Dear Neighbors,

Welcome to this month’s edition of my e-newsletter. I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to tackle the tough issues that will help lower the cost of living, help families get ahead, and build a brighter future for all who call Michigan home.

As always, I welcome your feedback on current issues facing Michigan or the Greater Rochester Area, Troy, Sterling Heights and Utica communities. Constituent feedback is vital as I represent our communities in Lansing. If you are experiencing a problem with one of our state government agencies, my office is always available to assist with finding a solution. I respect your opinion and will always do my best to make myself available and accessible to you.

Please take a moment to visit my website, like my official Facebook page, send me an email or call my office at 517-373-0994. If you have any questions, concerns or opinions on what is happening, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Michael Webber
State Senator
9th District

I joined state Reps. Sharon MacDonell, D-Troy, and Tom Kuhn, R-Troy, in calling on the governor and legislative leaders from both parties to address excessive highway noise at two locations along the I-75 corridor between 13 Mile and Adams roads.

Our request was made after an April 11 meeting hosted by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) at the Troy Community Center, where officials told residents that two highway sections meet criteria for the installation and construction of a sound wall.

MDOT has $4 million from a previous appropriation to build additional sound walls. However, department officials stated that an additional $10 million is needed to complete the project, and they will not allocate any of their $6.5 billion FY 2022-23 budget to it.

Legislative leaders from both parties must intervene to fund the project for it to be completed. We owe it to our constituents to push for these funds in full and finally get this done for the residents of Troy.

Troy’s legislative leaders have pledged to continue to work together to get the sound wall expansion done for the city’s residents.

Michigan’s individual income tax rate will fall to 4.05% — down from the current 4.25% — for the 2023 tax year. While this is a positive step for Michigan taxpayers, it does not go far enough. I believe the tax reduction should be permanent — despite Attorney General Dana Nessel’s recent opinion stating it should be temporary.

Democrats did not want this rate reduction at all. They have tried to rob hardworking families of this tax relief even though the state has a $9 billion surplus on the books. Republicans have fought for this rate reduction so that you can keep more of your hard-earned money.

Former Gov. Rick Snyder and lawmakers who approved the 2015 law say the income tax trigger was intended to be permanent. Now Democrats are trying to change the rules because they want higher taxes to pay for corporate welfare and other unsustainable government programs. This fight for long-lasting tax relief is not over. Michiganders deserve to be able to keep more of what they earn.

I recently introduced Senate Resolution 38 to recognize April as Autism Acceptance Month. Please click on the image below to watch my floor speech in support of the resolution.

The Rochester High School Falcon Engineering and Design Solutions Team 201 and the Rochester Adams High School AdamBots Team 245 headed to Houston, Texas, to compete in the FIRST robotics world championships recently.

To compete in Houston, these teams and many others throughout the district competed in the state competition in early April at Saginaw Valley State University. I was there to watch the competition.

Both teams earned the Impact Award — the most prestigious level of recognition at the FIRST robotics competition in Michigan. This is a great accomplishment for our community. Congratulations to both teams!

To win the Impact Award, students are evaluated on the content of 14 short essays and an executive summary; a seven-minute presentation with field questions in front of a panel of judges; and a short video production outlining how their team promotes the mission of FIRST.

No appointment is necessary to attend. The 9th Senate District includes the cities of Rochester, Rochester Hills, Troy, and Utica along with parts of Oakland Township, Shelby Township and Sterling Heights.