Dear Friends:

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you and provide updates about what is going on at Michigan’s Capitol.

I am the state senator for the 18th District – covering all of Barry County and parts of Allegan, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, Kent and Ionia counties. Please feel free to contact me with any issues related to state government at SenTAlbert@senate.michigan.gov, or by calling 517-373-1734 or toll-free at 855-347-8018.

Sincerely,

Thomas Albert
State Senator

Michigan’s state constitution requires that the Legislature meet “on the second Wednesday in January of each year at twelve o’clock noon” to begin a new legislative session. On Jan. 8, the Michigan Senate met to begin its 2025 session.

The Michigan Senate has 38 members, each elected by residents of their district. In the House, there are 110 members.

The Michigan Senate website includes 2025 session dates and committee schedules, links to current legislation, and information about visiting the state Capitol.

The first thing the new Legislature should do is address the Michigan Supreme Court’s ruling related to minimum wage, sick leave, and the elimination of the tipped wage credit. Court-ordered changes —which would hurt the restaurant industry and others — are scheduled to begin taking effect in February.

Last summer, I introduced a plan to keep the tipped wage credit in place and save thousands of Michigan jobs. Unfortunately, Democrats failed to act on the proposal. Given the urgent need for a quick and sensible solution, I am now supporting House Bills 4001 and 4002 as introduced. I will continue to monitor the bills as they move through the legislative process. These bills, introduced on the new Legislature’s very first day, would preserve the tipped credit, sustainably continue to raise the minimum wage, and continue to provide commonsense earned sick time exemptions for small businesses.

After months of inaction, Democrats in January finally introduced Senate Bills 8 and 15 related to this issue. While I appreciate that Democrats finally acknowledge changes are needed, their proposal does not go far enough to save jobs or prevent the inflation that would be worsened under the Michigan Supreme Court order.

Michigan made national headlines when it was reported this month that the Department of Natural Resources wants to lease more than 400 acres of state forest and public land in Otsego County for a solar farm. While the company initially connected with the plan is no longer interested, this remains an issue, part of an effort by the DNR to find ways to use state-owned land for renewable energy development.

Unfortunately, it’s an outgrowth of the sweeping and troublesome energy legislation approved by Democrats in the past two years. First, they adopted 100% clean energy standards to be implemented by 2040 — an unrealistic and costly plan. Second, they removed decision-making authority from local governments for wind and solar developments and gave that authority to unelected bureaucrats at the Michigan Public Service Commission.

Experts believe if these energy mandates are to be met, Michigan will need to dedicate more than 200,000 additional acres of land to wind and solar installations. It will negatively impact farmland and our rural way of life.

In a recent speech, Gov. Whitmer again called for the Legislature to renew or replace what originally was called the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve Fund. She now refers to the concept as the Make it in Michigan fund.

That is a catchier name, but it is still corporate welfare — and it still doesn’t work. As I did in the previous legislative session, I advocate for eliminating the SOAR concept entirely.

The original idea behind SOAR was to promote high-quality investments with greater transparency and better communication with legislators. But that is not what has happened. The fund, originally set at $1 billion, has ballooned massively with no transparency. Simply put, taxpayers are not getting anywhere near an adequate return on their investment.

Many of the projects connected to SOAR have not materialized. Some, such as the electric vehicle battery plant announced in Marshall, have downsized from original plans but are still not worth the cost.

There is a better way. Rather than focusing on giveaways to big companies, we should lower taxes and change policies to make Michigan less expensive and more attractive for all employers and employees. A plan introduced by Senate Republicans last year would be a good starting point for our future direction.

I plan to host local office hours on Friday, Jan. 24, in two locations:

Office hours are open to district residents to talk about issues related to state government or to request assistance with a state issue. No appointment is necessary, but space may be limited at some locations. Priority will be given to constituents seeking to discuss issues requiring privacy or individual attention.

Office hours in other 18th District locations will be scheduled at a later date.