Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I am most effective at my job when acting on your direct input. I encourage you to reach out to me and my staff with any questions, comments or concerns you may have regarding our community or state and with any policy ideas.

Please do not hesitate to reach out by phone at (517) 373-0822 or send an email to AngelaWitwer@house.mi.gov.

Sincerely,

Angela Witwer

State Representative, 76th House District

 

In This Issue:

  •       Weekly Wrap-Ups
  •       In-District Update
  •       General Update
  •       Legislative Update

 

A blue and read graphic featuring a cartoon coffee cup that reads "Weekly Wrap Up with Witwer"

Weekly Wrap-Up with Witwer:
Please keep an eye out on my Facebook page for Weekly Wrap-ups scheduled in the coming months.

  • Friday, March 21, at 11 a.m. in the Community Room of the First Presbyterian Church in Dimondale located at 162 Bridge St.
  • Friday, April 11, at 10 a.m. at the Woldumar Nature Center, located at 5739 Old Lansing Road.

 

In District Update:

March Teacher of the Month Nomination Link
March is here, and our office is taking nominations for House District 76’s Teacher of the Month. Follow the link to nominate a teacher you believe should be recognized as an outstanding teacher in our district this month!

Michigan State Representative Angela Witwer reading to a class of elementary students.

March is Reading Month in Charlotte and Eaton Rapids
I have been traveling across our community to participate in March is Reading Month activities. I recently visited Greyhound Central in Eaton Rapids to read to 150 students and then last week, I visited Charlotte Upper Elementary and Charlotte Michigan Parkview Elementary School to read to more than 550 students.

Michigan State Representative Angela Witwer and Waverly High School staff on stage cutting a ribbon in front of a presentation that reads "Thank you, Representative Witwer! This beautiful renovation of the WHS Auditorium is due to Representative Witwer's advocacy for Waverly Community Schools in the State Legislature."

Spoke at the Ribbon Cutting for Waverly’s New Auditorium
I was recently invited to speak at the ribbon cutting for the new Waverly auditorium. As former House Appropriations Committee chair last term, I was proud to secure $3 million in the budget to help renovate this space for Waverly students and the entire community to enjoy for events and performances.

Michigan State Representative Angela Witwer addressing a crowd of community members sat at long tables.

Weekly Wrap Up Conversation in Eaton Rapids
Recently, we held a weekly wrap up conversation at the Eaton Rapids City Hall. We had a great crowd with a lot of questions. We hope to see you at a future event!


General Update:

I’d like to share an opportunity in our community to attend the American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) Girls State Program or the American Legion Michigan Boys State Program, both taking place in June.

2025 Michigan American Legion Auxiliary Girls State Program
The 2025 Michigan American Legion Auxiliary Girls State Program will be held on the Michigan State University Lansing Campus from June 22 to June 28. The program is available to high school juniors.

Participants, also known as “delegates” or “citizens,” spend a week on MSU’s campus immersed in programming that walks them through the operations of local, county, and state governments. Through this hands-on simulation, delegates run for office, elect officials and solve fictional problems through simulated government action. There are opportunities to take the Bar Exam and join the Girl’s State Supreme Court, become a member of the Press Association and learn to write informative articles, or even join a lobbying group to meet with the legislators they elect.

Link to online delegate application: https://bit.ly/MIGirlsStateApply

 

2025 Michigan American Legion Auxiliary Boys State Program

2025 Michigan American Legion Auxiliary Boys State Program

American Legion’s Boys State Program is a week-long program at Grand Valley State University that will educate young men about the internal workings of our government. This is achieved by providing a stage for them to learn, by allowing them to create the simulated 51st State in the Nation. This state includes all forms of government at the city, county and state level. Participants can run to become a deputy sheriff of a county or be elected governor.


Questions? Contact one of the ALA MI Girls State Chairmen:

 

Michigan Department of Transportation Public Open House – March 20
The Michigan Department of Transportation invites the public to attend an open house to learn more about the M-99 project in Ingham/Eaton counties. Staff will be on hand to answer any questions.

Work on this project begins in April, focusing on M-99 from Holt Highway to Edgewood Boulevard in Ingham and Eaton counties. The construction phase for this project is expected to be finished by November.

Who:
Interested residents
Commuters
Community stakeholders
Local businesses     

When:
Thursday, March 20
4-6:30 p.m.

Where:
Alfreda Schmidt Community Center
5825 Wise Road, Lansing, MI 48911

Accessibility:
Attendees who require mobility, visual, hearing, written or other assistance for effective participation should contact Orlando Curry at (517) 241-7462 or CurryO@Michigan.gov, preferably at least five business days prior to the scheduled meeting. Forms are located on the Title VI webpage. Requests made after this timeframe will be evaluated and honored to the extent possible.

Project information:
This work is part of a $15 million investment to rebuild M-99 from Holt Road to Edgewood Boulevard that will address pavement condition, drainage and pedestrian improvements.

Public Comment:
In addition to the open house, comments and input can be submitted by using the contact information below:

MDOT Lansing Transportation Service Center
2700 Port Lansing Road
Lansing, MI 48906
(517) 335-3754
MDOT-LansingTSC@Michigan.gov 

Weekly Wrap Up Conversation in Eaton Rapids
Recently, we held a weekly wrap up conversation at the Eaton Rapids City Hall. We had a great crowd with a lot of questions. We hope to see you at a future event!

 

Legislative Update:

Committees

  • Health Policy met last week to take up House Bills 4077-78 for a vote. These bills would require death reports to be made through a web-based system and change conditions under which a death must be certified by, or referred to, by a county medical examiner. We also heard testimony on House Bills 4037-38, which would allow Michigan to implement a “Health Data utility” to modernize Michigan’s public health data collection and improve medical record sharing among healthcare providers.
  • Regulatory Reform met last week to take up House Bills 4115-16, which would increase the maximum interest rate that a pawnbroker can charge on a loan and the penalties for violations of the Pawnbroker Act. We also heard testimony on House Bill 4081, which increases the maximum number of parcels that can be created from the first 10 acres of a parent parcel or tract. We also heard presentations on housing.
  • Rules Committee met last week to take up House Bill 4154, which would add trade schools to the Post Secondary Options Act. We also heard presentations on the impact of Michigan’s administrative rules on businesses in the state of Michigan.

Session

Last week in session, the following bills were taken up:

  • House Bill 4003 (Kunse): This bill would designate a portion of US-131 in Mecosta County as the “Sgt. Matthew Webber Memorial Highway”
  • House Bill 4046 (Roth): This bill would designate a portion of US-131 in Grand Traverse County as the “Trooper James E. Boland Memorial Highway”
  • House Bill 4018 (Mueller); This bill would allow juveniles who are 16 or 17 years old and are taken into custody or detained to be transported with an adult if all of the following apply:
    • The adult is not more than 25 years of age.
    • The juvenile and adult are taken into custody at the same time.
    • The juvenile and adult are taken into custody for the same offense, or both occupied the same vehicle at the time the offense was committed.
    • The juvenile is taken directly to the appropriate location and is then separated from the adult at the earliest available time.
  • House Bill 4025-4026 (Price and Paquette): These bills would amend the General Sales Tax Act and the Use Tax Act, respectively, to reinstate the sales and use tax exemptions allowed for the sale or purchase of firearm safety devices that expired on December 31, 2024.
  • House Bill 4060 (VanderWall): This bill would allow an intermediate school district (ISD) to contract with another ISD for the purposes of operating an area career and technical education (CTE) program, 1 and to add language specifying that money raised through a CTE millage by an ISD can be spent on a program that is operated under a contract with another ISD. This would apply to millage dollars collected in school years after the effective date of the bill.
  • House Bills 4150, 4151 and 4153 (Tisdel, Martin, DeBoer) – These bills would each make changes to the Revised School Code regarding teacher certification in Michigan.
    • HB 4150 would eliminate fees related to applications for teaching certificates, endorsements and permits.
    • HB 4151 would require that an additional subject area endorsement be issued to a teaching certificate if the certificate holder passed that subject area on the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification.
    • HB 4153 would create authorization for public schools to issue a local teaching certificate.