Dear Neighbors,

Welcome to this month’s edition of my e-newsletter. I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to tackle the tough issues that will help lower the cost of living, help families get ahead, and build a brighter future for all who call Michigan home.

As always, I welcome your feedback on current issues facing Michigan or the Greater Rochester Area, Troy, Sterling Heights, and Utica communities. Constituent feedback is vital as I represent our communities in Lansing. If you are experiencing a problem with one of our state government agencies, my office is always available to assist with finding a solution. I respect your opinion and will always do my best to make myself available and accessible to you.

Please take a moment to visit my website, like my official Facebook page, send me an email or call my office at 517-373-0994. If you have any questions, concerns or opinions on what is happening, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Michael Webber
State Senator
9th District

Just one year after squandering the state’s $9 billion budget surplus, Senate Democrats passed a fiscal year 2025 budget proposal that includes a $700 million income tax hike, a $670 million raid on the teacher pension fund and a 1,200% tax increase on trash.

Michigan taxpayers are struggling under crushing inflation and rising homeownership costs. This budget does not help solve those problems. Instead, it creates new programs and bureaucracies and sends hundreds of millions of your tax dollars to profitable multinational corporations.

I offered two amendments to the appropriations bill for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to increase security funding and provide for more legislative oversight of Michigan’s psychiatric hospitals. A growing pattern of concerning events surrounding in-patient psychiatric care for minors has recently led to two lawsuits against the state. It has become clear that more oversight and transparency are urgently needed regarding staffing at these facilities. Additionally, department leadership has made it clear that dedicated funding is necessary to enhance security measures.

The first amendment would have mandated discipline reporting requirements to the Legislature regarding MDHHS employees at state psychiatric hospitals. The second would have increased funding for needed security and transparency upgrades — including escape prevention — at state-run psychiatric hospitals. However, despite the glaring need for increased oversight and funding for security upgrades, both of my amendments were defeated by the Democrat majority.

Now that both the House of Representatives and the Senate have passed their initial budget bills, members of each chamber’s appropriation committees will now meet as conference committees to negotiate final budget bills to be voted on later this year. I look forward to doing my part to craft a bipartisan budget plan that reflects for our priorities with our limited taxpayer dollars.

The Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference (CREC) met on May 17 to determine the state’s revenue for fiscal year 2025. The state Treasury Department and both House and Senate fiscal agencies met with economists at the Michigan Capitol.

Experts reported that Michigan’s revenue forecast has increased by $118.1 million since the January conference. The general fund is expected to have $13.95 billion when fiscal year 2024 ends on Sept. 30, a $351.4 million increase from the January estimate. Meanwhile, the School Aid Fund has a forecasted revenue of $17.78 billion, a $163.3 million decrease from January. The decrease in the School Aid Fund estimate was attributed to falling sales tax revenues in Michigan.

This is important information for the Legislature and governor as we head into final fiscal year 2025 budget negotiations.

Sen. John Damoose, R-Harbor Springs, and I recently introduced Senate Bills 885 and 886. These bills seek to exempt parts and materials used to maintain and repair large aircraft used for air cargo or passenger transportation from the sales and use tax.

Currently, many other states in the Midwest have similar legislation enacted and Michigan must be on an even playing field to compete with our neighbors. These bills attempt to do just that by adding another tool to improve Michigan’s economic development by helping to attract and retain aerospace companies and employees.

As the co-chair of the bipartisan Aerospace and Defense Caucus in the Michigan Legislature, I have been meeting with stakeholders to find out what we need to do to make our state a desirable location for the aerospace and defense industry. This is one of many ideas that have come out of those discussions. Similar legislation has also been introduced in the state House of Representatives.

On May 23, I hosted U.S. Army Sgt. Jeremy Fick as my guest for the Senate’s 29th Annual Memorial Day Service to honor Michigan’s fallen service members. Sgt. Fick is a board member of the Fallen and Wounded Soldiers Fund.

I introduced legislation to increase opportunities for licensed public health care workers to transfer out-of-state credentials. Our state needs more health care professionals, and we must ensure that bureaucratic red tape is not hindering talented individuals from establishing roots to practice their care in Michigan. Senate Bill 849 would remove overburdensome stumbling blocks and help grow Michigan and this vital workforce.

My bill would call on the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs to publish an annual report on current reciprocity agreements and identify new opportunities to establish reciprocity agreements for occupational credentials established under Michigan’s Public Health Code.

SB 849 is part of a new “Grow MI State” economic development plan that includes legislation to:

Monday, May 27, marked Memorial Day this year — a day set aside to remember the men and women who died in military service to our country. It was an honor to walk and be a part of the Sterling Heights Memorial Day parade to celebrate our residents’ service to our country.

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, was first recognized in the 1860s as a day to remember those who died fighting in the Civil War. As the years passed and the U.S. experienced other major conflicts where military lives were lost, including World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War, and the Korean War, the holiday evolved to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars.

In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May and declared it a federal holiday.

No appointment is necessary to attend. The 9th Senate District includes the cities of Rochester, Rochester Hills, Troy, and Utica, along with parts of Oakland Township, Shelby Township and Sterling Heights.