Senate Republican Priorities
and Achievements

Budget: Right-sizing government and Growing Michigan's Economy

The first step to government's economic recovery is an honest acknowledgement of the crisis. Denial is no longer an option, and reliance on tired old solutions and political rhetoric will not change our fortunes. Staying the course is only going to make matters worse and prolong our journey to the road to recovery. (more)

Elimination of MBT Surcharge

Senate Republicans sent a message this year to Michigan job providers to let them know how important they are to re-energizing our state's economy. We encouraged them to keep their businesses here with our recent passage of a bill to eliminate the onerous Michigan Business Tax surcharge. Senate Bill 1 phases out the 21.99 percent MBT surcharge over a two-year period - cutting the surcharge by half to 11 percent in 2009 and eliminating it by 2010. (more)

Workforce Training and Jobs

With our state's unemployment rate nearly 50 percent higher than the rest of the country, we must do everything we can to help put people back to work and facilitate job creation. Michigan has been in a one-state recession for the past six years and our state's economy is undergoing a change that is fundamental and long lasting. As this process plays out, the need to have a trained and capable workforce will grow and remain a top consideration for employers and entrepreneurs deciding where they want to locate. (more)

Health Care Reforms

Currently, Michigan is home to an estimated 1.1 million residents who do not have health insurance, which is equal to 11.5 percent of the state's population. This number is likely to increase unless the economy improves.

Michigan Senate Republicans understand many residents are afraid that they may not be able to afford health insurance. In the last legislative session we tried to address these concerns before they became an issue for the people of Michigan, but unfortunately, the House did not agree. (more)

Eliminate Bureaucracy

Senate Republicans will continue to do everything to make our state a leader in the nation for job growth. One of the most important factors a business considers when deciding where to locate or expand its operations is the time, cost, and ease of compliance associated with a state's regulatory climate.

Senate Republicans will continue our fight to eliminate bureaucracy and make Michigan an inviting place to do business. We will work with job providers to reform the regulatory structure in Michigan and to put pressure on the administration when the actions of a department are costing us precious jobs. (more)

An Agenda for Strong Schools

Senate Republicans firmly believe that the success of our great state will depend almost entirely on whether Michigan has the kind of education system that provides our children and future generations with the skills to succeed in the fiercely competitive and ever-evolving global economy. Literally and figuratively, we simply cannot afford an education model that has grown out of a 20th century industrial and agrarian society. Just as we must diversify our economy, we must challenge ourselves to innovate and to create a diverse and comprehensive approach to educating our children. We are focused and committed to a long-range plan to build strong schools that reflect a dynamic, efficient and high-performance 21st century learning environment. (more)

Protecting Water and Natural Resources

Michigan's natural resources are one of the state's most valuable assets. It is imperative that they be preserved and protected. Senate Republicans will continue our strong leadership role in protecting our water and our environment.

Efforts to conserve Michigan's natural resources are not new for Senate Republicans. For more than five years, we have been leading the way to develop proactive legislation to protect the Great Lakes, promote alternative energy, and expand recycling in Michigan. (more)

Keeping People in Their Homes

Senate Republicans will take action to ensure families are not taxed out of their homes in these tough economic times.

Property values in Michigan have declined steadily over the past two years. Most homeowners have seen the values of their homes drop 15 percent to 25 percent. Property taxes, however, have actually increased over the same period.

We will lead the charge to fix the constitutional provision that allows property taxes to increase while the value of your home decreases. (more)

Making Neighborhoods Safe

Senate Republicans served on a bipartisan workgroup comprised of members of the governor's administration, the House, and the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center to determine how the state might reduce corrections spending while reinvesting in measures that will make communities safer and stronger. The workgroup produced a bipartisan package of policy options that gives Michigan a real chance to achieve needed cost savings and prevents crime at the same time. (more)

From the Senate Floor

Michigan Senate Republicans Floor Statements

Senator Cropsey refutes false statements by the governor and other democrats that the Senate has not acted on revenue generating legislation for the K12 budget.

Recent Blogs from Senate Republicans

Royal Oak Superintendent Dr. Thomas Moline hit the nail on the head when recently testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee in support of my resolution urging an override of the governors veto of 20j funding. (read)

Eliminate Bureaucracy and Make Michigan a "One-Stop Shop" for Business

Senate Republicans will continue our fight to eliminate bureaucracy and make Michigan an inviting place to do business. We will work with job providers to reform the regulatory structure in Michigan and to put pressure on the administration when the actions of a department are costing us precious jobs.

We have worked with industry stakeholders to identify areas in the current regulatory system that are holding Michigan back and negatively impacting our competitiveness when compared to other states. This approach and its need were identified in the Governor's Emergency Financial Advisory Panel report issued in 2007. While the administration has met for most of 2008 to evaluate the automation of licensing and permitting systems, no steps have been taken to date to enact change.

Senate Republicans will introduce a package of bills in the coming months to substantively improve Michigan's business climate by establishing transparency, timeliness, and consistency in regulatory decision-making, as well as leveling the playing field for our job providers.

The package will:

Prohibit rules more stringent than federal requirements unless specifically authorized by law;
Allow licensed professionals in the private sector to review permit applications while government will review the evaluation and make a timely decision based only on the information provided;
Create a business ombudsman so that job providers have somewhere to turn if they are treated unfairly by government;
Ensure that government does not use its inspection power to target without cause or harass job providers;
Require government to examine programs, permitting and licensing processes, and other regulatory requirements relative to requirements in other states to improve Michigan's business climate;
Require that before new rules are considered, government must show why they are necessary;
Require a cost/benefit analysis to ensure the benefits of a rule outweigh the costs; and
Prohibit promulgation of a Michigan-only, mandatory ergonomic rule.

We hope to work with the administration to implement these ideas, as well as the creation and implementation of a one-stop, Internet-based portal for Michigan job providers.

News items related to Eliminating Bureaucracy and Making Michigan a "One-Stop Shop" for Business

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE REJECTS GOVERNOR'S ORDER AND APPROVES MCMANUS PLAN MERGING DNR AND DEQ

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday rejected Executive Order 45, the governor's proposal to combine the departments of Natural Resources and Environmental Quality and approved a comprehensive strategy put forth by Sen. Michelle McManus to merge the departments. [more]

SEN. MCMANUS CALLS GOVERNORS DNR/DEQ CONSOLIDATION PLAN A GOOD FIRST STEP; SAYS MORE WORK NEEDS TO BE DONE

State Sen. Michelle McManus on Thursday called the governors plan to create a new Department of Natural Resources and Environment a step in the right direction, but said more work needs to be done. She urged the Senate to reject Executive Order 45 of 2009, which would establish the Department of Natural Resources and Environment in state government. [more]

TO HELP PEOPLE ACROSS THE STATE DEALING WITH DECREASING PROPERTY VALUES AND RISING PROPERTY TAXES, I HAVE INTRODUCED MEASURES IN THE MICHIGAN SENATE TO MAKE THE APPEALS PROCESS MORE FAIR AND SMOOTH FOR PROPERTY OWNERS.

Kahns Corner for the week of September 21, 2009 [more]

SEN. MCMANUS SPEAKS OUT AGAINST MERGING DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE WITH DNR AND DEQ

Sen. Michelle McManus today spoke out on the Senate floor against a possible Executive Order merging the departments of agriculture, environmental quality and natural resources, criticizing the plan for failing to recognize the missions of the departments involved. [more]

SENATE APPROVES BIRKHOLZS OMBUDSMAN BILL TO HELP IMPROVE STATES REGULATORY SYSTEM

The state Senate approved legislation Tuesday to create an office of independent business ombudsman in Michigan to help improve the states regulatory system, said Sen. Patty Birkholz, sponsor of the measure. [more]

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