Dear Friends,

To better serve the people of the 30th Senate District, I am offering this “Week in Review.” I hope you will find it informative about what is happening in Lansing.

I encourage you to contact me with any state issue. You may call 517-373-6920 or email [email protected].  Also, please check out my Facebook page. Let me know if I can assist you in any way or if you have an idea to help move our state forward.

Working for you,
Roger Victory
State Senator

On my way home from the Capitol, I toured Meijer’s state-of-the-art distribution center in Delta Township, located just west of Lansing. The facility is almost fully automated and able to create custom orders not just for each store, but for each aisle in every store. This facility ships all over the state, including the Meijer stores in Ottawa County. We discussed the supply chain and labor issues impacting every business and family in our state.

On Wednesday, Jan. 26, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gave her fourth State of the State address. This year’s address was given remotely from a Detroit manufacturing site.

During her speech, the governor said she was ready to work with lawmakers to reduce tax burdens. This is welcomed news. If the governor is sincere, Republicans in the Legislature are eager to provide relief to taxpayers, such as reducing or eliminating taxes on retirement income.

Our responsible spending has led to the state’s budget being in a strong position. Now is the time to explore ways to let Michigan residents keep more of what they earn.

The good people of Michigan need more than talk; they need effective action. As we focus on delivering real results to rebuild our economy and help hardworking folks, we must also ensure funding is equitably and responsibly distributed across our state to support the actual needs of all Michigan families.

Last week, General Motors announced its plan to invest more than $7 billion in its Michigan manufacturing facilities. Expanding its electric vehicle footprint, GM plans to spend $4 billion to convert an Orion Township plant, $2.6 billion to build an electric battery facility in Delta Township and more than $510 million to upgrade two Lansing-area plants.

These projects were made possible by the Make it in Michigan plan, passed by the Legislature last December. The plan created an unprecedented level of transparency to keep high-quality manufacturing jobs from going to other states or overseas. Unlike agreements in the past, the new plan includes protections to ensure potential investors follow through on plans. Businesses are required to complete written agreements that conditions will be met prior to receiving any funds. If the conditions are not met, companies can be held accountable through repayment provisions included in the agreement.

While GM’s investment is positive news for our state’s job growth and morale, we need to ensure we don’t rely on incentives to attract more investments. We need to foster a more positive business climate – one that is good for both large-scale industries and our small businesses and innovators. Economic development needs to have equitable impacts in both urban areas and our rural communities and for manufacturing as well as our agriculture and travel industries.

The Senate Judiciary Committee last week heard testimony on legislation concerning the oversight and upkeep of the Michigan Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Monument.

Public Act 177 of 2004 created the Michigan Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Monument Fund and the Michigan Law Enforcement Memorial Fund Commission. The commission was responsible for overseeing the financing, design, and construction of a memorial monument dedicated to law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. It includes four survivors of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, a police chaplain, a representative of the attorney general and a representative of the state treasurer.

After several delays, the monument was officially dedicated on July 27, 2019.

Public Act 215 of 2020 updated the statute to ensure that any law enforcement officer from Michigan who died in the line of duty who would qualify for inclusion on the National Law Enforcement Memorial would qualify for inclusion in the Michigan memorial.

Senate Bill 626, which I co-sponsored, would add members to the commission – one each appointed by the Senate majority leader and the speaker of the House. House Bill 4821 would clarify the law to require the commission to take responsibility for the maintenance and upkeep of the memorial.

You can click here to watch Thursday’s committee hearing.

Wednesday, Feb. 2 is Groundhog Day. Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow (predicting six more weeks of winter) or will he not see a shadow (forecasting an early Spring)?

Below is a list of resources available to you if you need any type of assistance. Additionally, you can contact my office at any time for more information.