Waterford lawmaker responds to governor’s ‘What’s Next’ address

State Rep. Mike Harris on Wednesday stood up for Michiganders against proposed mandates and taxes that would add costs on people and small businesses in the state.

Harris, R-Waterford, criticized two costly proposals laid out in the governor’s “What’s Next” address — a mandate closing power plants that will increase electricity prices and a new payroll tax on workers and small businesses.

“Although the governor’s speech offered few details, we know Democrats’ fall agenda will make Michiganders’ lives more expensive — at home and in the workplace,” said Harris. “The whirlwind of change brought on by new green energy mandates will force Michigan residents to pay more to keep the lights on. Instead, we should be focusing on improving electric grid stability to prevent the major outages that have left people without power. On top of that, a new payroll tax will take more of small businesses’ resources and more of workers’ wages to fund a confusing new bureaucracy. Raising taxes and hiking electricity costs will just add further strain on working families who are already facing financial hurdles from recent inflation and high costs of living. I stand with hard-working Michiganders against this unwise, costly agenda.”

The governor called to mandate 100% carbon-free electricity production on a tight timeline — a premature shift that will make basic electricity more expensive. Although the governor’s proposal offered few details, there is legislation currently pending on the issue. House Democrats have introduced House Bills 4759-4761, which would mandate carbon-free electricity by 2035, forcing utilities to waste money to meet the deadlines and increasing electricity costs for residents and local businesses.

The governor also called for a costly program paid for by a new tax on both employers and employees, again with few details. However, House Bills 4574-4575 would create a new 15-week paid vacation program, modeled after Michigan’s broken, fraud-riddled unemployment system and funded by a new tax on businesses and workers, with up to 50% of the tax taken directly from workers’ paychecks. The tax will undoubtedly force local job providers to raise prices to cover increased costs.