State Rep. Jerry Neyer, R-Shepherd, on Wednesday released the following statement regarding Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s State of the State address. Among other proposals, the governor called for refunds on permitting fees and the streamlining of the permitting process.

“The governor said a whole lot of nice things tonight, I just hope she’s ready to grab her shovel and get to work. We can start by refunding farmers for the manure spreading fee that just went into effect. It’s ironic, really, that lawmakers are paid to make crappy legislation while the state is making farmers pay to get rid of crap.

“The manure fee isn’t the only one; the government has compiled a heap of burdensome and unnecessary fees – some of which the governor just signed into law a few months ago – they regularly push onto the public. If the governor wants to get rid of them, Republicans aren’t going to stand in her way. It shouldn’t matter what party you’re from, if you want to cut government red tape and make things more affordable for residents, I’ll gladly be a partner in those efforts.”

During her speech, the governor announced she would direct state agencies to refund permitting fees where possible while reviewing those fees for necessity. The governor said she wanted to streamline the permitting process to lower costs.

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