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

Did you know that you pay sales tax on your electric and heating bill?

Electric and heating are essential household services impacted by government regulation, driving up costs for ratepayers. When the government creates a regulatory environment that makes your utility bills more expensive, it should not benefit from the additional tax revenue that is only attainable through higher electric and heating bills.

That’s why I introduced Senate Bills 986 and 987, which would eliminate the sales tax on utilities like electricity and natural gas. Between gas to get to work and groceries for the family table, you are overpaying for the goods and services you need to live and raise your family.

The government should never be in the position of setting policy that increases the price for goods and services when it directly benefits from the tax revenue obtained through the higher price tag. These bills are an equitable reform that would benefit every single household in the state. I offered these bills to provide families with meaningful tax relief so they can prioritize what matters most to them and their children.

Both bills are awaiting consideration in the Senate Committee on Government Operations.

I recently offered legislation to increase the trade-in value of your vehicle and make it more affordable for people to get a new vehicle.

In Michigan, you cannot apply the full value of a car trade-in to the sales tax. Due to a bizarre taxing scheme in current law, you face a maximum cap of $12,000 when applying the trade-in value of your car against the sales tax of a new vehicle.

This arbitrary limit hurts both consumers and dealerships and serves no purpose beyond gaming Michiganders out of their hard-earned money. A safe and reliable vehicle is essential for families, and current law gets in the way and makes that unobtainable for many. We need to continue fighting to get the government out of the way and out of taxpayers’ pockets and make it easier for people to provide for their families.

Senate Bills 997 and 998 would allow for the total value of a trade-in vehicle to be applied against the sales tax on a new vehicle purchase. These bills are currently before the Committee on Finance, Insurance, and Consumer Protection.

Dairy is Michigan’s top agricultural commodity, contributing $15.7 billion annually to the state’s economy.

Most milk sold in grocery stores comes from Michigan farms and processors. In many cases, milk travels from farm to processor to store within about 48 hours.

Every milk container has a five-digit code showing where it was processed. The first two digits identify the state where the milk was bottled, and Michigan’s code is 26.

Current law in Michigan does not allow for the direct sale of raw milk to consumers. People who want raw milk typically use herd-share agreements, where a consumer buys a share of an animal and receives its milk.

I do not think the current regulatory environment for raw milk retailers is fair for dairy farmers, and I support current legislative efforts to make it easier to buy and sell safe raw milk.

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.

I host regular office hours at rotating locations across the district as a way for us to meet and discuss the priorities you have for your state senator in Lansing, the concerns in your community, and your thoughts on issues impacting our state.

From noon to 1 p.m. this coming Monday, I will be at Broadway Cafe in Cassopolis, 158 S. Broadway. I hope to see you there!

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.

I am here to serve you. If ever I can be of assistance to you, or if you wish to share your thoughts and concerns on matters affecting our state, please contact me at 517-373-3543 or SenJLindsey@senate.michigan.gov. You can also visit my website at SenatorJonathanLindsey.com for the latest on what I’m doing in Lansing.

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