As required by the Michigan Constitution, on Jan. 11, the Michigan Senate held its first day of the 2023 regular session. The state’s constitution requires that the Legislature shall meet “on the second Wednesday in January of each year at twelve o'clock noon.” The legislative session ends on Dec. 31, 2024.

The Michigan Senate consists of 38 members who are elected by the residents of each district. Senate districts are made up of approximately 265,192 residents. Senators are elected at the same time as the governor and serve four-year terms concurrent with the governor’s term of office. The Michigan Senate generally meets every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 10 a.m. A full 2023 session schedule is available here.

My new colleagues and I were sworn in during a ceremony at the state Capitol to officially begin our work for the new term.

This ceremony is always a humbling experience and I was happy to be joined on the Senate floor by friends and family as Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Elizabeth T. Clement administered the oath of office.

We’ve accomplished a great deal over the last few years, and I’m ready to get back to work and pick up where we left off last term fighting for Michigan families and businesses.

Every January, state and economic leaders come together to offer their economic and state tax revenue projections at the first of at least two annual Consensus Revenue Estimating Conferences. The annual conferences, held during the second week of January and the third week in May, are required by statute.

The January 2023 conference once again revealed that the state of Michigan is bringing in more tax revenue than economists projected in May of last year. Responsible, Republican management of taxpayer dollars has led to a strong state budget outlook.

Despite Democratic previous inaction to help struggling families and seniors, the state’s revenue forecast is expected to trigger a permanent individual income tax rate reduction. The trigger would take effect for the 2023 tax year and could possibly lead to an individual income tax rate reduction from 4.25% to 4.05%, according to the non-partisan House and Senate fiscal agencies.

I recently received my Senate committee assignments for the 102nd Legislature.

Committee hearings and the work done behind the scenes by committees are among the most important aspects of what we do here in the Legislature. Committee hearings give people a chance to come in and share their thoughts or concerns about legislation. These discussions provide a great deal of information and unique insight as to how legislation could affect individual residents or businesses and help committee members make more informed decisions.

My committee assignments are as follows:

With more than 40 ski areas across the state, you are always within a two-hour drive of the thrills of skiing and snowboarding. Michigan ranks second in the U.S. for the number of places to enjoy this exciting, family-friendly winter sport.

The Cold is Cool Passport, which allows fourth and fifth graders to ski for free in Michigan, is a great opportunity to get kids out on the slopes and try the sport. The passport, sponsored by the Michigan Snowsports Industries Association, allows families to receive up to three lift tickets at 29 participating ski hills. Other discounts are also available.

For more information or to register for the passport visit the Cold is Cool Passport site.

In the fall of 2022, the DNR successfully restocked 7.8 tons of fish at 85 locations across the state. The restocking is part of its ongoing efforts to provide enhanced fishing opportunities throughout Michigan. The fall 2022 fish restocking consisted of four fish species: brook trout, Eagle Lake and steelhead strain rainbow trout, walleye, and muskellunge.

The first known hatchery in Michigan was a brook trout hatchery started in Clarkston in 1867; the first state hatchery was built in Pokagon in Cass County in 1873. Since that time, Michigan has developed a robust fisheries management program that includes six state hatcheries and three cooperative hatcheries that work together to produce the species, strain and size of fish needed by fisheries managers. Biologists, technicians, and management teams work together year-round to decide how to best manage Michigan’s fisheries, develop re-stocking programs and how to best manage invasive species in the Great Lakes, and in Michigan’s inland lakes and streams.

For more information on fisheries management in Michigan the DNR’s fisheries management page.

The DNR has announced a free snowmobiling weekend.

The free weekend, which lands on Feb. 11-12, comes as a result of Public Acts 55 and 56, passed by the Legislature in 2022. During these two days, snowmobilers can operate their machines without the need for a snowmobile registration or trail permit.

For more information on snowmobiling in Michigan, including trail maps, visit Michigan.gov/snowmobiling.

Would you like to give ice fishing a try? The Outdoor Skills Academy is offering a Hard Water School (ice fishing class), on Jan. 21-22 and again on Feb. 4-5, at Mitchell State Park in Cadillac.

The two-day class will be led by experienced ice fishermen and will cover everything from how to set up equipment and where and when to fish, to ice safety and rules and regulations. The class will focus on techniques for panfish, walleye and pike. The cost to attend is $40, which includes one-on-one instruction from a professional, lunch Saturday and Sunday, bait and a goodie bag.

The Outdoor Skills Academy offers courses on a wide variety of outdoor activities including winter bird feeding, snowshoe-building, maple syrup making and more. For more information on the ice fishing courses, or one of the other courses offered by the Academy, visit Michigan.gov/OutdoorSkills.

Michigan’s 33rd Senate District now includes Montcalm and Newaygo counties, along with parts of Ionia, Lake, Kent, Muskegon and Ottawa counties.

Thank you for subscribing to my electronic newsletter! I am honored to represent you in the 33rd Senate District of Michigan. 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 33rd District E-news. You may sign up for it also at my website.