LANSING — Oakland County-based members of the Michigan House Democratic Caucus were ceremonially sworn in to serve in the Michigan House of Representatives for the 99th Legislature in 2017-18. The five Oakland County Democratic representatives said that their priorities in office will mirror those of the working families, seniors and students of Oakland County.

“Michigan has a large to-do list, including properly funding our schools and roads and bringing good jobs back to our state,” said state House Democratic Floor Leader Rep. Christine Greig (D-Farmington Hills). “The Michigan House Democrats have always put people at the center of our efforts, and will continue advocating for policies that will makes sure they share in our state’s economic recovery. It’s an honor to serve the people of the 37th House District, and I look forward to serving them in my new role as Democratic Floor Leader.”

While Michigan’s economy has made gains in recent years, it has yet to reach many working people, and median household income in Michigan is growing at half the rate of the national average. Addressing the disparity will be among the House Democrats’ highest goals.

“As our economy grows, we must ensure that all Michigander’s share in the increased prosperity,” 29th state House District Rep. Tim Greimel (D-Auburn Hills) said. “Fighting for working families, seniors and students will be the focus of my third term, because they deserve a strong voice speaking for them at the Capitol. It’s an honor to work for the people of my district and our state.”

State Rep. Jim Ellison (D-Royal Oak), from the 26th House District, said that his priorities will include a plan to bring tax equality to Michigan and make sure our tax dollars are making it back to our local communities.

“Inequality between working families and the wealthy has gotten worse in Michigan. It’s not right that working families contribute a far greater share of their income toward our communities, schools and infrastructure,” Rep. Ellison said. “I will fight to make Michigan a fairer state so middle-class families aren’t penalized for their hard work. I look forward to serving the people of Madison Heights and Royal Oak, and I am always eager to hear their thoughts and ideas.”

The Michigan House Democrats will also work to address our state’s underfunded schools and communities.

“Legislative Republicans have slashed funding to public schools and universities and starved our communities of the funds they need to provide police and fire protection and other vital services,” 27th state House District Rep. Robert Wittenberg (D-Oak Park) said. “I will fight to restore funding to our kids and to our communities, so that our state will once again have schools and cities that are the envy of the rest of the nation. My door is always open, and I am always ready to hear constituents’ ideas and concerns about our state.”

State Rep. Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield), who represents the 35th House District, said he will continue to focus on government accountability and institutional reforms.

“I’m proud to have led a bipartisan effort last term that the House overwhelmingly supported to bring greater oversight to the Legislature and governor’s office, and will work diligently to make sure these bills make their way to the governor’s desk in the 99th Legislature,” Rep. Moss said. “We have institutional flaws in Michigan government that need to be fixed, including our weakened transparency and ethics laws and our partisan redistricting process. I will continue to tackle big reforms that will make our government more accountable to the people in the 35th District and the state of Michigan.”