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Dear Friends and Neighbors, I hope everyone was able to stay as warm as they could this past month. As a reminder, the Genesee County Government has information regarding being prepared for the extreme cold here. It will also be located in the Resources section at the end of the e-news. As always, it is an honor to represent the residents of the 69th House District and Genesee County. The purpose of this e-newsletter is to keep you updated on my work in Lansing and around our community. With the recent escalation by federal agents in Minnesota, I wanted to make you aware of a resource that the Immigrant Legal Resource Center has regarding your Constitutional rights as it relates to how you may interact with these agents and peacefully assemble here in Michigan: Immigrant Legal Resource Center Know Your Rights Flier Additionally, the Attorney General has created a Federal Action Tracker, which according to the website, “provides information on the Attorney General’s legal actions in response to several unlawful federal policies and orders. The tracker is a helpful resource designed to keep residents informed on significant federal actions and how they impact Michigan residents.” Additionally, there is an option to report any activity involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol in Michigan, if you believe they may be operating in an unlawful way. I want to pass these tools on to you because I hear every day the frustration and anger that so many of my friends and neighbors are feeling with the actions that this administration takes. If you are planning to exercise your Constitutional rights to express these feelings, I want you to be safe when you do so. In between these updates, I encourage you to please follow me on Facebook or Instagram where myself and my office post frequent updates. You can also always get in touch with us, for the time being, through our website, office number at (517) 373-1786 and by email at [email protected]. We are here to serve you. |
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Jasper R. Martus State Representative 69th House District Office: (517) 373-1786 Email: [email protected] |
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In this Edition:
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LANSING UPDATE |
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2025 Budget Work Projects: Court Update As I noted last month, the status of the House Republicans’ effort to slash $645 million in unspent money from the 2025 budget after being reversed by Attorney General’s opinion is that they are filing a lawsuit in the Michigan Court of Claims challenging Nessel’s ruling. After this filing, Court of Claims Chief Judge Gadola granted a preliminary injunction on Jan. 16 that initially blocked the state from spending those funds. He believed that the House’s case would have a likelihood of success on the merits and would suffer irreparable harm absent court intervention. This means that state departments and agencies are prohibited from using any funds that were not already committed by Sept. 15, 2025. The state constitutional question at the center of the House’s argument is whether a single legislative committee can prevent the Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB) from spending funds carried over from the prior fiscal year through multi-year “work project” accounts. They argued that the DTMB lacked the constitutional authority to continue spending the money after the House Appropriations Committee voted to reject those designations. Again, as we noted last month, the Attorney General’s opinion asserted the statute allowing a single legislative committee to block work-project spending violates the Michigan Constitution. The House’s attorneys then argued that the court must intervene in some way to halt the continued spending of state funds as the case was being decided because, if the House was to win, that money spent could not be reversed. Since then, earlier this month on Feb. 5, the Michigan Court of Appeals denied the DTMB’s request for immediate appellate review of the Court of Claims’ January decision. The question the DTMB tried to pivot was with regard to who has the constitutional authority over the funds that had not already been spent, which was revealed to be around $349 million. After the DTMB filed another appeal, this time with the Michigan Supreme Court, they ruled on Feb. 9 that they were also not persuaded to review the matter until the Court of Claims reaches a final decision. As this case continues to develop, our office will be sure to keep you updated on the status of this case. Demystifying Data Centers At many of my recent coffee hours and in my district inbox, many of our friends and neighbors have reached out to me regarding my thoughts on the recent and rapid investment some communities in our state are making into data centers. These projects support cloud computing, digital storage, and the infrastructure that power much of today’s economy. So, why Michigan? Not only does our state have a regulatory climate supportive of advancing innovation, including SB’s 237 and 238 during the 102nd Legislature, but also is home to sectors experiencing growth or transitions that require a robust digital infrastructure. At the same time, much like my fellow community members, I care about our state’s natural resources and believe that any development must be handled responsibly. These concerns revolve primarily around the existing topics of ratepayer affordability, resource management and corporate stewardship. The Department of Energy estimates that in 2023 alone nearly 4.4% of total electricity consumption came from data centers. These figures are expected to rise to anywhere between 6.7% to 12% of the total by 2028. In Michigan, our Attorney General has petitioned for a rehearing on the ex parte contracts awarded by the Michigan Public Service Commission to the state’s largest utility providers, DTE and Consumers Energy. This mitigation targets the lack of transparency seen during the contract’s deliberation. Notably, the AG aims to “verify DTE’s claims of affordability benefits to its ratepayers and that servicing this customer will cause no increase in electric rates for their existing customers,” along with further protections for ratepayers should the project void its contract. Environmental disturbances, including a large depletion of local water supplies, are among the top concerns for state residents. Data from the Brookings Institute suggest that on average a data center uses between 300,000 and 5 million (*for hyperscale) gallons of water daily. In communities across the country, and in 19 Michigan municipalities, the usage far outweighs that of their population which calls into question the mechanisms of accountability structured into the contracts of our soon-to-be corporate citizens. One possible strategy being tried in Pennsylvania is local leaders introducing and approving a community benefits agreement outlining mandatory clean energy alignment, effective noise mitigation and a contribution from each developer and respective center to local economic and community development efforts. For these reservations that many folks have, I agree. However, the necessity for scrupulous review of the burgeoning sector in our state does not outweigh its economic incentive. As an advocate for economic and community mobilization, the national estimates are promising; as government revenues associated with the data center sector increased from $66 billion in 2017 to more than $162 billion in 2023. Because these projects do utilize a lot of water and energy, we need to ensure that the data centers do not negatively impact our climate. It is the mission of my colleagues and I to continue working hard to add additional regulatory safeguards to any legislation that might impact the sector and affected communities. |
DISTRICT EVENT UPDATE |
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Recent Community Events Thank you to those of you who showed up to my most recent coffee hour! I always appreciate getting to hear and connect with constituents. My favorite part of this job is getting out with the community, listening to my neighbors and friends, and hearing what issues matter to them. I’m hosting a series of coffee hours this year, and I invite you all to stop by any of them to express your thoughts on the issues that surround our community. My next coffee hour is on Friday, March 13, at 10 a.m. at the Swartz Creek Senior Center, 8095 Civic Drive #2, Swartz Creek, MI 48473. If you haven’t got the chance to stop by yet, I hope to see you there! Local Spotlight Genesee County Animal Control Rescues 61 Dogs I wanted to take some time here to highlight the work of the Genesee County Animal Control. Last week, Flint Township Police uncovered a tragedy in our community. There were 61 dogs and three cats saved from an abusive household. Sadly, there were an additional 21 animals that did not make it out alive. The Genesee County Animal Control immediately mobilized to take these animals in, give them care and ask the community for help. It is no surprise that our community responded generously with donations, volunteering and care for these animals. If you’d like to learn more about how you can help check out Animal Control’s work here: Genesee County, MI Michigan State University’s James Madison College Announces JMC Academy for Civic Education As a proud alumni of Michigan State University’s James Madison College, I’d also like to pass along this information regarding a new summer program opportunity for rising Michigan high school rising seniors at the new JMC Academy for Civic Education that is now accepting applications. They recently received a $1.3 million federal grant to launch summer civics programs for Michigan high school students and teachers ahead of America’s 250th anniversary. The three-year initiative, called the Academy for Civic Education, will offer intensive seminars around primary sources including the Declaration, the Constitution, Federalist Papers and pivotal speeches that have shaped American democracy. These rising seniors will spend two weeks immersed in college-level seminars exploring American democracy with daily seminars led by JMC faculty, small discussion groups (12-15 students) focused on primary texts, co-curricular programming including field trips and cultural activities in Michigan’s capitol region and a residential college experience living in MSU residence halls. While the priority application deadline for the Summer 2026 program was March 1, application materials submitted after this date will be considered for the waitlist. All applications can expect to receive a decision by April 15. Applications can be found linked here.
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Speaking with constituents at Flushing Area Senior Center, Jan. 5 |
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My Trip to Ontario, Canada, meeting with government and business leaders, Jan. 11-13 |
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Discussing with students at Rochester Christian University with state Rep. Mark Tisdel on the importance of young people getting involved in the political process, Jan. 23 |
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Announcing with U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald-Rivet major funding for the Flushing Police Department, Jan. 30 |
LOCAL SPORTS EVENTS |
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When I’m not in Lansing, I love to get out into the community and attending local sporting events is a great way to do that. Good luck to all of our young athletes this month! |
