Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Welcome to the latest edition of my e-newsletter.

Below you’ll find an update on what is going on in your state Capitol.

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 17th Senate District.

In Liberty,

Jonathan Lindsey
State Senator
17th District

The Michigan House of Representatives Committee on Health Policy recently took testimony on my legislation aimed at improving transparency surrounding medical costs in Michigan.

Health care is in need of a major overhaul. Michigan families are paying a premium for care and often face financial burden and unnecessary barriers when it comes to getting the care they and their families need. In short, prices are increasing while outcomes are decreasing.

My bill, Senate Bill 95, entitled the Hospital Price Transparency Act, would prohibit hospitals from collecting debts if they do not comply with price transparency laws. It would also require hospitals to publicly disclose the costs of their treatments and operations.

Pricing transparency is essential to reining in out-of-control costs. Prices for medical procedures, medications and services should be available to patients, including thorough and easy-to-understand explanations of potential charges, with no hidden fees or surprise costs. Opening the market and allowing patients to explore various options will both improve transparency and help lower costs.

Simply put: People deserve to know what they are being charged for and what options are available. This information is crucial when making decisions regarding medical care.

After receiving significant bipartisan support in the Senate, I am working with my colleagues in the House to get this bill passed. Many of my colleagues recognize that improving transparency in health care is essential for enhancing health outcomes.

This has been a top priority of mine since being elected, and I look forward to working with my House colleagues to swiftly pass this legislation.

I invite you to view testimony from both the Senate and House committees.

The Michigan Senate recently approved my legislation to enable county-level grant funding for surveys and monumentation of the Michigan-Indiana border.

The original border was last surveyed by Congress in the 1800s, prior to Michigan being recognized as a state. Markers were placed when the initial survey was completed, and the two states had clearly distinguished territories. However, many of these markers have been lost to time, causing the original survey lines to become blurred.

Various legal issues, property disputes, Great Lakes preservation responsibilities and even traffic enforcement have been complicated by the unclear state lines and jurisdictions. Both Michigan and Indiana have been working on completing the survey, but unexpected issues have delayed the process.

Legislation was passed and signed into law in 2022 to outline Michigan’s responsibilities in the updated survey process and provide funding to complete the joint effort between the two states. However, issues with securing surveying companies became an unexpected hurdle that caused further delay in completing the project.

My bill, Senate Bill 595, would extend the timeline to complete the survey and prevent years of work from being lost. The bill would also amend the 2022 law to allow counties to individually survey the border due to the difficulty securing a survey company for the entire project.

Counties are capable and ready to take this on, and we have the funding available that would allow them to do so. This is a minor amendment to the initial effort that will help get this project across the finish line.

The number of Michigan hunters and anglers has declined from previous generations, and instead of supporting these traditions, the Senate recently voted to increase fees for 20 Michigan hunting and fishing licenses.

Most of these fee increases are between 20% and 50%. Under this proposal, the cost of a hunting and fishing combination license would rise by 33%, a base hunting license would increase by 50%, and an annual all-species fishing license would go up by 20%.

Only in government would raising taxes on an activity to encourage more people to participate be considered a viable solution.

I voted no on these bills because the real solution is lowering costs and eliminating barriers to encourage participation, not raising fees and creating more government programs.

The DNR should do more to efficiently use the funding it is already getting or look at ways to increase hunting and fishing participation outside of simply charging people more money.

To hear my no vote explanation on the Senate floor, click here or on the video below.

I strongly oppose the newly adopted health standards by the State Board of Education that include sexual topics and concepts.

While schools are bogged down in bureaucracy and student outcomes across the state are among the bottom 10 states nationally, the State Board of Education chose instead to focus on blurring the lines between health and sex education by attempting to include overtly sexual topics as part of the health class standards.

After widespread pushback from parents across the state, the State Board of Education pushed forward and adopted changes that would blend sex education topics with traditional health education lesson plans, while health classes are a requirement for graduation. The new standards highlight items like gender ideology, gender expression, sexual orientation and same-sex attraction, while normalizing sexual promiscuity. These could be taught to students as young as sixth grade.

This is a clear end run around the law and the safeguards originally included by the Legislature to protect parents’ right to decide the moral direction of their child’s education.

I strongly oppose these new standards and am sorely disappointed in the board’s decision to push forward with this radical agenda. Health class should focus on teaching healthy habits and lifestyles, not normalizing sexual perversions or teaching young students about gender ideology and sexual orientation — especially in what appears to be an attempt to blur parental involvement in decisions about such topics.

Local school districts are not required to adopt the proposed changes to the health class standards, and I encourage parents to speak with their local school boards and continue this fight at the local level.

Speaking with residents about important issues that affect them, our communities and our state is one of the most important parts of my job as your state senator.

My office recently scheduled the latest installment of my Coffee and Conversation meetings for Monday, Dec. 8. The meeting will take place from noon to 1 p.m. at Mocha Town in Coldwater.

I will provide an update on legislative activity and be available to answer questions, provide information and assistance, and take suggestions on issues affecting families, businesses and communities in the district.

No appointment is necessary to attend. For more information, or if you are unable to attend the office hour meeting, please feel free to contact my office at 517-373-3543.

The 17th state Senate District includes Branch, Cass, and St. Joseph counties, along with parts of Berrien, Calhoun, Jackson and Hillsdale counties.