel wagering on horse racing utilizing online gaming and Advanced Deposit Wagering. The Representative believes the plan will help steady the state’s horse racing industry, which he says accounts for about 12,000 jobs.
Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield, R-Levering; audio on 2020 state budget
Speaker Chatfield talks with reporters on the House floor Tuesday after a series of votes to restore almost $600 million in vetoed line items in the state’s 2020 budget, while providing the Legislature with more of a role in funding shifts made by the State Administrative Board. The Speaker also talked about the future of…
Rep. Mike Mueller, R-Linden; audio on 2020 budget resolution
Rep. Mueller, who served as a sheriff’s deputy prior to being elected a state Representative, says the 2020 budget resolution restores funding for secondary road patrols in the state and provides economic security for law enforcement.
Rep. Graham Filler, R-DeWitt; audio on Supreme Court pay equity
House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Graham Filler talks about House passage Tuesday of his HCR 10, which gives justices of the Michigan Supreme Court their first pay raise since 2002. Rep. Filler says a scenario where judges on the Court of Appeals were making more that Supreme Court Justices was developing. Under the plan, Justices,…