Dear Friends,

To better serve the people of the 30th Senate District, I will now offer this “Week in Review” that I will be sending out every week. I hope you will find it informative about what is happening in Lansing.

I encourage you to contact me with any state issue. You may call 517-373-6920 or email [email protected].  Also, please check out my Facebook page. 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,
Roger Victory
State Senator

Monday was Memorial Day. It’s a day to remember the true cost of freedom and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country. We live in the land of the free because of the brave, I pray we never forget that. Thank you to everyone who has served, are serving and will serve in the future.

During the holiday, I participated in parades in Jenison and Jamestown. It is always a good time to show my appreciation for our fallen heroes as well as our living veterans and those currently serving in our armed forces. It was wonderful to also see and meet so many good people from Ottawa County.

On the Thursday before Memorial Day, the Michigan State Senate normally holds a service to pay tribute to the Michigan service members who made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our freedom and way of life. Due to planning during the state restrictions, this year’s Memorial Day service will take place on Tuesday, June 15 on the Capitol Lawn. After the service, the Senate will post a video of the ceremony online.

On Thursday, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson testified before the House Oversight Committee about her decision to go to an appointment-only system for services instead of retaining some sort of walk-in option at branch offices.

Benson defended the move and said that there are next-day appointment times available for last-minute needs like transferring a title when buying a used car. She said the next-day appointments are released at 8 a.m. and noon, but that they go fast.

Committee Chair Steven Johnson, R-Wayland, said he’s heard from residents who would like the walk-in option retained for title transfers and handicap placards. He told of one constituent who waited so long for an appointment for a handicapped placard her foot surgery was healed before she got the placard.

However, she is not open to the idea of reopening branches to walk-ins, noting that while some were outspoken about the want for those appointments, it was a vocal minority.

People can click here to watch the House committee meeting.

Last week, as the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee chairman, I joined my Democratic vice chair on Tuesday in announcing a bipartisan, 12-bill legislative package to improve police accountability and transparency in Michigan.

On Thursday, the committee began hearings on Senate Bills 473-484, which cover a wide variety of law enforcement issues, such as use of force, independent investigations, de-escalation training, and the recruitment and retention of officers.

Most Michigan police officers exhibit the highest standards of excellence and my focus is to ensure this is true for every officer in the state. The vast majority of our police officers are courageous people who serve our communities with honor and distinction. We must ensure we can continue to recruit dedicated officers, train them to meet our high expectations of fairness and justice, and retain good officers who risk their lives every day to keep our families safe.

It is very important to me that anything we do has a positive impact on our law enforcement officers and our communities and avoids any potential unintended consequences that could make it harder for them to protect our families.

Most of these proposals are based on best practices already found in a number of our local law enforcement agencies. The goal is to put these proven practices into law, provide uniformity and clarity across Michigan, while providing locals the flexibility required to meet the unique needs of their communities.

I want to thank our law enforcement community for the many constructive discussions we’ve had on steps to help them meet the modern demands of policing while supporting the many officers keeping us safe.

People can click here to see the committee hearing.

Last week, I was named to the conference committee for the General Government and Department of Agriculture and Rural Development budgets.

The conference committees will now work with Senate and House leaders and the governor’s office to resolve our difference and come to an agreement on a state budget that meets the needs of our families and communities while also improving our state and living within our means.

The general government budget (Senate Bill 82) includes spending plans for the Legislature, the governor’s office, local revenue sharing, debt service, and the departments of attorney general, civil rights, state, treasury, and technology, management and budget.

The MDARD budget (Senate Bill 77) would support Michigan farmers and agriculture producers, protect our natural resources, help our county fairs, continue important research, and fill in the protein processing gaps in our food chain that were exposed during the pandemic.

You can click on the bill numbers to read analyses from the nonpartisan Senate Fiscal Agency.

June is National Dairy Month! Michigan’s dairy industry provides nutritious foods produced and processed locally, while making a significant economic impact on communities across the state. Did you know that dairy products are Michigan’s #1 agricultural commodity?

Below is a list of resources available to you if you need any type of assistance. Additionally, you can contact my office at any time for more information.