Dear Friends and Neighbors,

During the last week of June, in the early hours of Thursday morning, Democrats rammed a partisan, pork-filled budget through the Legislature. My Senate Republican colleagues and I were clear from the beginning of this process — we would not support a spending plan based on more debt and higher taxes. Yet, this is precisely what was put before us.

One year ago, Democrats used their newfound majority to squander the state’s $9 billion surplus, and this year, they have chosen to plow forward with unsustainable overspending that relies on raiding $670 million from the teacher retirement fund and a $700 million income tax hike on hardworking Michiganders.

Our fundamental beliefs — leaving more resources for families and small businesses, expanding freedom, and encouraging hard work and investment — are the cornerstones of a healthy economy. We know that money is better spent by families putting food on their tables and clothing for their kids than it is growing the size of state government.

The Democrats’ spending spree, financed on the backs of hardworking Michiganders, has quickly become a runaway train jumping off the tracks of fiscal responsibility. Last year, it cost taxpayers a historic budget surplus. This year, it has run down K-12 education — for the first time in over a decade, Michigan’s classrooms will not receive an increase in per-pupil funding and investments in school safety, and student mental health will be slashed by 92%. These cuts are tragic and unnecessary.

The type of irresponsible shell-game budgeting that we have seen from the Democrat majority is not just putting the state in a bad spot this year, but it is also setting us up to be billions in the hole for years to come — racking up debt, taking money out of classrooms, and sticking future generations with the bill. This budget is a recipe for financial hardship, not a plan for prosperity.

Should you have any questions or concerns about the Legislature or state government, please do not hesitate to contact my office by calling 517-373-0793 or by going to SenatorAricNesbitt.com. You can also stay up to date with what I am doing in Lansing by following me on Facebook, or on X, fomerly known as Twitter. I look forward to listening and learning about your priorities and concerns for our state.

Blessings,

Aric Nesbitt
State Senator
District 20

Recently, Senate Republicans introduced legislation to help property owners more easily remove trespassing squatters. Sadly, squatting is becoming a serious problem across our country as the failures of “Bidenomics” continue to drive up the costs of living and more people find themselves in desperate situations. We have already seen local news reports of lengthy squatter battles happening across our state. From residents resorting to squatting in grocery stores to drug-using criminals occupying a southwest Michigan home, we must ensure that our homeowners have access to law enforcement and timely recourse against these offenders.

Law-abiding taxpayers should not have to battle through unnecessary red tape and legal hurdles to remove squatting criminals from their private property. Squatting is a crime in Michigan; however, our laws also force homeowners to undergo an overly burdensome bureaucratic process before unwanted occupants can be removed from their property by law enforcement.

Squatting criminals should not have more legal protections than law-abiding homeowners. The Legislature should ensure the rights of Michigan property owners are protected as this crime grows in popularity and trespassers grow bolder.

Senate Bill 909, co-sponsored by Sen. Nesbitt, would allow property owners to file a complaint with their local county sheriff to order the immediate removal of unlawful squatters. It was referred to the Senate Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety for further consideration.

As the new school fiscal year rapidly approaches, Lansing Democrats have pushed forward with a state budget built on the absurd idea of raiding the teacher pension fund for special projects and giving millions of tax dollars to multinational corporations. They have voted to irresponsibly raid the teacher pension — the total unfunded liabilities are well over $30 billion, and we need to continue on schedule to pay off this debt.

Sen. Nesbitt firmly believes that we must continue to wisely and responsibly invest in our schools and our students while paying down this long-term debt. During his time in the Senate, we have seen a 50% increase in the school aid fund to a total well over $21 billion. We owe it to the next generation to ensure that they are not only prepared for the future, but also not saddled with the burdens of past short-sightedness.

We could have protected teacher retirements by paying down pension fund debt by an additional $670 million and invested $600 million more directly into classrooms by reducing schools’ fund contribution rate as education groups called for. But Democrats refused to abandon their latest corporate welfare scheme. Senate Republicans remain ready and willing to put classrooms over corporations and invest tax dollars into improving Michigan’s woeful educational outcomes rather than the stock dividends of Fortune 500 companies.

Call it what you will—SOAR, MEGA, “Make it in Michigan” — legislative Democrats are dead-set on their corporate welfare agenda. Despite Republican efforts to redirect funding toward long-term investments in infrastructure, tax relief, and higher-performing schools, the Democrat majority continues to shovel money toward corporate welfare slush funds over Michigan families and small businesses. Their agenda seeks to funnel billions toward bloated, multinational corporations and leave our next generation responsible for the impact. Many years of work balancing our budget and getting our state debt-free by 2038 are once again on the line, and the priorities of the majority are threatening the financial future of our state.

In the past, our governor has abused the executive office and irresponsibly bonded funding to “fix the d*** roads,” succeeding only in raising construction costs and saddling future generations with debt. A $9 billion budget surplus was already squandered on swimming pools, pickleball courts, and electric school buses. What’s next? Swiping the state’s credit card for corporate welfare handouts to massive, international corporations? Billions of dollars have already been added to our state debt, and our children and grandchildren are on the hook.

Hardworking Michigan taxpayers are struggling under the burdens of “Bidenflation” and we had a legitimate opportunity to provide relief in the form of lower taxes and a stronger economy. Corporate welfare slush funds and handouts to foreign companies are clearly not the way forward, and Sen. Nesbitt will continue to lead his colleagues in the fight for responsible, balanced budgets that provide relief to Michiganders, invest in infrastructure and pay down debt.

To combat the effects of Biden’s open border crisis, Senate Republicans want to eliminate sanctuary cities and crack down on those who smuggle fentanyl into our communities.