Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Welcome to the latest edition of my e-newsletter.

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

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 be held jointly with Rep. Jerry Neyer on Friday, Aug. 18 in Ithaca.

Rep. Neyer and 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.

The office hour event will take place at the following date, time, and location:

Friday, Aug. 18
11 a.m. – noon
Gratiot Commission on Aging
515 S. Pine River St.
Ithaca

Office hours are open to all residents. No appointment is necessary. If you are unable to make it to the office hour meeting, please feel free to contact my office via email at [email protected] or by calling 517-373-1760.

I look forward to seeing you there!

The state of Michigan’s fiscal year 2024 budget was recently signed into law.

This year, the budget process took a drastically different avenue than years past. Throughout the process, I had concerns with the level of state spending, especially with regard to draining the surplus that took a decade to build up.

I voted against the general budget because I could not support the massive increase in spending or the backroom, secretive process with which it was carried out. Unfortunately, the budget was going to pass with or without my vote. Knowing this, I chose to be involved and fought to secure some important 34th District projects to try and make the best of a bad situation.

Projects in the 34th District include $700,000 to make critical repairs to the Barryton Dam and build a fish ladder and $5,000,000 to improve traffic flow and increase safety measures at the U.S. 127 interchange in Ithaca.

I did, however, vote in favor of the 2024 education budget, which is responsible for funding for K-12 education, the state’s 15 public universities and all local community colleges.

The education budget includes a per-student funding increase, funding for transportation assistance for rural schools, support for at-risk students and more resources that help schools set students up for success. The measure also seeks to reel in out-of-control tuition increases at state universities and make college more affordable.

One of the most important aspects of the education budget was working to secure a massive funding boost to help pay down liabilities in the higher education retirement system — something especially important to our district. This funding nearly eliminates the funding liability facing the seven participating universities and will ensure promises to retirees are kept.

You can read more here.

A package of bills first introduced in the Senate to help Michigan schools recruit and retain teachers and counselors was recently signed into law.

Public Act 110 of 2023 aims to address the teacher shortage by expanding the pool of teachers eligible to teach in Michigan schools. This will allow schools to hire teachers with out-of-state certifications and gives educators the opportunity for career advancement by expanding the ways they can earn an advanced teaching certificate.

Public Act 111 of 2023 expands the pool of school counselors by allowing qualified counselors to forgo the guidance counselor’s exam and reducing the requirements to work in Michigan for school counselors from other states.

The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity recently announced their 2023 Going PRO Talent Fund awards. Funds are awarded to employers through Michigan Works! Agencies (MWAs) to help businesses provide workers with the training they need to gain and retain high-skill, high-wage careers.

Since the program’s launch in 2014, more than 6,000 Michigan businesses have received Going PRO Talent Fund awards to train 175,000 new and existing workers. Since the program’s inception, worker wages have increased an average of 9% following training completion.

To view a full list of grant recipients for the 2023 fiscal year and learn more about the Going PRO Talent Fund and its application cycles, visit Michigan.gov/TalentFund.

Michigan is home to 26,266 inland lakes, 76,439 miles of rivers and streams and more than 150 different fish species. With so many options, the most difficult decision will be where to go!

The DNR offers an interactive “Family Friendly Fishing Waters” map to help identify family-friendly fishing locations across the state. Sites can be filtered by answering questions like what kind of fishing would you like to do, and which amenities do you need?

Each of these locations are easy to access and have a high likelihood of catching fish. Once a location has been selected, a simple click provides site-specific details like the species of fish you can expect to find, restroom availability and descriptions, and even driving directions.

There is no better way to celebrate national golf month than to hit the links on one of Michigan’s more than 650 public courses. Michigan golf courses cover 127,500 acres of professionally managed greenspace, including 28,000 acres of forest and wetlands that provide wildlife habitats.

With an economic impact of $4.2 billion, the golf industry in Michigan employs 60,000 people, paying more than $1.4 billion in wages.

Visit Michigan.org/Golfing to find a course near you.