I would like to extend my family’s warmest wishes to everyone in the 34th Senate District during this holiday season. I hope you and yours had the merriest of Christmases and have a happy, healthy New Year. My thoughts are also with all the brave men and women who are unable to join their families this season while serving our country in uniform. Please keep them in your prayers.

Serving as your state senator is a job that I am honored to hold, and I encourage you to contact me with any questions or ideas you may have on state issues. You may call my office at 517-373-1635, send an email at [email protected], or check out my Facebook or Twitter pages. Please let me know how I can be of service to you.

For much of the past year, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been presented with an opportunity to approve a major job-creating project in Muskegon County. Unfortunately, it looks like we’re going to have to wait a bit longer, as the governor formally requested a six-month deadline extension.
The governor’s request for an extension is not the news I was hoping Muskegon County residents would receive. Every day she postpones this project, she is also delaying 1,500 construction jobs and 1,500 high-paying full-time jobs.

The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians have been planning to build the casino in our county for many years. After a lengthy approval process, the federal government gave the go-ahead last December. Since the federal government’s approval, the decision on whether to proceed has been on Gov. Whitmer’s desk.

Many state and local officials, as well as countless residents, have previously joined together to support the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians casino project. The collective support speaks volumes about the shared belief in the project’s potential to positively impact our community.

The casino’s residual economic impact will also support additional jobs and businesses, as well as boost tourism in the region with an estimated 1.8 million visitors per year. It is also estimated that the casino will annually generate $15 million in tax revenue for the state and millions more for local governments.

I have been a constant supporter of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians casino project, and I have been encouraging the governor to quickly approve the plan so that construction of this major facility could promptly begin.

My thanks to the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians for their commitment to Muskegon County, and to all local officials and residents who have been so vocal in their support. I strongly encourage West Michigan residents to continue contacting the governor’s office to let your voices be heard. You can reach the governor’s office by calling 517-335-7858.

You can also submit written comments that will be sent directly to Gov. Whitmer’s office. Please visit my website at SenatorJonBumstead.com/casino/ to share your thoughts with the governor and encourage her to support the casino in Muskegon County.

This month the Senate approved a budget supplemental bill I sponsored that would invest $3.3 billion in total funding to preserve and protect Michigan’s water quality, infrastructure and vital natural resources.

The Senate took action toward ensuring our state’s water infrastructure will undergo historic improvements that will benefit every Michigander for generations to come. As chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural Resources and Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, I regcognize we must seize this unique moment to make a transformational change for the better. I am hopeful my colleagues in the House of Representatives and the governor will lend their support quickly, so we can get to work improving the water infrastructure in our communities.

Senate Bill 565 would provide $1 billion to replace lead pipes across the state, $700 million to upgrade local drinking water and wastewater facilities and $85 million to ensure students have access to safe water by installing filtered water stations inside schools. The plan also addresses the harmful impacts of PFAS chemicals and would dedicate $100 million in grants to remove the chemicals from so-called orphaned sites.

My water infastructure plan would also invest hundreds of millions of dollars to:

I recently introduced legislation that would reform Michigan’s property tax exemption for 100% disabled veterans by shifting the tax burden from local units of government to the state Department of Treasury.

Senate Bills 783 and 784 would maintain the same level of tax relief for 100% disabled veterans but would transfer the benefit from a property tax exemption to an income tax credit in order to ease the burden on local governments.

This reform will not affect the amount of property tax credit that our 100% disabled veterans could receive, the process that they apply for their credit, or force them to pay their property taxes up front. From an eligible veteran’s perspective, effectively nothing changes.

Local governments are under financial stress, and the goal is to lift the financial burden and administration of the credit off local governments and place these requirements on the state. This will provide cities, villages, townships, and counties financial relief while maintaining the current benefits that veterans receive.

The process for eligible veterans to claim their credit would continue unchanged — a veteran or their spouse would file an affidavit with their local unit of government to claim the exemption, which would then defer property tax collection until the Department of Treasury dispenses payment for reimbursement.

Upon a payment by the state, the local unit shall provide written notification to the individual who filed the affidavit explaining the payment or rejection by the state, as well as any additional amount that may be due and the subsequent due date.

SBs 783-784 were referred to the Senate Finance Committee for review.

Earlier this month I issued the following statement in response to legislation that passed in the Michigan Senate:

I voted in favor of House Bill 5351 to increase the true cash value, from $80,000 to $180,000, of industrial and commercial personal property for which a taxpayer may claim a personal property tax (PPT) exemption because of the positive economic benefit that property owners would receive.

I had initial concerns with this legislation and how the local tax collecting units would be reimbursed for the lost tax revenue. However, before casting my vote, I was assured that the state would hold our locals harmless.

Senate Bill 85 includes funding to hold locals harmless for the revenue shortfall they would see from the change in HB 5351. Unfortunately, this bill also contained $1 billion of unnecessary taxpayer handouts for large corporations, and I voted to oppose the supplemental for this reason. SB 85 ended up passing the Senate by a vote of 25 to 11.

I fully support the concept of increasing the exemption to provide much-needed tax relief to our small businesses and intended to vote to ensure our local governments would not experience a shortfall. However, I could not support a budget bill where the government creates winners and losers by giving away taxpayer dollars for large corporate handouts.

I was honored to present Montague Fire Chief Ron Anderson with a tribute to commemorate Montague Fire Department's 150th anniversary.

Since their foundation in 1871, the Montague Fire Department has been overseeing the safety and security of those in the City of Montague and the surrounding area. Over the years many men and women have sacrificed their time and risked their lives to protect those in the Montague area from fires and emergencies.

Under the current leadership of the 35-year veteran firefighter Chief Ron Anderson, the Montague Fire Department continues to be active and ready to help save others in a time of need.

Congratulations again to the Montague Fire Department for 150 years of excellent service to the community.

2021-2022 trail permits are now available!

The snowmobile program is 100% funded with your trail permit dollars. A $52 snowmobile trail permit is valid for one year and covers the cost of trail grooming and signage; bridges, culverts and grading; trailhead maintenance and more.

State-designated trails are open Dec. 1 through March 31 and will be groomed as enough snow accumulates.

Permits can be purchased: