I’m finishing this column after the governor’s 7th State of the State address, so my thoughts are still fresh, but my eyes aren’t. So I’m going to tell you something about the speech that I liked, and something I didn’t like. Then I want to share a piece of legislation that I recently got passed by the House, and my committee assignments for the 2025-2026 term.

Phones in school

One of the things that I really liked about the speech is that Gov. Whitmer asked lawmakers to send her legislation to limit phones in school. I’m thrilled about that. You might remember that I wrote a column on this topic last April, and that I introduced legislation last year to limit phones in school. My bill didn’t get a vote when Democrats controlled the House, so I’m very happy to hear that this idea is on the governor’s radar, and she sees value in it. Parents overwhelmingly support the plan, and schools that have implemented away-for-the-day policies report that their students are happier and talk with each other more instead of spending so much time looking at screens.

Whitmer’s proposed tax hike to pay for roads

I wasn’t happy about the governor’s call to raise new revenue (code for raise taxes) to pay for the roads.

State spending under Gov. Whitmer has gone up far faster than inflation. I’m going to channel Ross Perot here for a moment by throwing a lot of numbers at you, but stick with me, because this is going to be important to understand in the months ahead while lawmakers work on the state budget and hopefully negotiate a road funding plan.

The state budget was $58.3 billion when Gov. Whitmer took office; it’s $81.5 billion today. If state spending had only gone up at the rate of inflation, the budget would be about $72 billion. That means we already have an extra $10 billion in the budget over what it would be had it just kept pace with inflation.

The point is that we already have enough money in the budget, right now, to put toward roads. We don’t have to raise taxes; we just have to prioritize the essentials first.

Remember: Michigan had a $9 billion surplus at the start of last term, and the state squandered it.

Ending the lawmaker-to-lobbyist pipeline

I recently got legislation passed that would require a two-year cooling off period before a lawmaker can become a lobbyist.

When lawmakers secure positions in regulated industries during their lame-duck period and then join those companies right after leaving office, it sparks legitimate worries. It’s difficult to argue that their policy decisions aren’t influenced by the prospect of their future employment. That’s why we need a cooling off period.

Committee assignments

Committees have been assigned for the 2025-2026 term.

I will serve as chair of the House Finance Committee, and as the vice chair of the House Insurance Committee. In addition to those two leadership roles, I’ll also serve as a member on the health policy and regulatory reform committees.

These feel like good assignments – I’m happy with them. And I’m confident I’ll be able to perform well. I’ve got 40 years of experience in health care related sales, 32 of it in medical malpractice insurance, so these assignments just make good sense. 

I must admit I was frustrated last term to not be able to put that experience to use.

The House Finance Committee, which I will lead, deals with tax policy but also local government finance, and policy issues affecting financial institutions such as banks, credit unions, payday lenders, and mortgage providers.

You might remember that at the end of last year, I wrote about my plan for a Revenue Sharing Trust Fund, which will give local units of government much more certainty by dedicating a certain amount of money to cities, counties, townships, and villages. I’m looking forward to continuing to work on that legislation as committee chair.

State Rep. Mark Tisdel, R-Rochester Hills represents Michigan House District 55, which includes the cities of Rochester and Rochester Hills, and part of Oakland Township. You can reach him by calling 517-373-1792 or by sending an email to [email protected]