Dear Friends,

To better serve the people of the 31st 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 toll-free at 1-855-347-8031 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

Last week, I helped successfully defend a tax cut for every Michigan taxpayer. This is a victory for all Michigan families, who will soon see meaningful income tax relief because Senate Republicans stood strong against a Democrat shell game.

If the Democrats’ plan had gone into effect right away, it would have stopped a tax cut for everyone in exchange for a one-time rebate too small to cover a month of gasoline for an average family.

Under a 2015 law, if revenues in Michigan’s general fund increase past a certain point, an automatic and permanent income tax cut is triggered. The House and Senate fiscal agencies estimate that Michigan was $700 million over the trigger’s threshold in fiscal year 2022, which would reduce the income tax rate from 4.25% to 4.05%. If enacted by April 18, House Bill 4001 would have stopped that permanent cut by retroactively moving $800 million from the general fund to a new fund.

Despite being in the minority, we were able to use the rules and procedures of the Senate to uphold the law and deliver real and long-lasting tax relief to the hardworking people of Michigan.

While the numbers will not be finalized until April, it is expected that this reduction could save Michigan taxpayers roughly $700 million a year.

Last week, I voted against House Bill 4016 that is designed to give up to $800 million in taxpayer dollars to Ford to build a battery plant in Marshall, Michigan. The proposal’s lack of transparency on exactly what the funds were going to be spent on was a major concern as well as how quickly the bill was pushed through without proper public testimony.

HB 4016 allocates more than $1.3 billion in supplemental spending, earmarking $630 million for site development at Ford Motor Co.’s newly announced battery plant near Marshall and $170 million to the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve (SOAR) Fund, which is intended to further support the plant.

We need to make sure we use our historic budget surplus to help reduce costs on families through tax relief and improve our state for decades to come by investing in our infrastructure and supporting our schools.

For years, Michigan has had one of the strongest and most legally sound Civil Rights protection laws in the nation. Unfortunately, last week Senate Democrats forced through changes that create numerous loopholes that endanger the rights and protections of all Michigan residents.

Senate Bill 4 would add sexual orientation and gender identity or expression as protected classes under the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.

I supported multiple amendments that would have increased protections for our religious liberties, but those were not adopted.

Of the 22 other states that have expanded their civil rights protections, all have included religious exemptions, making Michigan the most extreme state to have adopted this legislation.

The bill is now in the House of Representatives for consideration.

I was honored to attend the MiBiz Economic Development Awards event last week. The Coopersville-Muskegon pipeline was awarded as the top development project of the year. This project stood out among all the fancy battery plants and EV expansions that are happening in Michigan.

The Coopersville-Muskegon Pipeline was a completely transparent process from start to finish. It did not require any “non-disclosure agreements” or secretive rushed committees without public testimony. In fact, all the funding is going to local municipalities and requires significant financial buy-in from the businesses involved.

This pipeline will benefit communities and businesses throughout our West Michigan region and allow for the development of more workforce housing, increased agricultural processing, and new industrial expansion.

West Michigan has once again shown the rest of the state how to do things the right way. The Coopersville-Muskegon Pipeline should be the new standard for economic development across Michigan.

Thank you for subscribing to my electronic newsletter! I am honored to represent you in the state Senate. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Please feel free to forward this on to others who may be interested in receiving the 31st District E-news. You may sign up for it also at my website.