Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Welcome to the latest edition of my e-newsletter!

Below, you’ll find an update on what’s happening in your state Capitol and some additional resources I hope you find helpful. For more frequent updates on what's happening in Michigan and the state Legislature, please visit my Facebook, Instagram, and X pages.

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 34th Senate District.

Sincerely,

Roger Hauck
State Senator
34th Senate District

The Michigan Senate recently approved my legislation to support Michigan beer producers, distributors and retailers.

These comprehensive and long-overdue updates to our liquor regulations will help support thousands of local jobs and improve the system for everyone — from local microbrewers to mom-and-pop retail stores. These changes are especially good for Michigan consumers and our economy.

This is all about supporting Michigan’s craft beer industry, which accounts for more than $140 million in wages and has an economic impact of over $600 million in our state. I have worked on these reforms for years, and this package would protect wholesalers from bounced payments and give producers greater flexibility to offer a larger variety of products.

Senate Bill 512 would make numerous updates to the Liquor Control Code, including changing the definition of beer to include both alcoholic and nonalcoholic products. The bill also includes reforms from SB 731 of 2024, which I sponsored last year, to address insufficient funds paid to wholesalers and license revocation.

My legislation, SB 513, seeks to ensure that a distributor retains exclusive rights to distribute products they have promoted and invested in while allowing producers flexibility to establish their own distribution agreements.

Firewood from select state-managed land in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula can be collected for personal use with a $20 fuelwood permit. Wood must come from already dead and downed trees within 200 feet of the road. Permit holders may gather up to five standard cords of wood, a stack measuring 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet. The limit is raised to 10 cords in the 12-county area affected by the severe ice storm in March.

Fuelwood permits are valid through Dec. 31 and can be purchased online at mdnr-elicense.com, in person at DNR customer service centers, or by mailing this application to the DNR office that manages the state forest land where you plan to collect wood.

Keep these guidelines in mind when collecting fuelwood from state-managed land:

For more information on fuelwood permits and a list of frequently asked questions, visit Michigan.gov/Fuelwood.

Michigan is home to an estimated 11,000 bears in the Upper Peninsula and 1,700 bears in the Lower Peninsula. As winter approaches, black bears will be looking for a suitable den.

To be sure they do not choose your house as their cozy hideaway, walk around your property and seal small openings, secure crawl spaces and block potential entry points. For vacation homes, lock all ground-level and accessible windows and doors, including any that could be reached by climbing a tree, staircase or support post.

For more ideas and tips on how to scare bears away from your property, BearWise, a partner of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, offers this fact sheet.

Nineteen Michigan Department of Corrections facilities maintained and harvested gardens this year, providing 116,455 pounds of fresh produce to food pantries, residential care facilities, churches and community organizations.

The MDOC operates two career and technical education vocational programs in horticulture, while 17 facilities operate recreational gardens tended by inmates. The produce grown through these programs is donated or sold to raise funds for various charities across the state.

The programs also teach certifiable skills, including the fundamentals of plant science, soils, nutrition, propagation and pest management.

Nonprofits and pantries interested in partnering with MDOC for the 2026 harvesting season can contact MDOC Public Information Officer Jenni Riehle.

There are still a few weeks left to enter the 2025 Pure Michigan Hunt. For just $5, applicants receive a chance to win an incredible prize package, along with hunting licenses for elk, bear, spring and fall turkey, antlerless deer, and first pick at a managed waterfowl hunting area for a reserved hunt. Entries for the prize package can even be purchased as a gift for another hunter. Each $5 entry supports Michigan’s wildlife habitat restoration and management efforts.

Applications for the 2025 prize package are available through Dec. 31. In January, three winners will be randomly selected. After the 2025 winners are announced, entries for the 2026 prize package will go on sale.

Did you know that most snowplow-passenger vehicle crashes occur when passenger vehicles hit plows from behind or while attempting to pass them?

Snowplows are considered authorized vehicles under the Michigan Move Over Law, which means vehicles must move over, if possible, and slow to 10 mph below the posted speed. A new 2024 law also requires drivers to stay 200 feet behind a moving snowplow unless they are passing and at least 20 feet behind one stopped at an intersection. It is illegal to pass a snowplow on the right, but drivers can pass on the left when using extreme caution.

Drivers can use MDOT’s snowplow tracker to see where plows are operating and view road conditions through MDOT’s in-truck camera network.