Hello Friends,

Welcome to my first-ever newsletter as your state representative! I am honored to serve in the 103rd Legislature and represent everyone in the 81st House District.

As the Legislature returned to session on Jan. 8, it was humbling to be sworn in on the House floor of the Michigan Capitol and join the rich history of those who served our state before me.

Michigan State Representative Stephen Wooden is ceremoniously sworn in by Michigan Supreme Court Justice Kyra Harris Bolden.

With the start of my first term, my team is working hard to set up our Lansing office, set our legislative priorities and connect with constituents across our community. My office is reachable by phone at (517) 373-1790 and by email at StephenWooden@house.mi.gov. Please feel free to reach out at any time with questions, concerns or to share your thoughts on a particular issue.

I am looking forward to serving our community over the next two years.

Sincerely,

State Representative, 81st House District

Proudly representing parts of the city of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Charter Township, Plainfield Charter Township and all of Ada Township.

In this Issue:

  • Upcoming Time with Stephen
  • Legislative Update
  • Wooden 2025 Priorities
  • Upcoming Community Events 

UPCOMING TIME WITH STEPHEN

Community Coffee Hour

Starting in February, my office will be continuing a tradition set by my predecessor, hosting community coffee hours on the second Friday of every month at Haggerty’s Cafe (1600 E. Beltline Ave. NE Suite 118, Grand Rapids, MI 49525). We will be starting ours at 9:30 a.m. instead of the historically scheduled start at 9 a.m.

Due to repairs at Haggerty’s on Feb. 14, our first Coffee Hour will be Friday, Feb. 21, starting at 9:30 a.m. Normal 2nd Friday every month will continue forward. Please mark your calendar!

This will be an opportunity to meet with me directly to ask questions, share concerns and learn more about what I’ve been up to in Lansing. I hope to see you there!

A graphic of Michigan State Representative Stephen Wooden's Coffee and Conversation that reads "Join State Representative Stephen Wooden, Coffee and Conversation Feb. 21 9:30 to 11 a.m. at Haggerty's 1600 E. Beltline NE, Suite 18 Grand Rapids, Michigan

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

House session is officially underway for the year! I was sworn into office on Jan. 8 and the House has been hard at work since. My office is working full speed ahead on preparing bill introductions that matter to you, getting to know our legislative colleagues and meeting with constituents and other advocates on the issues that matter most.

House committee assignments for the 2025-26 legislative term have been announced and I will be serving as minority vice chair of the Election Integrity Committee and as a member of the Natural Resources and Tourism Committee. I look forward to working with my colleagues on these committees to create meaningful change for Michiganders.

Wooden 2025 Priorities

  1. Housing Affordability: Higher housing costs raise other costs, contributing to our cost of living crisis and hampering economic growth. After spending nearly a decade  in the non-profit housing sector, I’ve learned the challenges facing renters and homeowners alike. I know the hurdles our state housing crisis faces and am ready to offer solutions for working and middle-class families.
  1. Accessible Childcare: As the father to a three-year-old, I understand how difficult finding quality and affordable childcare can be. The lack of affordable childcare is putting pressure on too many pocketbooks and forcing people who want to work to stay home. Let’s expand childcare that’s reliable, high-quality and affordable so we can grow our local economy and build strong communities.
  1. Lowering Prescription Drug Prices: Access to essential medication should not break the bank. I will work to stop prescription price gouging by big pharma and look to implement price ceilings on insulin and other life-saving drugs.

Proposed Changes to MI’s Minimum Wage and Earned Sick Time Laws

As you may have heard, Michigan’s minimum wage, tipped wage credit and sick time laws are set to change this year, due to a Michigan Supreme Court decision last year in response to action the state legislature took in 2018. These changes are set to go into effect on Feb. 21, but the legislature does have the power to pass legislation to address any potential issues.

The House and Senate have each introduced differing proposals on how to address this court decision and bipartisan compromise and discussion is still ongoing. However, on Jan. 16, the Michigan House voted to pass its version of the minimum wage and sick time bills, HB 4001 and HB 4002.

While I am very open to changes and finding a fair compromise on these issues that benefits both workers and small businesses, I ultimately voted NO on these bills as they simply went too far and removed too many important worker protections.

No Vote Explanations:

HB 4001:

  • HB 4001 reduces future minimum wages by almost $1,000 for full-time employees, compared to the scheduled increases in the Supreme Court decision.
  • This bill also cuts servers’ income by failing to increase tipped credit, meaning servers will continue to earn a sub-minimum wage.
  • Many have shared an understandable concern that phasing out the tipped credit could reduce a server’s income if it means tips go away. However, tipping has not gone away in any of the seven states where tipped and untipped workers are guaranteed the same minimum wage. In fact, servers in states where this is the case see up to a 21% increase in total income.
  • This two-tiered system also makes servers vulnerable to wage theft. The US Department of Labor found wage violations in nearly 85% of their restaurant investigations in fiscal year 2021. While not a problem at every restaurant, it is one significant enough that I cannot support a full repeal of the new tipped credit law.

I do see a very important distinction between larger chain restaurants, who can more easily comply with this change and our smaller, local restaurants who face far more difficulty. That’s why I supported an amendment on the floor to stretch out the tipped credit phase out schedule to 10 years for employers with 25 employees or fewer instead of scrapping it altogether. This amendment failed to pass, but I am very interested in seeing provisions like it incorporated in a final compromise.

HB 4002:

  • HB 4002 takes the right to earned sick time away from 1.2 million Michigan workers, by exempting businesses with fewer than 50 employees. That’s simply a bridge too far and something I could not accept.
  • I supported amendments on the floor that would have removed the exemption but given more flexibility to small businesses with providing paid sick time. These were not accepted and so I could not vote for the bill as written.

Like its companion bill, I am very open to changes to the new earned sick-time law. I’m particularly sympathetic to changes to the notice requirements and, much like the tipped wage law, providing greater flexibility to smaller businesses.

Next Steps:

As I mentioned, these bills were the first step in a bipartisan, bicameral negotiation process. While I could not vote for HBs 4001 and 4002, I am ready and eager to find a meaningful compromise, that businesses and workers can all get behind, before the Feb.21 deadline.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Our office is always here to answer any questions, concerns or listen to any thoughts you have on any particular issue. The best way to reach us is by email at StephenWooden@house.mi.gov or give us a call at (517) 373-1790. Our team is working hard to respond to every email and voicemail left with our office in a timely manner.