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

Last week, the Senate Committee on Health Policy and Human Services heard testimony from Shelleye Yaklin, president and CEO of North Ottawa Community Hospital, on my bill to allow the hospital to partner with a larger, more financially stable health system.

The community hospital in Grand Haven is struggling to stay operational due to long-term liabilities and debt issues. Allowing it to partner with Trinity Health would help the hospital solve its financial issues and ensure continued care for area residents. Trinity Health is a leading health care provider in Michigan and is composed of eight hospitals, including the two Mercy Health hospitals in Grand Rapids and Muskegon.

It’s imperative for community hospitals to have more flexibility to make decisions to best provide critical care for area families – including entering into partnerships with larger health care providers.

Senate Bill 944 would allow the North Ottawa Community Hospital to partner with a larger health system without requiring voter approval in all six municipalities within the authority since voters previously approved transferring the hospital from the authority to a nonprofit corporation in 1996.

Click here to watch Yaklin’s testimony. The meeting starts at 17:20 into the video.

Last week, I met and discussed state government with members of the Leadership Connect program at the Senate’s Connie B. Binsfeld Office Building across the street from the Capitol.

It was great to have them in Lansing for their annual State Government Day and talk with them about staying informed and involved.

Leadership Connect is a comprehensive program through the Chamber of Commerce of Grand Haven, Ferrysburg and Spring Lake that focuses on both community awareness and personal leadership development.

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) last week took testimony on deer testing, “Buy Michigan” and rural development.

We heard from Doug Roberts, president of the United Deer Farmers of Michigan, about a request for $150,000 to $200,000 in the MDARD budget to help cover the costs of testing for bovine tuberculosis (TB) and chronic wasting disease (CWD). Deer farmers have been at the forefront of finding effective ways to eliminate bovine TB and CWD in Michigan, but the testing is expensive and a significant burden on these small operators.

Bovine TB is a bacterial disease that can affect all mammals, including humans. CWD is a contagious, neurological disease found in deer, elk and moose. There is no cure, and an infected deer can live with CWD for years and spread it through contact with other animals.

Officials from MDARD gave a presentation on their proposals to fund a “Buy Michigan” program and the newly created Office of Rural Development.

Click here to watch the subcommittee hearing. The meeting starts at 2:30 into the video. The MDARD presentation starts at 12:15.

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government oversees a budget for the Legislature, governor’s office, attorney general, secretary of state, and numerous departments and agencies.

Last week, the subcommittee took testimony on the fiscal year 2023 budget recommendations for the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, Civil Service Commission and Department of Technology, Management and Budget.

DTMB Acting Director Michelle Lange gave a presentation about the size and scope of the department and a few of their budget requests.

The department has a huge emphasis on cybersecurity because government is increasingly being targeted by cyber criminals. DTMB’s budget request includes $115 million more for information technology (IT) investments.

Click here to watch the subcommittee hearing. The hearing starts at 2:30 into the video and the testimony from the DTMB begins at 32:10.

The agriculture industry is a critical economic driver for our state. Michigan farms contribute billions to our economy each year through products grown, harvested, processed and prepared in Michigan. Farms also employ a significant portion of the state’s workforce.

Today is Ag Day! It’s an annual celebration to recognize the importance of Michigan agriculture to our economy and show our support for Michigan’s hardworking farmers, whose hard work feeds Michigan families and helps keep our grocery store shelves stocked.

One way you can show support for our local family farms is to purchase some “Made in Michigan” products.