Dear Friends and Neighbors,

As we look to the new year ahead, my focus remains on fighting for hardworking taxpayers, creating an economy that empowers families and small businesses to thrive, and defending our values and constitutional liberties. There are several key priorities where I would like to see a shift away from last year’s radical, partisan agenda toward coming together and finding solutions that will put Michiganders ahead of liberal special interests.

I will fight to empower taxpayers who know how to spend their money far better than the government and oppose the Democrat’s massive tax increases. We should also focus on an all-of-the-above energy strategy that utilizes existing, efficient methods of generation such as natural gas and nuclear, rather than the Democrat’s new plan to increase rates and reduce reliability. Education is another area of concern; our policies should keep parents involved and hold schools accountable, rather than remove accountability standards.

We should support taxpayers by reducing tax burdens on families, individuals, and small businesses. Unfortunately, Lansing Democrats are pushing a $700 million income tax hike in 2024, a new $1 billion-plus payroll tax, and around $100 million in new fees on water. Likewise, instead of wasting taxpayer dollars on growing the size of government, the Legislature should be investing in critical infrastructure and repairing our crumbling roads and bridges.

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 Twitter. I look forward to listening and learning about your priorities and concerns for our state.

Blessings,

Aric Nesbitt
State Senator
District 20

Despite pushback from the left, Michigan scored a major victory for energy reliability when the Michigan Public Service Commission approved the Line 5 tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac last month. Thankfully, the MPSC withstood political pressure from those seeking to appease environmental groups or polish their resumes for higher office and ruling that Line 5 is a critical energy source for Michiganders.

Building a tunnel for Line 5 deep beneath the Straits of Mackinac is a responsible solution to protect Michigan’s lakes and ensure that we avoid catastrophic economic and environmental impacts on our state. Efforts to shut down the pipeline would increase the cost and decrease the safety of transporting oil and gas to and through the Upper Peninsula. As we have seen recently, trucks, ships, and railcars are prone to dangerous accidents that could otherwise be avoided by transporting oil and gas through a pipeline. This bipartisan tunnel project is one of the best and safest ways to ensure Michigan residents can fuel their cars and heat their homes for years to come.

It is vital that we prioritize energy that we can produce here on American soil, supporting American jobs and furthering our national security interests. With our own resources and existing infrastructure, this is something we can directly affect right here in Michigan. Not only does lessening our reliance on foreign resources strengthen our national security, but it also helps grow our economy and lower the cost of living.

Last week, Michigan’s nonpartisan Office of the Auditor General reported the Whitmer administration’s Unemployment Insurance Agency made an estimated $245.1 million in improper payments to deceased people, incarcerated inmates, individuals too young or too old to receive unemployment and the department's own employees between January 2020 and October 2022.

This is another alarming report of gross mismanagement of taxpayer dollars by the Whitmer administration. The governor and her appointed officials have continued to downplay these serious findings and claim they’ve fixed these problems, yet this audit clearly shows the problems continued well beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. All Michiganders should be alarmed that Gov. Whitmer and Lansing Democrats are pushing for even more increases on payroll taxes for workers to fund even more unemployment benefits to be mismanaged by this disastrous agency.

Fixing Michigan’s broken unemployment agency to manage tax dollars appropriately and help people get back to work — and lowering, not increasing, the tax burdens on Michigan workers and small businesses — should be the top bipartisan priorities of the Legislature when it reconvenes in 2024.

The OAG’s audit found the UIA failed to attempt to identify a large share of imposter claims or to recover many payments and penalties. The report revealed the agency continued to issue payments even after discoveries that an individual was dead or in prison, noting the UIA did not identify or act to evaluate whether the payments were appropriate.

This series of audits began in response to a request from Sen. Nesbitt and other legislators. Sen. Nesbitt introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 29 in June 2020, calling for a financial and performance audit of the UIA. It was unanimously approved by the Senate.