I am pleased to share that Linda Pfotenhauer has returned to serve the 38th Senate District as the constituent relations director in my office. Linda previously served in this role for former Sen. Tom Casperson during his eight years in the Senate and six years in the House of Representatives.

During that time, Linda gained a wealth of knowledge and experience, making her an invaluable member of my team. Also, Linda grew up in Escanaba, so she has firsthand knowledge of the issues that are common to residents in the Upper Peninsula.

If you are in need of help on an issue related to the state, please feel free to reach out to my office at SenatorEdMcBroom.com/contact/ and ask for Linda.

My bills to help combat the spread of methamphetamine abuse in Michigan were recently approved by the state Senate.

Senate Bills 170 and 599 would place restrictions on the amount of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine a person may purchase per month and per year. The bills would reduce the amount a person may purchase over the counter from 9 grams to 7.2 grams per month and would cap the amount someone could purchase in a year at 61.2 grams.

The adjusted limits would allow for cold- and allergy-suffering Michiganders to retain the necessary amounts they need to make it through two allergy seasons in a year and align with allowable amounts that may be taken currently. Should a larger dosage be required, a prescription may be ordered.

Meth abuse and addiction has been absolutely devasting, particularly in rural communities in the U.P. and throughout our state and country. Limiting the amount of this key meth ingredient that a person can purchase will help combat this modern epidemic, while still allowing for its intended use to treat people with allergy symptoms.

Meth abuse and addiction affects people from all walks of life, and combating its spread is something that we can all agree on. That’s why I worked so hard on this issue with my friend and former colleague, the late Representative John Kivela. These bills were the conclusion of his work and will always be a part of his legacy.

I know that getting these bills signed into law would have made him proud, because he cared so much for the well-being of his fellow Upper Peninsula residents. I am hopeful that the House of Representatives will approve the bills, and the governor signs them, soon.

I recently supported important infrastructure policy reforms that would maximize road funding efficiency to ensure we use our tax dollars effectively, improve the ability of our local and state road agencies to better meet our growing infrastructure needs, protect Michigan taxpayers from waste, and ensure our roads are built to last.

Federal transportation dollars often come with burdensome requirements that can cost local agencies substantial time and money — resources better used to fix the roads. By allowing local road agencies to swap federal funds for state funds, we can help local agencies save up to 30% on their projects.

The Senate Republican road policy reforms would:

SBs 515-520 and 522 have been sent to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Last month, the governor addressed the Legislature in her State of the State address, where she announced her plan to issue $3.5 billion in road and bridge building bonds to fix our state’s crumbling roads. After proposing a 45-cent gas tax increase that the people of Michigan overwhelmingly opposed last year, the governor’s new plan is to go around the Legislature.

To make matters worse, the $3.5 billion can only be used on state-owned roads. That means our local roads — the roads we use every day to travel to work, school and the grocery store, and the roads that are in most need of repair — will not receive any of this additional funding.

Bonding is a financing mechanism, not a funding source, and it certainly isn’t a long-term road funding plan. Borrowing $3.5 billion now just to pay that plus interest back later, with none of that money going to local roads, is not the answer.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 22 was recently introduced stating that the Legislature's intent is not to increase future debt service spending above the levels authorized in fiscal year 2020 and not to authorize spending for debt service on bonds longer than 10 years.

I remain committed to moving Michigan forward and working with my colleagues in both the House and Senate on a comprehensive, long-term solution that improves all the roads in our state, instead of relying on adding more debt that our children will have to pay off.