Vote Reasons: Budget Cuts and More

House Bill 4161: Bill With Numerous Budget Reforms to Ensure Greater Transparency

YES – This proposed budget-cut includes critical transparency and accountability measures that ensure taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly. This legislation enhances oversight of state spending, strengthens public reporting requirements, and prevents waste, fraud, and abuse.

Key provisions in the bill include:

• Prohibiting government funding of services for illegal immigrants, except for detention purposes.
• Mandating E-Verify for all state contractors and subcontractors to ensure only authorized workers are hired.
• Requiring public transparency on spending, including detailed cost-per-prisoner tracking and quarterly reports on state-restricted fund balances.
• Publishing all state expenditures, vendor payments, and contract allocations online for public access.
• Strict limitations on severance pay for high-ranking officials, with a requirement that severance agreements be reported within 14 days.
• Ensuring state contracts prioritize Michigan-based businesses when competitively priced.
• Mandating performance-based evaluation metrics for department budgets to promote efficiency.
• Requiring courts to make spending data and operations fully transparent and accessible online.

This bill represents a step forward in ensuring greater government transparency while ensuring greater efficiency and accountability in government operations.

PASSED: 59-49

House Bill 4162: Develops a Sustainable Source of Funding for Police, Fire and Emergency Response

YES – This proposed budget cut includes items critical to maintaining public safety, upholding law and order, and ensuring essential services remain fully operational across Michigan. They provide the necessary funding to:

• Keep our prisons fully staffed to prevent security risks and protect both officers and communities.
• Ensure our courts remain functioning, so criminals are prosecuted and justice is served.
• Keep Michigan State Police officers on the streets, safeguarding our neighborhoods from crime.
• Support our state veterans’ homes, ensuring those who sacrificed for our country receive the care they deserve.

PASSED: 59-49

House Bill 4032: Extends Michigan’s Participation in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact

YES – This bill streamlines the licensing process for physicians who are already vetted and licensed in other compact states. By reducing unnecessary bureaucratic barriers, this reform ensures that medical professionals can more easily practice in Michigan, improving access to healthcare for residents.

Michigan currently spends over $500 million annually administering its licensing regulations. By cutting red tape and eliminating redundant processes, this compact saves both time and taxpayer money while maintaining high standards for medical professionals. This compact provides a more uniform and efficient approach to physician licensure, ensuring Michigan remains competitive in attracting top medical talent.

By supporting this reform, we promote greater mobility for physicians, reduce administrative burdens, and enhance healthcare access for Michiganders.

PASSED: 106-1

Committee Work: Homeland Security

Last week, I learned that the Homeland Security Oversight Committee will be conducting 25-30 public hearings on fentanyl, border security, and other critical national security threats. This appears to be an extensive review of state policies that may be jeopardizing our national security, along with concrete plans on how to address these failures.

To support this critical effort, my office has provided the Committee Chair with a comprehensive list of pressing national security concerns, based on two years of in-depth feedback from constituents and subject matter experts. I am eager to work with other committee members to expose weaknesses, hold state departments accountable, and lead to real solutions that protect our country and our communities.

Bill Introduction: Defend the Guard

Last week, I co-sponsored HB 4163 and HB 4164, which is a legislative package aimed at ensuring Michigan’s National Guard service members are not deployed to foreign conflicts without proper constitutional authorization. HB 4163 specifically stipulates that Michigan’s National Guard cannot be activated for overseas duty unless the U.S. Congress has issued an official declaration of war. This measure reinforces the constitutional role of Congress in authorizing military action and seeks to prevent the unauthorized deployment of state forces into foreign conflicts.

Protecting High School Sports

The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) has refused to rescind its policy allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports, despite clear concerns over fairness and the integrity of female athletics. This decision disregards both scientific reality and the fundamental principle of a level playing field for female athletes. My colleagues and I are taking a stand, demanding that the MHSAA immediately reverse this policy to protect the opportunities, safety, and competitive fairness of women’s sports in Michigan.

---

Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter. Please feel free to share this with anyone you’d like to help stay informed. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at JoshSchriver@House.MI.gov.

In God We Trust,

Representative Josh Schriver