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COLUMN: Local families, farmers benefitted from House’s actions in 2019
RELEASE|December 19, 2019
Contact: Graham Filler

Last November, the people of Clinton and Gratiot counties put their trust in me to represent their interests at the Capitol as their new state representative. I respect that, and I entered my first year in office with the goal of getting stuff done without the bickering and arguing we see come out of Washington, D.C.

As we near the end of 2019, I’m proud to say my first year serving the people in our communities has been eventful and productive.

This year, I hosted multiple opportunities each month for people to meet with me and share their views. Hearing directly from people in our district has taught me a lot and made me a better representative, and I look forward to continuing these meetings in 2020.

Most people I meet with from our district tell me they want state government to do two things: Provide essential services and leave them alone. I truly believe the reforms we’ve worked on this year in the Michigan House are helping move us in the right direction. Some of this year’s highlights include:

Protecting your paycheck and your civil liberties

I stood together with my colleagues in both the House and Senate to act as a firewall against the governor’s tax increases. While the governor spent months advocating for her gas tax increase, we worked to prioritize spending and find ways to fund road repairs at record levels without any tax increases at all.

I worked on civil asset forfeiture reforms, signed into law in May, that ensure law enforcement agencies can no longer keep personal property from citizens who aren’t charged with a crime. The new law protects Michigan residents while still allowing law enforcement to crack down on convicted criminals.

I’m also spearheading a plan to expand Michigan’s expungement laws and give hundreds of thousands of residents with old, low-level convictions a new opportunity to start fresh. The legislation received overwhelming bipartisan support in the House and is currently under consideration in the Senate.

Guaranteeing relief from high car insurance rates

The high cost of insurance is the most common complaint I’ve heard from people in our district. I’m proud to have had the opportunity to cast a vote in support of a historic, bipartisan solution that will soon bring more coverage options – as well as guaranteed rate relief – to every Michigan driver.

Because of our reforms, the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA) recently announced it will cut its annual per-vehicle assessment by more than half for the year-long period beginning in July 2020. That means Michigan drivers will pay $100 per vehicle, down from the current $220 per vehicle – a 55 percent savings.

The best part is the lower MCCA fee is just the first of many reductions that drivers can expect to take effect as these reforms progress. The new law will provide additional relief as our reforms combating fraud and ending price gouging on medical services for crash survivors continue to take effect.

Protecting our farming families

One of the first executive orders issued by the governor this year would have abolished review committees put into law in 2018 to give farmers and other citizens a voice in the rule-making process of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). I fought against the governor’s actions and worked with my colleagues in the Legislature to reject the executive order.

In June, I backed a plan to help farmers whose crops were delayed or damaged by this spring’s record-setting rain. The measure provided $15 million to help private lenders provide low-interest loans to qualified farmers at no financial risk to the state.

I’m also fighting against extreme permitting rules recently drafted by EGLE that will negatively impact our larger family farms. As written, the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations rules will further burden Michigan’s agriculture producers by increasing regulations of nutrients and storage, increasing paperwork and threatening the viability of farmers who have complied with past permits.

It is my honor to serve as your state representative. Please feel free to reach out to my office with any questions, ideas or concerns at (517) 373-1778 or [email protected].

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State Rep. Graham Filler of DeWitt is serving his first term in the Michigan House representing residents of Clinton and Gratiot counties. A former assistant attorney general, he now serves as chair of the House Judiciary Committee.

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