State Rep. Jamie Thompson today said multiple elements of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s announced agenda work against families, consumers and small business owners in Michigan.  

Whitmer and Democrat leaders went through several initiatives on Wednesday that ultimately will ramp up regulation and costs while not addressing problems and priorities many in the state feel are more pressing.

“The governor’s speech was a lot of lip service. It was like going to the auto show and seeing a fancy new prototype car on a stage but no one telling you what’s inside the car,” said Thompson, of Brownstown. “We need to focus on bringing good-paying jobs to people in Michigan and strengthening our failing education system so employers looking to locate here have a good base to hire from. None of these proposals are going to make Michigan a more affordable place to live and work. Tax-and-spend initiatives and government overreach is not the answer.”

Thompson specifically underscored costly green energy mandates and timelines. While the governor did not mention specific plans, she spoke on the need to move to carbon-free electricity production on a tight timeline. Proposals in the Legislature would mandate a carbon-free standard in Michigan by 2035. The move would ultimately close power plants and increase electric prices for families who already pay too much for a grid that isn’t reliable. Thompson pointed to recent prolonged power outages in the area following severe storms and said communities can’t afford the types of rolling blackouts California experiences with unreliable grids.

The carbon-free standard works hand-in-hand with yet-to-be introduced legislation from Democrats that would shift the power to permit major solar projects from municipalities to state government – a move that strips local control, silence local voices and sets dangerous precedent.

Thompson highlighted potential government overreach in other areas of the governor’s priorities, such as using Proposal 3 – a ballot initiative that was billed as a restoration of Roe v. Wade – to limit or end parental consent involving reproductive health, and forcing workers and small business owners to cover a costly 15-week paid leave program.

“I’m a mother and a grandmother. I support women and families being able to have maternal and parental leaves of absences to care for children after birth and to care for aging parents. I myself have gone on family leave,” Thompson said. “To radicalize leave this way and bring more taxes on to small businesses and workers is going to destroy Michigan through government mandate.

“The governor’s agenda and the Democrat agenda is one way only. The concept should not be about bringing employees to Michigan using far-left policies as bait. It should be focused on bringing opportunities to Michigan to give high-paying jobs to people here who need these jobs and want to stay here. We do not need Michigan to be overtaken by far-left radicals that intend to transform our state into something people in our state do not want. We have seen that in other areas of the country where job providers are no longer comfortable operating there and people are leaving for other states with better conditions for their families, better opportunity and safer communities.”

Thompson, who serves on the House Health Policy Committee, also said she will be pushing for more details on the governor’s planned Prescription Drug Affordability Board to ensure it is transparent and effective.