LANSING — This week, Republican legislators are considering efforts to strip away critically important benefits for retired police and firefighters, such as health care. In response, state Representative Terry Sabo (D-Muskegon) issued the following response:
“As a former police officer and firefighter, I stand with my first responders and will absolutely fight to protect the retiree health care benefits they earned. I know what they face every day on the job, and I know the consequences they face when they’re injured. We can’t run out on the people we expect to protect and to save us when we’re faced with the worst possible situation. Any proposal that would punish our first responders to make up for the state’s underfunding of local units of government is wrong. Instead, we should focus on the recommendations of the governor’s own task force that offers common sense reforms without gutting first responder health benefits.”