State Rep. Jerry Neyer on Thursday addressed the specifics, or lack thereof, of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s proposal to transform Michigan’s broken permitting process. The governor urged the Legislature to consider changes to the system and look for ways to streamline the process, during her State of the State address this week.

“Some of our department heads in state government are shaking in their boots after the governor’s speech – they know how inefficient their agencies are and how much effort it will take to fix the permitting process,” said Neyer, R-Shepherd. “But honestly, if she means what she says, the governor hit the nail on the head with her proposal to streamline the permitting process. The best way to get these state agencies to respond is to start threatening their fee income if they don’t change their ways.”

The governor’s plan includes directing state agencies to refund permitting fees when those permits were not approved and released promptly. She also said she would order departments to review permitting fees for opportunities to streamline the process and lower costs across the board.

House Republicans were generally supportive of the proposal to address the permitting process, recognizing that a streamlined system should lead to fewer regulatory burdens, increased construction projects, and more jobs. However, the governor’s plan seemed disingenuous as she included more than 80 fee increases in last year’s budget.

“Unless the governor truly just had a massive change of heart on taxes and fees, we’re going to have to see some details before we actually trust that this plan is anything more than talking points,” Neyer said. “She just signed a bunch of new fees into law a few months ago – many of which will hit middleclass workers and their families hardest. We can start by getting rid of those.”

Neyer noted that, in her six years in office, Gov. Whitmer has continuously pursued tax hikes like the 45 cent-per-gallon increase at fuel pumps she threw out right after she took office. That plan was so unpopular that not one lawmaker would propose the idea in the Legislature. The governor has also championed increasing and extending fees on all aspects of life – making life even more expensive for Michigan families.

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