LANSING – State Representative Andy Schor (Lansing) said today that Gov. Rick Snyder covered a lot of ground in his State of the State address last night, but because he didn’t give a lot of detail, there are still big questions to be answered about his proposals.
“The governor hit on many big issues that families are concerned about like schools, jobs and the importance of funding our transportation infrastructure, but the devil is in the details, which were not provided last night. After the tax increases on middle-class families passed last year, we need to try to mitigate additional burdens on these folks,” said Schor. “It won’t be fair if he plans to tax the middle class more to pay for his programs while letting corporations off the tax hook, as has happened in recent years.”
In his State of the State address, Snyder called for bipartisanship in the Legislature, but Schor said that the rhetoric is not enough.
“After the actions of lame duck last year, Gov. Snyder must back his words with actions. The legislative members of his Republican party must be willing to work with Democrats as well, and not just count on us for tough political votes, then roll over us on other legislation that we have concerns about,” said Schor.
Snyder also called for changes to Michigan’s No-Fault Insurance law. Last year, Republicans proposed so-called reforms that would have imposed lifetime caps on auto injury benefits. In his nearly one-hour speech, Snyder did not mention middle-class tax cuts, relief for seniors who now pay taxes on retirement income or restoring $2 billion in education funding. Nor did he mention ensuring that insurance companies reduce their rates.