Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As your state representative, I am proud to share the work we have been doing together to move Michigan forward. From the Capitol to our local communities, I have been focused on delivering real results from protecting our environment, investing in our schools and standing up for working families.
In this newsletter, you will find updates on key legislation, local initiatives and ways you can stay involved:
Wayne Disposal Radioactive Waste Court Ruling Update
Last week, Third Circuit Judge Kevin Cox ruled to block shipments of radioactive waste from the federal Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) for disposal in the Wayne Disposal Landfill in Van Buren Twp. In response to this landmark win for the health of the Van Buren Twp. community, I issued the following statement:
“This ruling is a major victory for our community. People are concerned about their health, environmental safety and the future implications of storing this waste here. Michigan should not be a bargain bin dumping ground for radioactive waste from out of state, particularly when there are still so many questions that remain about long-term risks, groundwater impacts and a lack of transparency.
“I’m grateful to the judge for recognizing the serious concerns raised by residents, environmental experts and local leaders. This ruling is evidence that when Michiganders unite to organize and speak with one voice that they will not allow their community’s health to be endangered, they can move mountains. This ruling sends a clear message: Michigan’s environment is not for sale. I will continue fighting alongside the people against any potential appeals, future expansions or potentially harmful shipments.”
The court ruling followed news we heard in late July that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had changed course and was sending the Niagara Falls radioactive waste from the Manhattan Project to a facility in Texas, instead of to the Wayne Disposal in Van Buren Township. These are wins for our community and could not have been achieved without the collaborative efforts of concerned citizens and activists, local communities and elected officials.
You made your voices heard and your organized efforts kept the pressure on to impact this outcome. This is a direct result of our dedicated residents raising their voices and saying: you will not endanger the health of our communities. Not here, not now and not ever! We are not a bargain bin for waste — period.
Make no mistake about it: this decision was not made out of goodwill. It was made because everyday residents raised their voices and refused to back down. This is a victory for the people of Van Buren Township and the surrounding communities who demanded to be heard, and a win for environmental justice and public health.
This case was never about one shipment. It’s about a dangerous pattern of importing radioactive waste into Michigan without proper safeguards, transparency or public input.
Radioactive waste has no business coming through our neighborhoods without local input or consent. Wayne County families deserve to know their health and safety will never be put up for negotiation. We cannot let legal maneuvering distract from the real issue: protecting our water, air and health. That is why I reintroduced legislation in April to raise Michigan’s landfill tipping fees and overhaul Michigan’s waste management system. My colleagues and I held a press conference to mark this reintroduction.
My bill, House Bill 4393, creates a comprehensive plan to modernize Michigan’s hazardous waste management system. It addresses public health, environmental, community and stakeholder concerns over the disposal of hazardous materials in densely populated communities. If enacted, this legislation would establish clear and enforceable guidelines that protect our residents and environment. It’s tough, it’s smart and it holds corporations accountable.
The legislation includes several landmark provisions, including:
- Increases tipping fees on solid non-hazardous waste, solid hazardous waste and Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material.
- Establishes a five-year moratorium planning period during which treatment and storage facilities would not be permitted to be built or expanded. Permanently bans the creation of new commercial hazardous and radioactive waste injection wells.
- Restricts new hazardous waste facilities from being sited in densely populated or overburdened communities, within 50 miles of a currently operating facility or facility that was closed within the last 25 years, unless specific criteria is met.
- Requires EGLE to develop a new comprehensive hazardous and radioactive waste management plan within the five-year moratorium planning period.
- Establishes a statewide capacity limit based on Michigan’s contributions to national hazardous waste generation.
- Significantly strengthens financial assurance requirements to protect taxpayers from footing the bill for cleanups.
The health and safety of my community is my number one priority, and right now, that is at risk due to the amount of waste being taken in by our state’s landfills. I have long fought against this landfill, dating back to my time as a Van Buren Township Trustee, where I’ve voted against past landfill expansions, and I will not let up until our laws are adequately updated. It is far past time that we do right by our communities and pass this legislation to protect the people we serve. You have made your voices loud and clear — Michigan is not a dumping ground!
Let me be clear: any waste management proposal needs to address the necessity of long-term radioactive waste regulation that my residents have consistently asked me to address. I will absolutely work with anyone, regardless of political party, who is serious about addressing this issue. However, any proposal that only raises tipping fees without addressing the long-term concerns of our residents misses the mark completely.
SEMCOG Presents Federal Grant Funding to Van Buren Township
In July, Van Buren Township was awarded $1.74 million in federal funding from the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments’ Transportation Alternatives Program for a shared-use path on Tyler Road in Van Buren Township. The Tyler Road Non-Motorized Trail Project will run from Quirk Road to McBride Road and will increase safety for people walking and biking. This 1.5-mile path will improve safe nonmotorized access to residential areas, the community center and the township hall.
Additionally, a high-intensity activated crosswalk beacon will create a safer and more comfortable road crossing near Walden Boulevard. Street amenities including benches, a bike repair station, trash receptacle and stamped concrete will also be part of the project. More information about the project can be found here.
Co-Sponsored Justice Needs No Mask Legislation
In July, I joined my colleagues at a press conference where we announced state Rep. Betsy Coffia’s (Traverse City) “Justice Needs No Masks” legislation, House Bill 4760. I co-sponsored this legislation, which would ban masking by law enforcement officers during public interaction and require law enforcement officers to provide clear identification through a name or badge number and a clear display of the agency the officer works for.
This is an important piece of legislation that would increase transparency and safety in our communities. The use of masked and unidentified armed men in unmarked vans creates fear, distrust and instability in our communities. Mandating clear and visible identification is just common sense. Additionally, the bill provides reasonable exceptions: Law enforcement would still be allowed to wear protective gear for disease prevention, in hazardous environments, or while working undercover or conducting counterterrorism operations.
Massive Medicaid and Food Assistance Cuts Threaten Michigan Families
As costs continue to rise across the country, Michiganders are working harder than ever just to stay afloat. Instead of offering relief, the recently signed into law federal so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) will make things worse. This act includes the largest cuts to Medicaid and food assistance in American history, slashing $1 trillion from Medicaid and $186 billion from food assistance over the next 10 years. The nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency has estimated that the OBBBA will blow a $677 million hole in our state’s budget beginning this year.
July 30 marked Medicaid’s 60th anniversary, so the timing of these cuts could not be more alarming. Medicaid has helped millions of children, seniors, veterans and working families live healthier, more dignified lives. Now, its future is at serious risk due to sweeping federal funding reductions.
What does that mean for Michigan?
- Some families will face even higher health care costs.
- Nearly 2.6 million Michiganders get their health care through Medicaid, including seniors and veterans, and hundreds of thousands of Michiganders could lose coverage.
- Some Michigan hospitals could close, with rural hospitals being most at risk.
- 45% of pregnancies and 60% of nursing home stays are covered through Medicaid.
- Some communities and families struggling to put food on the table will be pushed to the brink.
- Kids could lose access to certain meal programs at school.
To make matters worse, the Republican-led House still hasn’t negotiated a final state budget and are leading one of the least productive legislatures in over 85 years. This isn’t normal, and with no clear plan from the Speaker, schools and health care providers are being forced to operate in the dark while families are left waiting for answers.
I’m fighting to protect Michigan families from the damage being done in Washington and the dysfunction in Lansing. That means putting health care, food security and school funding first, not last.
House-Passed Education Budget Diverts Funding Away from Crucial K-12, Community College and Higher Education Programs
Michigan school districts, teachers and students count on lawmakers to pass the final state budget by July 1. Unfortunately, this year’s budget process moved extremely slowly and the Republican-led House failed to reach a budget agreement with the Senate by July 1.
My Democratic colleagues and I proposed the House Dems’ Education Vision budget plan to fully fund our schools and support the programs students and parents rely on most. Our plan invests $3.2 billion more into Michigan schools than FY 2025 and is informed by conversations we’ve had with parents, teachers and community leaders across our districts.
House Democrats’ Education Vision budget plan works to ensure an equitable and quality education for every child. In our budget, we prioritized dedicated funding for:
- School safety and mental health
- Universal school meals
- Great Start Readiness Program
- Class size reduction grants
- Special education
- Career and technical education
- Literacy learning grants
Unfortunately, our plan was voted down and instead the Republicans voted in favor of their own plan, HB 4577, that moves dedicated funding away from specific programs. Their plan moves funding away from the universal school breakfast and lunch program that we fought for to ensure no child sits down to learn on an empty stomach. This is what these school meal funding changes will look like in our district:
- Dundee Community Schools – $373,932 moved
- Lincoln Consolidated School District – $326,320 moved
- Milan Area Schools – $393,003 moved
- Van Buren Public Schools – $238,290 moved
More than 41% of Michigan households are either living below the federal poverty level or are identified as ALICE – Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. This means that while the heads of household may earn an income, it is only enough to keep them above the poverty level, meaning many do not qualify for some state and federal benefits, yet their income is low enough that one financial emergency — a flat tire, an unexpected doctor’s bill — could completely derail them. Of those 41%, more than half are households with children. Parents are already struggling with the high cost of groceries, and some of the increases are due to tariffs. Why would we further burden these families now?
Removing universal meal funding affects students’ nutrition and learning. Rolling free meals into the foundation allowance for schools means that districts could drop meal programs, harming kids who rely on these meals. This program is the primary source of nutrition for countless vulnerable children in our communities. It is a lifeline for students in rural and urban districts alike.
The Republican plan changes eligibility for school safety and mental health funding, which could hurt schools’ ability to update infrastructure and keep kids healthy. In our district, this means funding could be moved away from mental health and school safety investments:
- Van Buren Public Schools – $483,898 moved
- Romulus Community Schools – $236,241 moved
- Milan Area Schools – $206,095 moved
- Lincoln Consolidated Schools – $383,774 moved
- Dundee Community Schools – $198,286 moved
The Republican plan does not include dedicated funding for Career and Technical Education (CTE) funding. CTE is a core initiative that dramatically improves young people’s chances of finding and keeping stable, well-paying jobs, and it provides students from all backgrounds with the academic rigor, technical proficiency and essential soft skills they need to succeed. It helps ensure that a student’s socioeconomic background isn’t a barrier to accessing a quality education or securing a stable, fulfilling career.
CTE is a powerful antidote to systemic inequality and provides opportunity for more than 112,000 students across Michigan. For our district, Republicans moved funding away from CTE programs and incentives by the following amounts:
- Van Buren Public Schools – $18,037 moved
- Romulus Community Schools – $1,108 moved
- Lincoln Consolidated School District – $6,640 moved
- Milan Area Schools – $14,030 moved
- Dundee Community Schools – $14,788 moved
The Republican budget eliminates dedicated funding for Michigan’s FIRST Robotics Program. This program teaches kids to design, program and prototype robots. Some of you may be familiar with this program, as this March, the state district competition for 2025 was held at Belleville High School. There were 40 teams from across the state, including our hometown Belleville High School. In April, the BHS team took first place at the Detroit FIRST Robotics Competition and won the Engineering Inspiration Award. The elimination of this funding means fewer opportunities for our students to learn valuable skills in a fun and collaborative environment.
The Republican proposed budget plan threatens dedicated funding for:
- Literacy grants and coaches
- Rural transportation
- After school and summer school programs
- Vision, hearing, and dental screenings
- And more
Moving away dedicated categorical funding will put pressure on districts to re-prioritize essential services unless they cut classroom programs. I’m concerned that these cuts target support for vulnerable students and will disproportionately harm small and rural districts. This funding would all be rolled into a single line item but would only be accessible if districts meet new requirements, like pledging to employ both a school resource officer and a mental health professional, as well as providing an annual report to the department detailing how the funds were spent. While I absolutely support school safety, the reality is that these types of conditions simply aren’t feasible for many districts, and they add uncertainty to already tight planning timelines. I’m concerned that we simply don’t have the staffing capacity in this state to achieve such a goal, and requiring these districts to comply with these requirements without dedicated funding amounts to imaginary funding for imaginary staffing.
I am also concerned that shifting targeted support to block grants will make already underfunded districts choose between core programs and student well-being, which may mean more unnecessary paperwork and rules that they have to adhere to for fewer student success outcomes.
While many school districts are trying to stretch every dollar to support our students, this proposed budget diverts more than $1 billion from the School Aid Fund to higher education. That’s critical funding cuts needed to:
- Hire teachers
- Keep buses running
- Provide meals
- Special needs and at-risk students
- Meet the growing mental health needs of our students.
Their plan moves $10 million away from the MI Future Educator Fellowship Program as well, which aims to offset the costs of obtaining teacher certification for college students with at least a 3.0 grade point average.
The bill’s sponsors and supporters are saying it’s a $12,000 per-pupil block grant, but this is not accurate. Their budget includes a 20% funding penalty on funding that would be withheld from schools if a district does not adhere to specific new rules. If compliance is not met by the end of the fiscal year, the funds are held in escrow specifically for that school district.
In addition to these K-12 changes, House Republicans passed HB 4576, which eliminates $5.6 million in federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) library technology funding with no state replacement, even as libraries remain key community hubs. The IMLS is an independent federal agency created by Congress that supports libraries, archives and museums. On March 14, 2025, a federal executive order called for funding cuts to the IMLS. HB 4576 cuts the federal funding that was previously provided, which could put our local libraries into a state of uncertainty about their future.
Losing library tech funding could mean fewer digital access points for students, job seekers and seniors. Multiple libraries in our district have posted about how these funding cuts could affect their operations. Losing these critical services could have a devastating effect on our communities, including for young Michiganders’ progress with reading comprehension and literacy.
Community college (HB 4579) and university (HB 4580) operating funding has been reduced in the Republican education budget. This will create instability for some of Michigan’s universities, as some students could see higher tuition costs and universities could face staffing cuts. The House-passed budget also withholds the state’s full share of Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System Unfunded Actuarial Accrued Liability payments, meaning the following community colleges will see an overall effective rate reduction in funding:
- Wayne County Community College: 10.11% reduction
- Washtenaw Community College: 11.23% reduction
- Monroe County Community College: 9.18% reduction
Between Washington pulling back on Title I and school meals, and House Republicans removing categorical funding from universal meals and major initiatives of our universities, we have much work ahead of us to demand long-term, bipartisan responses, not quick fixes that do more harm than good. I cannot support an extreme budget that disinvests in education and that moves money away from our classrooms while our communities are already being asked to do more with less.
Negotiating the budget for the state is one of the most important responsibilities of the Legislature that is outlined in the Michigan Constitution. Without a school budget passed by the July 1 deadline, our schools are planning in the dark for their next fiscal year. I believe that this uncertainty about the funding our schools have for critical programs like universal free meals, special education or rural transportation is irresponsible and indefensible. Michigan kids deserve better. This budget process is far from over. I have your back, and I will continue fighting for the dollars our students need to succeed in and out of the classroom.
Michigan 4-H License Plates Are Now Available to Drivers For Purchase
As a result of my bipartisan legislation that we worked hard to pass last term, drivers can now support Michigan’s 4-H youth by purchasing a special 4-H license plate. A portion of the sale of the new plate will go towards Michigan 4-H Foundation.
More information about the Michigan 4-H license plate can be found here. More information about Michigan 4-H can be found here.
I am committed to being your voice in Lansing and continuing the fight for a healthier and safer Michigan. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with your thoughts, concerns or ideas. I am listening, and I am here for you.
Sincerely,
State Representative Reggie Miller
Michigan’s 31st District
Office Phone: (517) 373-0159
Email: ReggieMiller@house.mi.gov