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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Welcome to the latest edition of my e-newsletter for 2023.
Below you’ll find an update on what’s happening in your state Capitol and some additional resources I hope you find helpful.
Thank you for allowing me to represent you in the Michigan Senate. I am grateful each and every day to work for the people of the 34th Senate District.
Sincerely,
Roger Hauck
State Senator
34th Senate District
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Hauck hosting office hour meeting in Mt. Pleasant
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Hosting office hours is a great way to meet with local residents and hear concerns about state government or to request assistance with a state issue. My next office hour meeting will take place on Friday, June 23 in Mt. Pleasant.
I will be available to answer questions and provide information and assistance with state issues, as well as take suggestions on issues affecting communities and businesses in the district.
Office hours are open to all residents. Please feel free to stop in! No appointment is necessary.
The office hour event will take place at the following date, time, and location:
Friday, June 23
10 – 11 a.m.
Isabella County Commission on Aging
2200 S. Lincoln Road
Mt. Pleasant
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Democrats want public employers to give unions private contact information
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Democrats are once again chipping away at workers’ rights — this time by compelling public sector employees to turn over their private contact information to unions.
I voted against Senate Bill 169, which would force public sector employers to regularly disclose the personal contact information of workers to labor unions. This includes personal email addresses, personal phone numbers and home addresses — and there are no limitations for how unions could use the contact information.
Democrats are steamrolling ahead on their agenda to pay back their big union backers, disregarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s previous ruling on this subject. Personal information should be not released without a worker’s consent, especially if that worker has already decided to not join the union.
The bill now advances to the state House of Representatives for further consideration.
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Changes to deer regulations approved
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The Natural Resources Commission and Department of Natural Resources approved new deer regulations at their June 8 meeting that will be in effect for the 2023-2025 hunting seasons.
While many of the regulations remained the same, there were a few important updates made.
Updated regulations include:
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• Restricted tag of the deer combo license. A four-point antler point restriction on the restricted tag of the deer combo license has been reinstated in 19 Lower Peninsula counties, including Clinton, Gratiot, Isabella, Mecosta and Midland. All deer combo licenses in the southern Lower Peninsula counties will now have an unrestricted regular tag and a four-point restricted tag.
• Liberty Hunt. Hunters participating in the Liberty Hunt will now be allowed to harvest more than one deer. While the limit for bucks remains at one, hunters can pursue multiple antlerless deer.
• Upper Peninsula Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance Zone. The zone has been removed. As a result, hunters in this area can resume baiting and feeding practices. The hunter's choice antler point regulations, which include an unrestricted tag for the deer license and point restrictions for the regular and restricted tags on the deer combo license, are now reinstated.
• Late archery season and crossbows. The proposal to allow crossbows in the late archery season in the Upper Peninsula was rejected. This includes hunters in the previous CWD Surveillance Zone where crossbow use in the late-season use was allowed.
• Antlerless harvest in northern deer management units (DMU). The proposal to reinstate antlerless harvest opportunities in several northern DMUs was rejected. The only exceptions are qualified individuals during the Liberty Hunt and through Deer Management Assistance Permits, when authorized.
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For more on deer management, hunting opportunities and more, visit Michigan.gov/deer.
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The DNR wants to hear from you!
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The Department of Natural Resources is seeking public input as part of its multiyear state land review process.
The Managed Public Land Strategy, approved for implementation in September 2018, requires the DNR to review approximately 240,000 acres of state-owned land to determine which parcels allow the department to provide the highest quality public access to outdoor recreation opportunities while also protecting the natural and cultural resources on those lands.
The current areas of the state under review include the counties of Baraga, Benzie, Clare, Clinton, Genesee, Ionia, Manistee, Mecosta, Newaygo, Shiawassee and Wayne.
There are several ways for the public to provide input:
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• View the state land review public comments map. The map is interactive and allows members of the public to leave comments and view the comments left by others.
• Attend one of two upcoming virtual meetings. Public meetings are scheduled for June 20 and June 21 using Microsoft Teams. You do not have to have Microsoft Teams downloaded onto your computer to participate, a phone number is also available if you wish to call in.
• Provide feedback via email. Comments can be submitted via email to [email protected]. Comments are due by Friday, June 30, 2023.
• Attend an upcoming meeting of the Natural Resources Commission. The next NRC meeting will be held on July 13, 2023, and there will be time allotted for public comments.
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June is National Dairy Month — a time to recognize our state’s dairy farmers and dairy processors and the important contribution they make to the state’s economy.
Dairy products are Michigan’s No. 1 agricultural commodity. Michigan is home to just over 1,000 dairy farms — 97% of which are family-owned, many by multiple generations of the same family.
Michigan’s over 1,000 dairy farms produce more than enough milk to supply the entire state. In 2020, Michigan ranked sixth in the U.S. for milk production, producing more than 3,100 gallons of milk!
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Failed policies are the reason Michigan’s population is falling
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The governor recently announced a new council tasked with turning around Michigan’s population trends. This council is a deflection from the governor’s failed policies that are driving people and job opportunities out of our state. Policies like:
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• Complicated tax changes that are unfairly applied and will not spark economic growth. Democrats in the Legislature fought against a reduction in the state’s income tax rate that would make Michigan a more attractive and affordable place to live, work and raise a family.
• Repealing Michigan’s “Right to Work” law that gave workers a choice on whether they wanted to join a union, and helped the state emerge from its massive recession in the early 2000s.
• Lowering education standards in Michigan. Democrats are lowering the bar for our teachers and students. They repealed the A-F letter school grading system that allows parents to make informed decisions about their child’s education and a law that ensures every student is proficient at reading by the third grade.
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These problems cannot be fixed by a council. Michigan should instead embrace economic growth through competitive tax rates, commonsense regulation, worker freedom and holding the bar high so our students receive a world class education.
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