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 during Senate session, I recognized the Hope College Women’s Basketball Team and head coach Brian Morehouse at the Michigan Capitol for winning the 2022 NCAA Division III National Championship.

Known for their team unity and for bringing positivity to all levels of competition, the Hope College Women’s Basketball Team has won 77 out of 78 games over the past three seasons. These victories culminated with the final win against Wisconsin-Whitewater for the national championship.

What distinguishes the best is the dedication and effort that appears in practice — far removed from the excitement of game day. Through their hard work and commitment, this team and the coaching staff have embodied the qualities that enable success — not only on the court but also in life. This group of disciplined student-athletes has generated great pride throughout the state of Michigan and, especially, Ottawa County.

Hope College beat Wisconsin-Whitewater 71-58 in the championship game in Pittsburg on March 19 to earn the third national title in program history and the second under Coach Morehouse.

The Flying Dutch were 32-1 overall this season. In 2020, the team was undefeated and had advanced to the Sweet 16 when the 2020 season was abruptly canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hope was undefeated again last year, but the NCAA did not hold a Division III national tournament in 2021 because of the pandemic.

Rep. Bradley Slagh, R-Zeeland, and I presented Coach Morehouse and the team with a special tribute signed by us and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

The team includes seniors Kasey DeSmit, Kate Majerus, Sydney Muller, Kenedy Schoonveld, Hannah Smith and Olivia Voskuil; juniors Claire Baguley, Savannah Feenstra, Ella McKinney and Meg Morehouse; and freshmen Olivia Bellows, Jada Garner, Hannah Kurncz, Courtney Lee and Abi Tarrant.

Assistant coaches for the team are Courtney Kust, Colly Carlson, Austin Randel, Kyle Lurvey and Dean Morehouse.

Click here to watch a video of me welcoming the team to the Senate floor prior to session.

Last week, I am honored to welcome the ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United States, André Haspels and his wife, Mrs. Bernie Haspels, to the chamber.

Ambassador Haspels has served as ambassador since 2019, working to strengthen the ties between our two countries. He was spending time in Michigan with his economic advisors from the Dutch Embassy in Washington, as well as dozens of business leaders that traveled here from the Netherlands to join the economic mission. They learned more about Michigan’s strong agricultural and auto manufacturing sectors.

Senate Committee on Regulatory Reform heard testimony on my legislation to help curb dangerous organized retail theft and provide more consumer protection for those shopping online.

With the rise of online methods for conducting commerce, such as eBay, Walmart Online, and Amazon, there have also been new avenues for shady actors to participate in a manner that potentially exploits the lack of regulation and oversight in these spaces.

The consistent lack of action on consumer protection by the federal government has led me and Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr. to introduce Senate Bills 1023 and 1024. The INFORM ACT would require disclosure of seller information through online marketplaces, like Amazon. They would require online marketplaces to have a clear and conspicuous manner for reporting suspicious activity and task the Michigan attorney general to enforce the protections.

Click here to watch my testimony before the committee. The hearing starts at 3:05 into the video.

The Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee last week held a hearing on a wide range of bills aimed at helping our local law enforcement agencies, including clarifying the definition of contraband found in prisons, rules for transporting arrested individuals, and how our local jails hold and transport convicted individuals awaiting sentencing.

Click here to watch the committee meeting, which starts at 3:00 into the video.

The Senate Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure last week heard testimony from Ottawa County’s Adam Tountas and others regarding my bills to codify a recent court ruling and provide clarity regarding the liability of local road commissions for highways under their jurisdiction.

A recent Michigan Supreme Court case held that the Governmental Immunity Act governs the liability of a county road commission for failure to keep all highways under their jurisdiction in reasonable repair.

Senate Bills 39 and 43 would codify the decision in state law to avoid confusion and conflicting rules.

Click here to watch the committee meeting.

The Senate Committee on Agriculture last week took testimony on a measure I co-sponsored expressing support for federal legislation that seeks to create emergency waivers for farmers on new tariffs on certain fertilizers and fertilizer ingredients.

Senate Resolution 139 reflects the record high input costs facing our agricultural families and businesses. The costs of fuel, fertilizer, land, and labor have all risen sharply recently and supply chain disruptions continue to create availability concerns.

A component in the overall cost of fertilizers are the tariffs imposed by the United States International Trade Commission on certain imported fertilizers.

Click here to watch the committee meeting.

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 30th District E-news. You may sign up for it also at my website.