State Representative Matt Longjohn

1 week ago

Today I read books to children at my former elementary school Amberly Elementary for Reading Month! From 1st to 5th grade, students shared their interests and asked great questions. I’m working in Lansing every day to ensure their state invests in these kids’ futures. ... See MoreSee Less

State Representative Matt Longjohn

4 weeks ago

It feels like the first chapter of my service as a State Rep ended at 11pm on Thursday when I voted in support of the bipartisan compromise to make changes to minimum wage, tipped wage, and sick leave policies. The bipartisan compromise, passed by the House with just one hour before court-ordered laws were set to take effect, ensures that all businesses will provide paid sick leave while adjusting for small employers. Businesses with fewer than 10 workers will now be required to provide five days of paid leave, while larger businesses must provide nine. Small businesses will also have until October 1 to implement these changes, and new rules give businesses flexibility in how they track and provide leave.

It’s not just a good time to share information about the deal that was struck, but also seemingly an opportune time to reflect on what I can take away from my first 6 weeks on the job… I might be over-sharing. This is a long post. (TL:DR: I am excited about finding my voice as the only physician legislator in Michigan!) Please read on if you are interested in my thoughts about this first chapter of work, and as always feel free to share your thoughts!

As one of the lowest-ranking minority members of the House, I was completely surprised to play such a direct and substantive role in this process. After I was unexpectedly named to the Select Committee to Protect Michigan Employees and Small Businesses in the first 24 hours after taking the Oath of Office, my team and I jumped at the chance to work on this high-profile committee. It was a trial by fire of sorts, but it was also a great opportunity to get to work as a new legislator.

It became clear to me within a few days there was an opportunity for a bipartisan compromise… But like everyone else, I wasn’t sure we’d get one. Neither of the 3 competing sets of policy language were aligned with what I was hearing in testimony, or from most of the people and organizations I was hearing from in Lansing (and at home). Something in the middle of these 3 proposals was needed.

At the same time, I realized my voice as a health systems expert was completely missing—and needed—in the debate. There were predictable long-term health effects and costs associated with all of these policies, but no one was talking about them. For example, the original House Bill proposed to exempt 96% of employers from providing paid sick leave benefits, which would leave 1.2 million working Michiganders without these benefits. My analysis of the available research was the result would be fewer health screenings, higher long-term rates of illness, and higher health care costs.

I was able to repeatedly make the point the House Bill would cost Medicaid and taxpayers dearly in the long run. I introduced amendments multiple times, gave committee and floor speeches, met with Rs and Ds in the House (and Ds in the Senate), and participated in press conferences where I spoke to these concerns. When my first amendment failed, I cast procedural votes in Committee which moved the deeply flawed House Bill forward even while I was harboring hopes I’d get other chances to improve it. I offered an amendment again on the Floor, and when it was also scuttled using purely political procedures, I voted against the Bill on substance to provide the Senate with as much negotiating power as possible.

Throughout this process, I remained focused on one goal: ensuring Michiganders get the paid sick leave they need to take care of themselves and their families without fear of losing their jobs or cutting their income. I am only one of 110 members of one-half of one-third of Michigan’s government, but I’m more confident than ever my laser-focus on peoples’ health and quality of life will be useful in Lansing. While my early amendments failed, and I realistically have very little power in the House, I believe these actions contributed in small ways to getting the right arguments “in the room” for negotiations. And at the end of the negotiation process, the things I was fighting for all along were indeed baked into the deal. The result is the vast majority of Michigan workers will now have sick leave benefits.

I learned a TON in the past 6 weeks. Much of what I learned was just the basic stuff: how to navigate the capitol and the committee process, how to draft and submit amendments, how to work with the communications and policy teams in the House to make a speech on the Floor or at a press conference, etc. I’ve also learned how to implement things I talked about on the campaign trail: how to convene groups of constituents with varying perspectives to weigh in on complex policy issues affecting our community, how to get in front of my Republican colleagues in the House to seek common ground, etc. But the thing I’m most happy to have found in this process is my voice as a legislator.

This is the first of many times I will work to ensure workers in Michigan get the protections and representation they deserve—because everyone deserves to live their healthiest possible life. ... See MoreSee Less