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
- Legislative Update
Weekly Wrap-Up with Witwer
Please keep an eye out on my Facebook page for upcoming Weekly Wrap-ups scheduled in the coming months.
In-District Update
June Teacher of the Month- Sallie Guy
Congratulations to our June Teacher of the Month, Sallie Guy! Sallie is an elementary school teacher at Lockwood Elementary in Eaton Rapids. To quote Sallie’s nominator, “Sallie is always on top of it. She makes the environment fun yet conducive to learning and the kids are excited to be there. This is very important in the first years of school when a child’s impression of school is still forming. Our child has excelled under her lead, and we are grateful to have had her teach and care for him.” Congratulations again and thank you for all that you do for your students!
Awarded the 2024 Legislator of the Year Award by the Police Officers Association of Michigan
I was recognized as a 2024 Legislator of the Year by the Police Officers Association of Michigan, alongside my colleagues in the House, State Representative Nate Shannon, State Representative Alabas Farhat and State Representative Graham Filler. Supporting our police officers has been a top priority of mine throughout my time in the legislature. Police officers risk their lives every day to keep our communities safe from harm. Their dedication to service is truly commendable. Thank you to the Police Officers Association of Michigan for this recognition!
Road Work Alert:
The Michigan Department of Transportation is rebuilding the I-69 Business Loop (BL) (Cochran Avenue) bridge over the Battle Creek River in Charlotte, requiring crews to close the roadway until late October.
COUNTY:
Eaton
HIGHWAYS:
I-69 BL (Cochran Avenue)
CLOSEST CITY:
Charlotte
START DATE:
Monday, June 17, 2024
COMPLETION DATE:
Friday, Oct. 25, 2024
TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS:
This work will require closing the I-69 BL (Cochran Avenue) bridge over the Battle Creek River. Please follow the posted detours. Motorists should expect delays and are advised to seek alternate routes.
JOB NUMBERS:
Based on economic modeling, this $2.8 million investment is expected to directly and indirectly support 34 jobs.
SAFETY BENEFIT:
This project will provide drivers with a new structure. Closing lanes and impacted roadways during this type of work is necessary to provide the safest work area possible for crews and motorists.
Construction gear at the groundbreaking of the McLaren Delta Township Emergency Department at Ambulatory Care Center.
Participated in McLaren Groundbreaking Ceremony
I had the honor of participating in the groundbreaking ceremony for the new McLaren Grand Ledge Delta Township Emergency Department and Ambulatory Care Center opening in the fall of 2025. Upon completion, this facility will be 34,000 square feet with 17 exam rooms and full imaging capabilities. There will be 5 new primary care providers and rotating specialists working in the new facility. Currently, residents in Grand Ledge and the surrounding area have to drive 20 minutes to reach the nearest emergency care center. In critical situations, 20 minutes can be the difference between life and death. That is why it is exciting to see this new McLaren project coming to our district and to be able to celebrate the work that is being done to expand access to healthcare in the region.
Welcomed Eaton Rapids Teen Space to the Capitol
I welcomed students from the Eaton Rapids Teen Space to the Michigan State Capitol. I always enjoy the opportunity to show constituents from Eaton County around our beautiful building and to share with them the history of our state. If you plan to take a tour of the Capitol, be sure to reach out to my office!
Legislative Update:
State Rep. Angela Witwer delivers a speech on the House floor on June 27, 2024.
FY25 Passed Budget
On Thursday morning, the legislature passed a transformational FY25 budget. I’m grateful to have overseen the budget process as chair of the House Appropriations Committee.
Our passed budget delivers on key priorities, including a Public Safety Trust Fund and a Revenue Sharing Trust Fund, which will inject millions of new dollars into our communities to fund the services we rely on and our roads. We invested in grants for law enforcement agencies for basic training and academy scholarships. We are also protecting the future of our rural communities and our food supply through continued investments in Future Farmers of America and other programs, and so much more.
By putting our people first and investing in hometowns across the state, we’re making Michigan a place where everyone can be proud to live, work, play and raise a family.
Session
In addition to the budget passing the legislature, a few other bills voted on this week include:
- Senate Bill 350 (Bayer)- This bill would amend the Michigan Promise Zone Authority Act to expand the definition of “qualified educational expenses” that could be covered under an authority’s promise zone development plan. Currently, the act defines qualified educational expenses as institutional tuition and fees, books, supplies and course-required equipment. The bill would expand qualified educational expenses to include the following: the cost of housing and food; transportation expenses; federal student loan fees; miscellaneous expenses that could include a personal computer; an allowance for childcare or dependent care; disability-related costs; cost to obtain a license, certification or professional credential; and study abroad program costs.
- Senate Bill 602 (Hertel)- This bill would amend the Occupational Code to specify conditions under which a right-to-list home sale agreement between an owner of residential real estate and a real estate broker would be void and unenforceable. The bill specifies that a right-to-list home sale agreement would be void if the agreement were for a period of more than two years and if it did not include an option for the owner to terminate the agreement before its expiration date for an amount of consideration payable to the broker that was not more than the initial consideration the broker paid to the owner with interest. A right-to-list home sale agreement would not include a service provision agreement. The bill also would subject a real estate licensee who entered into a void and unenforceable agreement to certain penalties, including revocation of a license, an administrative fine of not more than $10,000, restitution, and probation.
- Senate Bill 662 (Bayer)- This bill would would amend the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA) to modify the definition of a normal lake level for an inland lake as well as to provide for certain actions that may be taken in regard to financing projects to maintain the established normal level of that lake. The bill would amend this definition so that normal level would mean the target level or levels of the water of an inland lake, around which actual levels may fluctuate. The bill would also allow the normal level to be based on ranges based on tolerance, operational or weather conditions, seasonality, or other similar natural or regional considerations.
- Senate Bill 599 (Geiss)- This bill would amend the Corrections Code to allow a medically frail prisoner to be released on medical parole to a placement other than a medical facility as long as the placement is approved by the parole board and, in certain cases, the parolee is subject to electronic monitoring. The bill also would change the definition of medically frail that applies to this part of the code.
My Sponsored Legislation Signed Into Law This Term:
This bill repeals the retirement tax that has impacted our Michigan retirees living on a fixed income. Now, half a million households with public pensions, private pensions, IRAs, and 401ks with an employer match will all benefit from this law and save about $1,000 a year.
However, HB 4001 does more than repeal the retirement tax. It also quintuples the Michigan working families tax credit match of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to 30%, up from 6%. It will lift 25,000 working families out of poverty and deliver an average combined tax refund of $3,150 to 700,000 families, directly impacting nearly one million kids — almost half the kids in Michigan.
This bill was a supplemental appropriations bill that made historic investments in hospitals and health-care workers, supported home energy solutions, protected our environment, funded affordable housing, and attracted investments in manufacturing.
This bill renames a portion of a Michigan Highway, I-96 in Ionia County beginning at mile marker 76 and extending East to mile marker 77, in memory of Barry Lyn Hause, a road construction worker who tragically lost his life while on the job after being struck by a vehicle.
This newly designated Barry Lyn Hause Memorial Highway stands as a lasting memorial and serves as a reminder to us all to drive safely and to respect the sacrifices made by road construction workers like Barry.
This bill helps prevent the financial exploitation of seniors and other vulnerable adults by allowing broker-dealers and investment advisors to place temporary holds on disbursements of funds or securities when there is reason to believe that financial exploitation of a customer has occurred.
This bill amends a portion of M-50 in Eaton County currently named the “Ensign Francis Flaherty Memorial Highway” to be named the “Ensign Francis Flaherty Medal of Honor Recipient Memorial Highway.”
This bill was the omnibus appropriations bill. As the Chair of House Appropriations, it was an honor to lead the House in listening to our communities to include their priorities. Our district had big wins – wins it has never seen before. Our wins include funding for local roads, sewer infrastructure for continued developments, police support, a new senior center, education support, a new city hall, teen center and much more.