Dear Friends,

To better serve the great people of West Michigan, I’m offering this e-newsletter on what’s happening in the 30th Senate District and across our state.

I am active on social media to help keep you updated. You can check out my Facebook page or my new official account on X (formerly known as Twitter).

I encourage you to contact me with any state issues. You can call toll-free at 855-347-8030 or email SenMHuizenga@senate.michigan.gov.  Let me know if I can assist you in any way or if you have an idea to help move our state forward.

Working for you,

Mark Huizenga
State Senator

I want to thank everyone who attended my recent town hall meeting at the Krause Memorial Library in Rockford.

Throughout the event, I discussed supporting our students and teachers, funding our roads without raising taxes, creating a fiscally responsible budget, and my PFAS testing legislation that is currently in the works.

The forum provided me with the opportunity to answer questions that were provided online or by attendees at the event.

Though we may not always agree, I appreciate the opportunity to meet with my constituents and discuss the important issues facing our state.

I encourage anyone who was unable to attend the town hall to share their thoughts about what our state is doing or should be doing by contacting my office at SenatorMarkHuizenga.com/contact.

March is Reading Month, a time to celebrate the importance of reading. Each year, I visit several different schools throughout the district, reading to the kids and sharing the importance of reading.

Over the past two weeks, I had the pleasure of reading a funny story about a duck who is tired of farm life and runs for public office to students at Parkside Elementary School, and a story about a sloth that hangs upside down from the branches and is known for being very slow to kids at Walker Charter Academy.

While at Parkside Elementary School, I asked the kids various questions about the state of Michigan. One question was, “What is the official children’s book of Michigan?” A very smart student was the first to answer correctly with “The Legend of Sleeping Bear Dunes.” As a prize, she received a special Michigan challenge coin.

The construction and closure of the Fruit Ridge bridge will begin this Friday, March 28.

The project will be very active until completion in mid-November.

The new bridge will not only benefit the residents of Walker but everyone traveling in and through the area.

The state House recently passed bipartisan legislation that outlines a long-term funding solution for fixing Michigan roads.

The package would provide $3.1 billion for Michigan’s roads — without raising taxes. Instead, the plan eliminates funds from corporate welfare programs like MEGA and SOAR and cuts wasteful spending.

The nine-bill road funding package now moves to the Senate for consideration.

Congratulations to the Community Spay Neuter Initiative Partnership (CSNIP) on the expansion into their new location in Walker.

CSNIP is a wonderful organization that provides spaying, neutering, and other pet health care at low costs to owners. This new 12,000-square-foot facility will provide the organization with more space to serve the community and our furry family members.

My office was honored to present a special tribute to CSNIP to congratulate and thank them for being a valued member of the community.

Beginning May 7, all U.S. passengers will need REAL ID-compliant documents to board federally regulated commercial aircraft or enter certain federal facilities and U.S. military bases.

REAL ID is part of a law passed by Congress in 2005 to establish minimum security standards for state and federally issued identification in the years following the attacks of 9/11. The deadline has been postponed multiple times due to COVID-19 and other factors.

A state-issued driver’s license or ID can be converted to a REAL ID at any time by visiting a secretary of state office and providing the following documents:

Please visit this link for more information about REAL ID, FAQs or to schedule an appointment.

Michigan’s updated car seat law goes into effect April 2. The new law makes changes to car seat use based on height, weight, and age. The new law requires

The agriculture industry is a critical driver of Michigan’s economy. Michigan farms employ more than 800,000 people and contribute over $100 billion to the state’s economy. Nearly all Michigan farms — 99% — are family-owned.

March is Michigan Food and Agriculture Month, an annual celebration of Michigan agriculture’s importance to our economy. It’s a great time to show support for Michigan’s hardworking farmers and their families, who help keep our grocery store shelves stocked.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has confirmed detections of the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid in 11 counties.

The hemlock woolly adelgid is a small insect that extracts sap from eastern hemlock trees, weakening the needles and branches. Left untreated, infected trees die within four to 10 years. The insect appears as small, round, white, cotton-like masses on the undersides of hemlock branches. They are most visible from November through July but are present year-round. The hemlock woolly adelgid infests only eastern hemlock trees, not pines nor spruces.

For help identifying the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid or eastern hemlock trees, watch the short video Hemlock Woolly Adelgid: Invasive Species in Michigan. To report suspected infestations, email MDARD at MDA-info@michigan.gov or call the Customer Service Center at 800-292-3939.

The 2025-26 ORV season begins April 1 and runs through March 31, 2026.

In Michigan, an ORV license is required to ride on eligible roads and public lands. A trail permit is also needed for state-designated trails and scramble areas.

Licenses and permits are valid for one year and grant access to 4,000 miles of trails. ORV licenses and trail permits can be purchased:

Fees generated through ORV licenses and trail permits are reinvested into the ORV system. These funds help support trail expansion, grants for annual trail grooming, infrastructure improvements and law enforcement.

Serving the people of West Michigan is very important to me and I encourage you to contact me with any state issues. You may contact me by calling toll-free 1-855-347-8030 or emailing SenMHuizenga@senate.michigan.gov.

I look forward to serving you, and I encourage you to contact me if I can assist you in any way or if you have an idea to help move our state forward.