Statement from State Representative Scott Dianda (D-Calumet) on House Democrats protecting health care for Michigan’s retired police and firefighters:

LANSING — Tonight, House Democrats voted to protect the earned health care benefits of Michigan’s retired first responders. Last week, hundreds of police officers and firefighters rallied against proposals which could have gutted health care for local heroes. Today, the recommendation of House Democrats to implement the reforms of the bipartisan Responsible Retirement Reform for Local Government Task Force was accepted. While these benefits are now protected, communities in the state continue to struggle with chronic underfunding of local budgets. While these benefits are now protected, communities in the state continue to struggle with chronic underfunding of local budgets. In response, state Rep. Scott Dianda (D-Calumet) issued the following statement:

I am pleased to see House Republicans come around and accept the recommendations of the Responsible Retirement Reform for Local Government Task Force that my Democratic colleagues and I have supported from the beginning. This is the right thing to do for our police officers, firefighters and their families, many of whom are living with health issues as a result of the job, and living on fixed incomes. They didn’t cause the financial difficulty local governments face, and I am proud that House Democrats were able to stop the attempt to make them pay for it. I look forward to getting to work on fixing revenue sharing and making sure that we properly fund our local governments. That’s what’s best for my communities in the Western U.P., and it’s best for all communities across the U.P. and the state.”