Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Welcome to the latest edition of my e-newsletter.

Below you’ll find a legislative update along with some additional resources I hope you find helpful.

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

The Democrat majorities in the House and Senate recently voted to end the legislative session early, leaving unfinished work behind and taking the first step to initiate a self-serving goal of moving up Michigan’s presidential primary to support the federal ambitions of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

When you are an employee, you are expected to show up for work — this should hold especially true for elected officials who serve as the voice for their constituents in state government. Instead, Democrats voted to take the rest of the year off while still receiving their compensation from Michigan taxpayers.

After months of destructive policies that prevented people from seeing helpful tax relief, paid back union bosses through a series of legislative measures, promoted our state as a safe haven for no-questions-asked, anytime, anywhere abortions, and spent our record-high savings account, they’ve now chosen to abrogate their duty to those who elected them — all to benefit Democrat election goals and to initiate previously passed legislation that grossly violates the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.

I voted no on the resolution to adjourn early because there is more urgent work to be done if we want to get Michigan back on the right track.

The Democrat-controlled Senate recently passed radical legislation removing critical health safeguards and regulations regarding abortion clinics.

For decades, abortion advocates hammered home their talking point that legalized abortion is necessary to protect women who chose this path from the clandestine dangers of the black market, back-alley abortions they would have had to seek out before Roe. It is appalling to see the same abortion advocates who once decried the dangers of the back-alley underground abortion economy now seek its unlimited return.

The bills would remove licensing and inspection requirements for abortion providing facilities. No other medical or surgical providers are exempt from these oversights. Unfortunately, we may never know the full extent of these new dangers because under these same bills, abortion providers will no longer need to report anything that happens inside their closed doors. These newly unregulated facilities would no longer be expected to report abortion data to the state health department or file reports if patients suffer complications or die from a botched procedure.

When voters approved Proposal 3, they did not vote to remove licensing requirements from abortion clinics. They did not vote to repeal 24-hour waiting periods and informed consent protections. They did not approve eliminating screening protocols to determine whether a woman is being coerced into having the abortion — or is in potential danger of domestic violence. They did not vote for abortion on demand, anywhere, at any time, with none of the oversight or commonsense safety protections that exist in every other medical field in the state.

This bill package puts abortion industry profits ahead of patient safety and hides this industry in the dark, immune from public oversight and transparency. It is a green light to reopen clandestine back-alley abortion clinics to prey on vulnerable women. It is wrong, and I voted against this grotesque legislation.

I recently authored a column in The Detroit News offering a comprehensive look at how we can keep Michigan competitive, attract more people and talent to our state and allow residents and businesses to thrive.

The tax-and-spend methodology has not yielded desirable results by most metrics, including economic success, business growth, educational standards, and population loss, among others.

We need to use data-driven methods that have shown success in other states to turn Michigan around — liberty, economic and educational opportunities, and low taxes.

You can read my complete column on my website.

I recently led an effort with Rep. Gina Johnsen to uphold and secure the Second Amendment rights of all Michiganders.

Rep. Johnsen and I introduced two bills, Senate Bill 584 and House Bill 5132, that would make Michigan a Second Amendment sanctuary state. If passed and signed into law, this proposal would prohibit the enforcement of federal gun control measures that violate the Second Amendment rights of Michigan residents.

The Second Amendment has been an instrumental part of American history and is crucial to upholding the liberties we have as Americans. Unfortunately, “shall not be infringed” means little to the radical lawmakers who continue to chip away at essential rights granted by the U.S. Constitution.

The Legislature, under Democratic leadership, has rushed through expanded background checks, red flag laws that disregard the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens, and other efforts that drastically affect lawful gun ownership.

I also spearheaded legislation that would make Michigan a constitutional carry state. My bill in the package would repeal the requirement for military members to obtain a concealed pistol license to carry a firearm.

I am always proud to stand up for the Second Amendment. Now, more than ever, we need bold action to preserve our rights.

After weeks of delay, the state Senate gave final approval to a number of bills aimed at overhauling Michigan’s energy policy with overreaching “Green New Deal” mandates.

The plan being pushed by Lansing Democrats, modeled after the failed California-style Green New Deal, would leave Michigan residents with less reliable energy at a much higher cost. Their proposals are nothing more than government mandates that will raise the cost of doing business in Michigan, and ultimately, pass the increases on to the shoulders of utility customers — who already pay the highest energy rates in the Midwest.

As if these extreme reforms didn’t go far enough, the Senate subsequently approved another partisan push to strip local decision-making regarding wind and solar developments and give the power to make those decisions to unelected Lansing bureaucrats.

A majority of the lawmakers who voted to ram this legislation through will never see solar or wind farms in their community — that burden will be borne by rural Michigan, like communities in the 17th Senate District.

Instead of these drastic, agenda-driven reforms, we should instead be focused on developing an energy strategy that focuses on reliable, secure energy and storage. A strong and secure energy grid that is consistent in providing power for residents must be maintained over the long term and should be made up of various sources, including natural gas and propane.

These bills are bad for Michigan and do not include comprehensive solutions that benefit the people who entrusted us to do this job. They only satisfy a radical agenda instead of solving, or even addressing the need for improved reliability and lower costs — all while sticking taxpayers with the bill.

With the passage of Proposal 1 of 2022, voters made their voices clear that they expect a more open and transparent state government. However, what we saw passed by the Senate did not live up to these expectations and I believe were ultimately a disservice to this state.

In November 2022, Michigan voters approved Proposal 1 with over 66% of the vote. The constitutional amendment included language to require statewide officeholders and members of the Legislature to file an annual financial disclosure report with the state. Senate Bills 613-616 would implement Proposal 1’s financial disclosure section by requiring the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, members of the Legislature, candidates for those offices — and spouses in limited instances — to disclose certain financial information every year.

I think the people of Michigan were misled about the true intentions of Proposal 1, and these bills took advantage of that with this package that dramatically underdelivers the transparency that voters thought they were getting.

I voted no on these proposals and encouraged my Senate colleagues to go back to the drawing table and craft comprehensive, meaningful legislation to open the doors on Michigan government — and not adjourn for the year until this job is done. However, Senate Democrats instead voted to adjourn early for the year without taking up any additional reforms.

You can view my remarks on the Senate floor here.

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