Rep. Jack O’Malley, R-Lake Ann; audio on road reform in Transportation Committee
House Transportation Committee Chair Rep. Jack O’Malley talks about how his committee is working on a number of bipartisan bills designed to reform road construction in Michigan and place greater emphasis on repairing and rebuilding Michigan roads.
Rep. Lynn Afendoulis, R-Grand Rapids Twp.; audio on House passage of sales tax fairness legislation
Rep. Lynn Afendoulis talks about House passage Wednesday of her bipartisan plan bringing sales tax fairness to Michigan retailers. The legislation, which codifies a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, will erase a built-in competitive disadvantage for Michigan small businesses, while helping to stop a situation that also cuts into funding for schools and other essential public…
Rep. Graham Filler, R-DeWitt; audio on raise the age criminal justice reform
House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Graham Filler talks about final House passage Wednesday of bipartisan legislation to end the policy requiring all 17-year-olds to be treated as adults in Michigan’s criminal justice system. Rep. Filler says raising the age is front-end justice reform that will cut down on recidivism and save taxpayer dollars, while keeping…
Rep. Beau LaFave, R-Iron Mountain; audio on court injunction to temporarily block Gov. Whitmer’s flavored nicotine ban
Rep. LaFave talks about Tuesday’s ruling in the Michigan Court of Claims to grant Marc Slis’, the owner of 906 Vapor in Houghton, motion to temporarily block Gov. Whitmer’s flavored nicotine ban. Rep. LaFave has already introduced House Bill 4996, which would eliminate the governor’s ability to ban e-cigarettes without consent of the Legislature.
Rep. Beau LaFave, R-Iron Mountain; audio on House passage of disabled parking legislation
Rep. LaFave talks about House passage Tuesday of his legislation that updates the sign designating disabled parking areas to a more modern image that conveys motion and action. The plan does not mandate new signs, but calls for the installation of the new image as current signs are replaced.
Rep. Phil Green, R-Millington; audio on 2020 budget
Rep. Green says he has been hearing from his neighbors in the last couple of weeks about how the Governor’s line-item vetoes in the state’s 2020 budget are hurting people, ranging from individuals needing health care to families with an autistic child.
Rep. Jack O’Malley, R-Lake Ann; audio on new school bus legislation
Rep. O’Malley talks about his bipartisan, five-bill package that toughens penalties for people who illegally board a school bus, while also providing better options for tracking down an individual who drives past a bus with its red lights flashing.
Rep. Ann Bollin, R-Brighton Twp.; audio on plan to restore opioid recovery funding
Rep. Bollin talks about her new HB 5072, which will restore funding to help people recovering from opioid addiction. Gov. Whitmer line-itemed vetoed the $600,000 in funding last week, but Rep. Bollin says the appropriation comes from federal dollars that cannot be spent on anything else.
Rep. Jack O’Malley, R-Lake Ann; audio on impact of scrapping Pure Michigan
House Transportation Committee Chairman Jack O’Malley says he’s concerned about what the loss of Pure Michigan would mean to his district along the Sleeping Bear dunes, but adds the entire state, including its largest city, will suffer. Pure Michigan funding was line item vetoed from the state’s 2020 Fiscal Year budget by the Governor last…
Rep. Mike Mueller, R-Linden; audio on restoration of road patrol funding
Rep. Mueller talks about his new legislation to restore important funding allowing more deputies to patrol on Michigan roads. Secondary road patrol money was stripped out of the state budget through a line-item veto by Gov. Whitmer last week. Rep. Mueller, a retired, 19-year deputy sheriff, says public safety needs to be a priority of…
Rep. Aaron Miller, R-Sturgis; audio on House vote on mental health counselor legislation
Rep. Miller speaks on the House floor Tuesday afternoon, prior to the chamber’s passage of his HB 4325, which codifies the existing code of practice for licensed professional counselors in Michigan. The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs was considering changing those regulations, a move that would effectively prohibit LPCs from making diagnoses in their…
Rep. Thomas Albert, R-Lowell; audio on Corrections and public safety
Rep. Albert, who chairs the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of Corrections, and who represents an area that is home to a number of Corrections employees, says he’s concerned about the misinformation his neighbors are hearing regarding prison funding and tethers.
Rep. Hank Vaupel, R-Fowlerville; audio on legislation clarifying scope of practice for counselors
House Health Policy Committee Chair Rep. Vaupel talks about HB 4325, which clarifies the scope of practice for counselors in Michigan. Rep. Vaupel says ambiguity in state code and regulations mean legislation is needed for counselors to continue to include making a diagnosis as part of their practices. The plan passed unanimously out of the…
Rep. Ann Bollin, R-Brighton; audio on 2020 budget
Rep. Bollin says she has been listening to Livingston County residents about the 2020 state budget and its impact on her district.
Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield, R-Levering; audio new fiscal year
Speaker Chatfield talks with Capitol reporters on the House floor Thursday afternoon, saying work on the state’s 2020 budget is done and that he wants to move back to priorities.
Rep. Phil Green, R-Millington; audio on future of the Caro Center
Rep. Green talks about how the budget signed into law this week will help build a new 100-bed facility at the Caro Center while demolishing some existing structures. He says a secure future for the Caro Center is the result of the hard work of area residents.