Senator Alan Cropsey :: 33rd District

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

The leaves have all fallen from the trees, the temperatures are dropping and soon the snow will be flying it must be time for one of my favorite holidays: Thanksgiving. (read)

Senate Republicans oppose governor's sentencing guideline changes; outline $200 million in real reforms

Thursday, July 19, 2007

LANSING - Senate Republicans today came out against the governor's plan to reduce sentencing guidelines for convicted felons and outlined a list of recommended reforms by the Senate prison reform subcommittee that could save the save state up to $200 million a year in corrections costs without putting public safety at risk.

"Senate Republicans want real reforms made to the Department of Corrections and releasing felons back onto our streets through lower penalties isn't the answer," said Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester. "Protecting public safety is a top priority for Senate Republicans, and we will not support a plan that endangers the safety of our residents. Our reforms will save up to $200 million a year through actions like outsourcing services without jeopardizing the public."

The governor's plan calls for the relase of nearly 6,000 criminals from state prisons. It calls for lowering the penalties for almost 60 felonies and changing more than 140 crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, including fleeing police, negligent homicide, and possession of "the date-rape drug." Under her plan, criminals would have to steal $5,000 worth of property to be charged with a felony instead of the current $1,000 threshold.

"Keeping criminals on the street so they can continue to commit crime is not reform," said Sen. Alan Cropsey, R-DeWitt. "We need to ask the governor: `Will this reduce crime? Will it slow down repeat offenders? Will it make single moms safer in their homes? Will it make neighborhoods safer for our kids.' The answer is no."

Senate Republicans refuted the administration's notion that to achieve significant cost savings the state needs to decrease the prison population.

"Michigan spends $31,000 annually per prisoner, and 78 percent of that cost is directly associated with administration costs like wages, pensions, and health care," said Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland. "Reducing punishments and releasing criminals will not solve the budget problems. To achieve real and long-term cost savings, we need to adopt the recommendations of the prison reform subcommittee released in May. By not addressing the core problems in the DOC the state is closing its eyes and hoping the problem will go away."

Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Bishop and Kuipers, chair of the Judiciary Committee, sent a joint letter to the state auditor general requesting a review of the efficiency and effectiveness of the Department of Corrections.

"We have asked the auditor general to review and assess areas such as health care services, food and transportation services, and administrative expenses," said Bishop. "As part of the recommendations of the prison reform subcommittee, this request to the Auditor General is a first step toward ensuring a more effective use of tax dollars and dedicating more funds to protecting Michigan residents."

Senate Republicans want to enact real, cost-saving reforms outlined in the Senate Prison Reform and Public Safety subcommittee report, including:

* Prison reforms (aside from employee wage concessions): est. annual savings of $200 million;

* Reduce excessive per-prisoner costs and bring them in line with surrounding states;

* Cut millions in annual overtime expenses for corrections officers;

* Increased use of drug intervention courts, faith-based programs, regional jails, and more job-training skills for prisoners' re-entry into the workforce;

* Obtain performance audit from the Auditor General to recommend ways to eliminate waste and duplication and improve overall operational cost-effectiveness;

* Outsource prison services, such as mental health care, food and transportation;

* Lower recidivism rate by addressing issues that cause prisoners to re-offend, such as substance abuse, mental health issues and lack of education; and

* Allow initial mental health care assessments to be provided via telemedicine and teleconferencing.

Releasing felons and reducing sentences doesn't solve the Department of Corrections' budget problems - it instead endangers the safety of our residents, families and neighborhoods.

Prison overcrowding in Michigan is due to recidivism - Michigan's recidivism rate exceeds 50 percent. In 2006, Michigan admitted 5,400 new prisoners, yet nearly double the number (8,845 prisoners) were re-admitted as parole or probation violators that same year. The revolving door must be stopped.

Michigan's per-prisoner cost is too high - Michigan spends $31,000 annually per prisoner. Compared with neighboring states, Michigan has the highest incarceration costs - due to excessive administrative costs, unnecessary overtime costs, skyrocketing healthcare and overall inefficiencies. Without cutting corrections spending, budget problems cannot be solved.

Salaries higher than other states - Indiana correctional officers make only 72% of the Michigan correctional officers' salaries. Michigan's lowest base minimum salary for correctional officers is 62-cents higher per hour than the national average.

Will the governor's proposed changes save the state significant money? No. 78 percent of the Corrections budget is dedicated to employment expenses, such as pensions, health care and wages. We must find ways to lower these administrative costs if there is going to be significant savings in the corrections budget.

Felons will walk free - The governor's plan to decriminalize current felonies means 3,300 criminals will be on the street instead of behind bars. Local county jails will release 2,000 inmates this year, under the governor's proposed plan.

Local prosecutors and police oppose the plan - Reducing 142 felonies to misdemeanors and lowering penalties for 58 other felonies will not reduce pressure on local jails, but will increase county jail populations.

Serious crimes deserve serious punishment - Robbery, fleeing police, embezzlement, and counterfeiting a state ID card are examples of serious offenses that are not being taken seriously under the governor's plan to lower penalties.

Public safety should be our #1 priority - Balancing the budget at the risk of public safety says to the rest of the country, "Come to Michigan, we welcome criminals and plan to release thousands of them into our neighborhoods."