Dear Friends,

To better serve you, I am offering this e-newsletter on what’s happening in the 30th Senate District and across our state.

I encourage you to contact me with any state issues. You can call toll-free at 855-347-8030 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,

Mark Huizenga
State Senator

At a time when families are struggling, Senate Democrats are once again picking winners and losers by choosing to create special tax carve-outs for large corporations rather than work toward real solutions to help Michigan’s ailing economy.

Lansing Democrats have passed yet another partisan bill package that benefits big corporations over struggling families and small businesses. It’s a clear pattern that began when they repealed Right to Work and resurrected Prevailing Wage. They previously raised taxes on small businesses and are now making back-room deals with multinational companies using your tax dollars. This money should be returned to the hardworking Michigan taxpayers who need financial relief at a time with high gas and grocery prices.

Michigan’s great outdoors is part of what makes our state such a wonderful place to live, and conservation is about ensuring that families can continue to enjoy our outdoors for years to come.

I recently attended the Kent Conservation District Showcase at the Rockford Sportsman’s Club and was honored to receive a 2024 Friend of Conservation award.

I am holding in-person office hours throughout the district on a regular basis because hearing directly from the people about the issues they are facing is an important part of representing everyone in West Michigan. These meetings give local residents a chance to express their viewpoints about what needs to be done and offer help to people dealing with a variety of state issues.

In April, I will be available to meet with constituents at the following dates, times and locations:

Office hours are open to all residents, and no appointment is necessary. Anyone who is unable to attend the office hours may contact my office.

It was a pleasure and honor to volunteer at St. Mark’s Church in downtown Grand Rapids. We were able to provide and serve breakfast to those in need.

I recently had a guest editorial on improving education in our state published by Bridge Michigan. Here is my column:

Michigan schools falling further behind. Our kids need new approach
Michigan is at a crossroads in education. We can continue down the path charted by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and legislative Democrats that removes standards and sidelines parental involvement, or we can try a better approach that focuses on access, achievement and accountability.

Ensuring all Michigan students have access to an education that enables them to be successful and achieve at a high level begins with putting a priority on the fundamentals of reading, writing and math and holding everyone accountable — including rewarding highly effective teachers.

A quality education that best meets a student’s goals and is rooted in the basics remains a proven way for children to reach their full potential — both in life and academically. Sadly, several studies have found significant and consistent decreases in educational achievement by Michigan school children.

Despite record funding for schools each year for over a decade, Michigan students are falling far behind kids in other states. Students in our state rank 43rd nationally for high school graduation rates and fourth-grade reading proficiency. Additionally, less than one-third of Michigan fourth graders are proficient in math, and the average SAT scores in our state are the lowest since the test became statewide in 2015.

These results are alarming and unacceptable.

Simply put, when it comes to education, our state is failing our kids.

While this is bad news for the future of our state, it’s terrible news for the kids themselves — because they are the ones who will most directly face the long-term impact of these failures.

Unfortunately, Lansing Democrats have fought to weaken a state law designed to ensure students learn to read by third grade, ended required annual evaluations of teachers, allowed teachers to be rewarded regardless of how their students are performing, eliminated the easy-to-understand A-F grading scale for schools and blocked Republican efforts to give families greater access to education resources like tutoring.

Senate Republicans are offering a better solution.

We refuse to accept failure or sweep these problems under the rug by watering down standards. Our MI Brighter Future plan would give students and parents the help they need and raise the bar for everyone.

The Senate Republican MI Brighter Future plan would:

Education is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor, and the Senate Republican plan is structured to provide the standards and expectations while giving schools and parents flexibility on how best to meet the needs of different schools and different students.

So far, the governor and Lansing Democrats have shown little interest in working together to find common ground on anything.

However, I am focused on solving problems and remain optimistic that we can come together on an effective, data-driven plan to provide all Michigan students with an education that prepares them for success.

Our kids deserve nothing less.

Michigan fishing licenses for the 2024 season are now on sale. The new license season begins April 1, and the 2024 fishing licenses are valid through March 31, 2025. Licenses can be purchased at Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses. By purchasing a fishing license online, you can also sign up for auto-renewal through the DNR eLicense system.

Anglers also are encouraged to review fishing regulations changes adopted by the Michigan Natural Resource Commission that will go into effect April 1, unless noted otherwise. The 2024 Michigan fishing guide is now available. The fishing guide is a one-stop resource for current rules, regulations, and license information.

The fishing guide is available at www.Michigan.gov/DNRDigests. Anglers are encouraged to periodically review the digital version of the fishing guide for any regulation updates throughout the 2024 fishing season. For more information on Michigan fishing, visit www.Michigan.gov/Fishing.

The 2024-25 ORV season begins April 1 and runs through March 31, 2025.

In Michigan, an ORV license is required to ride eligible county roads, frozen surfaces of public waters, state forest roads (open to ORV use) and eligible national forest roads. An ORV trail permit is required in addition to an ORV license when operating on state-designated ORV trails and scramble areas.

ORV licenses and trail permits are each valid for one year and grant the holder access to 4,000 miles of state-designated ORV trails and scramble areas, eligible county or national forest roads, state forest roads, and more.

ORV licenses and trail permits can be purchased:

Many critical improvements are underway at state parks across Michigan, and many more are ready to break ground. These projects were made possible through the bipartisan, once-in-a-generation $250 million investment plan championed by Senate Republicans in 2022. This investment addresses the infrastructure backlog at state parks and recreation areas across the state.

Visitors this summer will enjoy new and upgraded camping amenities, toilet and shower buildings, electrical and water distribution systems and park roads, as well as visitor center enhancements and historic preservation work.

Before you visit any of Michigan’s 103 state parks and recreation areas, be sure to visit Michigan.gov/DNRClosures to check for closures, repairs or weather-related events.

The NFL Draft is coming to Detroit! For the first time, the city of Detroit and the Detroit Lions will be hosting the 2024 NFL Draft. The event will take place April 25-27 in the downtown area at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza.

The three-day event is free to attend but does require registration. The NFL Draft Experience will have interactive games, photo opportunities at exhibits, including the Vince Lombardi Trophy, free player autograph sessions and appearances, and more! To register, visit NFL.com/draftaccess or download the NFL OnePass App.

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 [email protected].

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.