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 or Instagram 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

After the House moved quickly to pass bipartisan legislation to address the tipped wage issue, my Republican colleagues and I called on Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks to take immediate action on House Bills 4001 and 4002.

A Michigan Supreme Court ruling mandated changes to minimum wage laws and the tipped credit system relied upon by hospitality employees. These changes are scheduled to take effect on Feb. 21 and will have devastating impacts on small business owners and their employees.

HBs 4001-4002 seek to remedy these concerns by maintaining the current 38% tip credit while moving toward a higher minimum wage year over year. They also introduce more flexibility for earned paid sick leave to better reflect the needs of Michigan workers.

Everyone in the Legislature has heard from people in the industry who are concerned about what these new regulations will mean for them. Workers and small business owners have repeatedly asked their legislators to intervene, warning of the consequences these changes will have on their livelihoods.

For months, these people have been strung along with hope that something will be done — they have bills to pay and families to care for, and the willingness of legislative leadership to kick the can down the road and ignore the issue is a slap in the face to the people who genuinely asked for help and for their legislators to do their job.

The letter urges Democratic leadership in the Senate to take up the issue and give us the opportunity to do the job we were elected to do. Our window to take action is closing, and this has already taken too long. The clock is ticking — Republicans in the Senate are ready to vote; we just need to get leadership on board.

I again joined area legislators calling on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to schedule a special election to fill a seat left vacant after former state Sen. Kristen McDonald-Rivet was elected to Congress.

The core principle of our government is representation within our elected bodies. I understand it takes time to outline the logistics and costs of a special election, but the governor knew this was coming and has had months to fulfill her duty to ensure residents of the 35th Senate District are represented in Lansing.

The governor quickly scheduled two special elections when the Democratic majority was weakened after two state House of Representatives members were elected to local office in 2023. There was a sense of urgency to fill those two seats, which I commend, but her lack of action this time around feeds the assumption that those special elections were a priority because of the threat the two vacant seats posed to the Democratic majority at the time versus ensuring people were adequately represented in their government.

If the governor can spare some time from her book tour, I am once again calling on her to do her job and get this special election scheduled.

During her “Road Ahead Address” at the Detroit Auto Show, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called for higher taxes and even more money for corporate welfare — showing just how out of touch she and Lansing Democrats are with the struggles of Michiganders.

After blowing through a record $9 billion budget surplus on things like pickleball courts and swimming pools, the governor now says she must raise taxes to fix our roads. She has also handed out over $1 billion of taxpayer dollars to wealthy corporations, with little to show for it.

Many Michigan families are already struggling to make ends meet, and we should not be burdening them with even higher taxes. The governor calling for even more corporate welfare is an irresponsible use of your hard-earned money.

Hosting office hours is a great way to meet with local residents and hear concerns about state government or to request assistance with a state issue. My next office hour meeting will be held jointly with Rep. Neyer on Monday, Feb. 3 in Mount Pleasant.

I will join Rep. Neyer to answer questions and provide information and assistance with state issues, as well as take suggestions on issues affecting communities and businesses in the district.

The office hour event will take place at the following date, time, and location:

Monday, Feb. 3
10 – 11 a.m.
Veterans Memorial Library, Founders Room
301 S. University Ave.
Mt. Pleasant

Office hours are open to all residents. No appointment is necessary. If you are unable to make it to the office hour meeting, please feel free to contact my office via email at SenRHauck@senate.michigan.gov or by calling 517-373-1760.

I look forward to seeing you there!

The snow may be falling today, but the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is already planning ahead for summer. Managers for Michigan’s state parks, boating facilities, and outdoor spaces are looking to fill 1,300 summer jobs. Roles include greeting visitors, answering questions, registering campers, cleaning park buildings, mowing grass, maintaining trails, and more.

These short-term summer positions are perfect for those looking to start a career in natural resources, stay active in retirement or simply enjoy the outdoors during the summer. Many DNR employees started their careers as summer park workers and have since transitioned to fulfilling roles as rangers, park supervisors, accountant assistants and trail coordinators.

The first steps are to express interest, share your contact information and identify the Michigan state park where you would like to work. The hourly rate is $15.25, and schedules are flexible.

Michigan ranks second in the nation for the number of ski areas and resorts, offering everything from family-friendly learning areas and high-speed chairlifts to powdery slopes and the tallest vertical drop in the Midwest. There’s no better place to experience winter than in Michigan. Winter adventures can be found on more than 6,500 miles of snowmobile trails, 3,000 miles of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails, and in more than 100 state parks and recreation areas.