2025-2026 Budget Negotiations

Next week, I’ll provide details on the key elements of the budget we were able to pass through the House yesterday. This week, I want to let you know some of the details on what has gone into the negotiations that shaped the budget we just passed less than 24 hours ago. There are many factors to consider when looking into how we got to this point:

1. Increased Oversight: The Budget Committee has carefully reviewed line items and requiring state departments to justify their spending and demonstrate a clear return on investment for taxpayers. This is a necessary and long overdue level of scrutiny.
2. Divided Government: In this type of environment, budget negotiations frequently take longer due to differing priorities. The Michigan Senate Democrat Majority is proposing a budget around $85 billion, focused on expanding redundant government programs. In contrast, my Republican House Majority colleagues and I just passed a $5 BILLION CUT of fraud, waste and abuse. I look forward to sharing more about this with you next week.

My office has been actively engaged to address a very important issue to our community. Joining Washington Township officials and several constituents impacted by a severe accident along M‑53, I submitted a request for a new guardrail along a dangerous stretch of this highway. Since this roadway is under state jurisdiction, state funds are required to address the issue.

A guardrail will provide a critical buffer between the road and nearby residential properties, reducing the risk of repeat property damage and improving public safety. The solution is cost-effective, community-driven, and represents a practical investment of public dollars.

I am working with my colleagues to ensure this project is included in the final budget.

Local Control Over School Funding

I do not support a blanket state mandate requiring free breakfast and lunch programs in all school districts. One-size-fits-all policy doesn’t work in education, and local districts have long provided meals to students in need without being forced to do so by Lansing.

This year’s School Aid budget gives schools discretion to allocate funds where they’re most needed – whether that’s meals, transportation, classroom improvements, building security, or other line items. We are also reducing the number of state-imposed line items that restrict local control.

Constitutional Amendment on Budget Deadlines

I voted YES on a proposed Constitutional amendment (House Resolution M), which would require the state budget to be completed by June 30 every year and require pay to be withheld from every legislator, the Governor, and Lt. Governor for each week the budget remains incomplete beyond the proposed deadline.

While the resolution received unanimous support from every House Republican, it did not reach the 74-vote threshold needed to advance. I will continue to support this type of reform to incentivize government officials to get the budget done on time.

This measure FAILED the House 70-30.

Protecting Your Vote: Why I Opposed Ranked Choice Voting (RCV)

Last week, I voted to ban Ranked Choice Voting in Michigan (HB4707) because it undermines one of our most basic principles: one person, one vote.

This measure PASSED the House 57-44.

RCV has been banned/rejected in more than half of states across America.

Here’s how RCV works: voters rank candidates by preference. If no one gets 50% of the vote, the lowest-performing candidates are eliminated, and their voters’ second or third choices are redistributed. The process repeats until someone reaches 50%. That means your vote may end up helping a candidate you never actually supported, depending on how your preferences shake out.

The RCV process:

• Makes elections harder to understand, even for election officials
• Increases ballot errors, especially for seniors and first-time voters
• Delays results by days or weeks when runoff elections occur
• Costs millions of dollars in new software, staff training, and public education
• Discards ballots when voters don’t rank enough candidates (“exhausted ballots”)

Now, special interest groups are trying to change the Michigan Constitution to require RCV for all statewide elections – Governor, Secretary of State, U.S. Senate, and more – and to let local governments implement it in their own communities.

I will continue to fight for election clarity and integrity, and I will actively oppose every effort to make our election systems less secure.

Other Floor Votes (thru 8/25/25)

HB 4415 – Raises Bidding Thresholds for Road Commission Equipment Purchases

PASSED: 83–19 – Voted: NO

This bill increases the dollar thresholds for when county road commissions must seek competitive bids for the purchase of equipment, tools, and materials:

• From $15,000 to $75,000 for non-emergency equipment
• From $50,000 to $250,000 for emergency equipment

Competitive bidding protects taxpayers by encouraging transparency, cost efficiency, and fairness. While I support cutting red tape where appropriate, this legislation raises those thresholds far beyond the rate of inflation and weakens fiscal safeguards.

One positive change in the bill is that it now requires bidding for lighter-duty vehicles under 10,000 pounds (instead of the old 5,000-lb limit). But overall, this bill reduces accountability and increases the risk of wasteful, uncompetitive purchasing. I could not support it.

HB 4543 – Updating the Home Heating Tax Credit Formula

PASSED: 88-14 – Voted: YES

This bill updates the inflation metric used to calculate the Home Heating Tax Credit, switching from the Detroit Metro CPI to the federal CPI.

The Detroit-area CPI for “Fuel and Other Utilities” was officially discontinued as of December 2024, and this legislation ensures that Michigan doesn’t rely on obsolete economic data to determine how we support low-income residents facing heating costs.

It’s a common-sense fix that keeps the formula accurate and ensures stability for families in need.

HB 4047 – Criminalizing Non-Consensual Deepfake Sexual Content

PASSED: 97-5 – Voted: YES

This bill makes it a crime to knowingly share deepfake sexual images or videos created using artificial intelligence without someone’s consent beforehand.

These types of images disproportionately target women and can destroy reputations in seconds, causing people to lose jobs, scholarships, relationships, and suffer severe mental distress. Many victims have very little legal protection from AI-generated explicit content under current law.

Supporting this bill was part of my broader effort to promote family values, protect victims from digital exploitation, and restore the dignity of womanhood in an age of rapid technological advancement.

SB 70 – Honoring Deputy Sheriff William Butler, Jr.

PASSED: 100–0 – Voted: YES

This bill names a portion of M-34 in Hillsdale County the “Deputy Sheriff William Butler, Jr. Memorial Highway.”

Deputy Butler was an Iraq War veteran and a 12-year member of the Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office. He was killed in the line of duty on June 27, 2024, while assisting in a traffic stop.

This naming honors a public servant who gave everything for his country and community. I was proud to vote in favor of this tribute.

HB 4303 – Declaring May as Chaldean American Month

PASSED: 99-1 – Voted: YES

This resolution formally declares May as Chaldean American Month in Michigan, honoring the faith, culture, and contributions of Chaldean, Assyrian, and Syriac Americans.

These communities have contributed immensely to Michigan through entrepreneurship, public service, and civic engagement.

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In God We Trust,

Representative Josh Schriver