Dear Friends and Neighbors,

As we move forward with developing our state budget, we will continue pushing our priorities of tax relief, better roads and infrastructure, strong schools, and paying down debt. Unfortunately, the Democrat majority continues to bulldoze ahead with priorities that will damage the future prosperity of our state. I hope that these issues can be addressed as this process moves forward because if we continue along the current trajectory, I foresee some real serious challenges in Michigan’s future.

Michigan cannot afford to go back to the failed policies of the “Lost Decade” and I will continue leading my Republican colleagues in fighting back against legislation that would take our state in the wrong direction. So far, we have been able to use some of the parliamentary tools at our disposal to hold Democrats accountable, force compromises, and soften the impact of poor policy decisions. It is not an easy task, but we will keep fighting.

Should you have any questions or concerns about the legislature or state government, please do not hesitate to contact my office by calling 517-373-0793 or going to SenatorAricNesbitt.com. You can also stay up to date with what I am doing in Lansing by following me on Facebook, or on Twitter. I look forward to listening and learning about your priorities and concerns for our state. I look forward to listening and learning about your priorities and concerns for our state.

Blessings,
Aric Nesbitt
State Senator
20th District

Appropriation bills were recently passed out of the House and Senate in preparation to create a new budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Senate Republicans proposed more than 170 amendments to these bills — amendments that would increase funding for law enforcement, roads and infrastructure, safer schools, and much more.

Every single amendment was shot down on a party-line basis. Instead of reading scholarships for struggling children, Democrats voted to spend tens of millions on electric school buses. Instead of tax relief from inflation, Democrats voted to spend even more on taxpayer-funded handouts to multinational corporations. Instead of working together to benefit everyone in our state, Democrats toed the party line and ignored the elected voices representing millions in Michigan.

Unfortunately for the people of Michigan, the other side continues steamrolling ahead with their slim majority and opted to blow through a historic budget surplus with no regard for bipartisan concerns and seemingly zero regard for the future prosperity of our great state. Over the past several months, they have talked of working with bipartisan cooperation, yet we were continually side-lined throughout the budget process. This process has been anything but bipartisan.

Michigan residents expect their Legislature to work together to pass a fiscally responsible budget with bipartisan input and support. They need Democrats and Republicans to work together to rebuild aging infrastructure, strengthen law enforcement and school safety, invest in education, provide tax relief from record inflation, and ensure our state remains on sound financial footing. Michigan cannot afford the bloated and less transparent government bureaucracy envisioned in these partisan budgets.

Every May, state economists and fiscal directors hold a conference to estimate state revenues for the upcoming year so that legislators can better prepare a responsible budget. The report revealed working age people are leaving our state, the workforce participation rate is too low, our economy is weak, and family budgets were hit hard by inflation. Now more than ever, it is important that the Legislature put the struggling families of Michigan first as lawmakers continue work on the next state budget.

It is imperative that the state’s remaining surplus is responsibly used to provide meaningful tax relief for all Michiganders who are working harder to make ends meet against record inflation. Additionally, the Legislature must properly fund shared priorities such as rebuilding aging infrastructure, strengthening law enforcement, making schools safer, and investing in education. Likewise, a responsible budget should pay down the state’s debts and save for a rainy day in order to get our fiscal house in order.

Those who still wish to drain this historic surplus for the purposes of growing the size of government bureaucracy must put their dangerous dreams on the shelf. Rather, the Legislature must focus on putting the future economic prosperity of Michigan and its residents first. Michigan families and small businesses simply cannot afford to go back to the disastrous fiscal policies of the “Lost Decade.”

Recently, the Democrat-controlled House and Senate approved $715 million in taxpayer funded incentives for Gotion Inc., a Chinese Communist Party affiliated entity. Despite the incentives being approved, the environmental impact of this project is still unclear. Regulators have reported that an assessment of the soil has been conducted and that a geotechnical evaluation is underway. However, neither of those items have provided any of the answers to the questions posed by many state legislators or the concerned residents of Mecosta County. Several requests for an environmental impact study have been made with no real response from state regulators.

Furthermore, Gotion Inc. representatives have admitted in open hearings that the facility will be withdrawing approximately 715,000 gallons of Michigan groundwater per day — far exceeding The Nestle Company’s withdrawal rate for their bottled water operation. In fact, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, in 2018, cited public outcry over the large amount of water being withdrawn by the Nestle operation, and arguing that the company was not compensating the public fairly for that amount. It can only be assumed those previous concerns of the governor are heightened when the amount of water being withdrawn is greater, and hardworking taxpayers have already committed $715 million to this project.

With all of these concerns continuing to grow, especially among the local residents who will be most impacted by the effects and consequences of this project, it is all the more necessary for the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to publicly provide all of the documents detailing the environmental impacts of this project. These documents should detail the daily, massive water withdrawals that will occur from local watersheds, the geotechnical evaluation, and any other reviews or assessments that have been conducted by the local, state, or federal governments.