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.

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

A major overhaul of Michigan’s energy policy was recently rammed through the Legislature by Democrats along party lines. The changes would make energy in our state less reliable and much more expensive — even though Michigan’s power outage rate is double the national average and energy rates are among the highest in the nation.

Senate Bills 271, 273 and 502 would set an unrealistic target for a 100% clean energy mandate by 2040.

In 2016, the Legislature passed bipartisan energy legislation that established goals to increase the use of renewables as part of our energy production. Clean energy has and will continue to have bipartisan support when paired with other proven and reliable energy sources that won’t increase costs for families.

In a recent vote, the Democrat-led Senate took the recently passed energy reforms a step further and stripped local governments of their zoning authority regarding solar and wind farms and placed the decision-making authority for such projects in the hands of unelected bureaucrats in Lansing.

A majority of the lawmakers who voted to quickly move these bills through the Legislature will never see solar farms or wind turbines in their community. It will be our communities that will be forced to bear the brunt of these mandates.

The authors of these extreme overhauls knew people wouldn’t want land in their communities packed with wind and solar farms, so they removed their ability to say “we don’t want this.” The state now has the final say and the only authority that local governments will maintain after the bills that passed yesterday is the ability to do what the state wants them to do.

These bills bring the heavy hand of state government into city and township halls across the state and are the embodiment of “not in my backyard, not my problem.” I do not support this drastic overreach and voted no on both bills.

In 2022, Michigan voters approved Proposal 1 to increase transparency in state government.

Michigan is currently one of only two states that does not require financial disclosure to ensure legislators are not benefiting from their work at the Capitol.

A four-bill package, Senate Bills 613-616, has passed both chambers of the Legislature with bipartisan support.

Together, the bills would improve transparency by requiring certain elected officials and candidates for public office to disclose their sources of earned income and a description of assets. The bills also would require candidates and officeholders to disclose their spouse’s occupation and employer, including their status as a registered lobbyist.

On Nov. 11, our nation will pause to pay tribute to all American veterans and offer our gratitude to those who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.

In 1918, during World War I, an armistice, or temporary interruption of fighting, was declared between the Allies and Germany on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Armistice Day was commemorated in many countries the following year and declared a federal holiday in the U.S. in 1938. In the years following World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became known as Veterans Day.

My staff and I are truly grateful to each person who has chosen to protect our freedoms through serving in our military. I am pleased to offer a publication, Veterans Benefits and Services to anyone who requests it. This useful booklet explains how to obtain veteran benefits and services from federal, state and local agencies. Subjects range from acquiring a home mortgage, education, employment, insurance for medical treatments and death benefits. Please contact my office for a print copy or visit my website to view it online.

The Department of Treasury has announced a total of $2.5 million in grant funding available for cities, villages, and townships that are struggling financially. These funds will help municipalities fund special projects and free up revenues for important local services for the 2024 fiscal year.

The Financially Distressed Cities, Villages, and Townships Grant Program helps eligible localities pay for specific projects or services that move a community toward financial stability. Preference is given to applications from municipalities that meet one or more of the following criteria:

A total of $2.5 million in funding is available for Treasury to award through the grant program for the 2024 fiscal year.

Grant applications must be submitted to the state treasury department by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 8.

Visit Michigan.gov/RevenueSharing for more information and to download an application.

A 4-year-old doe in Klacking Township, Ogemaw County, recently tested positive for chronic wasting disease.

CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects white-tailed deer, elk and moose. To date, the disease also has been detected in the following Michigan counties: Clinton, Dickinson, Eaton, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kent, Midland and Montcalm.

Since CWD was first detected in 2015, over 103,000 deer have been tested for CWD in Michigan. There have been over 137,000 wild deer tested in total. The Ogemaw County deer is the department’s 251st positive animal.

Each year, the DNR selects a different group of counties for testing. This year, testing will focus on the northwestern Lower Peninsula and a few counties in other areas where additional herd information is still needed. The focal counties for 2023 CWD testing include Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Hillsdale, Isabella, Kalkaska, Lake, Leelanau, Manistee, Missaukee, Osceola and Wexford. These counties will have CWD testing drop boxes, staffed submission sites, and partner processors and taxidermists to assist with collection efforts.

In the rest of the state, testing is available through direct submission by hunters to a cooperating approved U.S. Department of Agriculture diagnostic laboratory for a fee or through free self-sample shipping kits in counties where CWD has previously been detected.

Proper disposal of a deer carcass is critical to prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease. Deer carcasses should go directly to a landfill or be disposed of through your regular trash pickup to be taken to a landfill. Deer harvested from known CWD areas should never be disposed of on the landscape in non-CWD areas.

For more information on chronic wasting disease, visit Michigan.gov/CWD.

Hunting has been a tradition for many Michigan families for generations. Our state offers vast opportunities for hunters, who play an important role in wildlife conservation and management while contributing roughly $11 billion to the state’s economy and supporting 171,000 of Michigan jobs.

Last year, over 586,000 deer hunters harvested more than 300,000 deer. With deer firearm season opening soon, I wanted to pass along some useful information. Hunting digests, including the 2023 edition of the Michigan General Hunting Digest from the Department of Natural Resources, feature all current state rules and regulations. It is one of several digests available online and that can be downloaded to a smartphone or other personal device for use in the field.

I urge all hunters to keep safety in mind. Most hunting-associated injuries and casualties are preventable. Please follow gun safety rules like wearing “hunter’s orange” and never mixing hunting with drinking alcohol. Good luck!