“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” -2 Timothy 1:7
February 11, 2024
Committee Appointments
I was appointed to serve on four committees/subcommittees, including a vice chairmanship:
Weaponization of State Government (Vice Chairman)
Foreign Influence and Homeland Security
Technology and Communication
House Oversight
One of the biggest obstacles to efficient and effective public services in Michigan is a lack of good legislative oversight. We must ensure the constitution is followed, current laws are enforced and fraud, waste and abuse is exposed/expunged. My committee appointments will put me in a position to use subpoena power to bring in bad actors, ask hard hitting questions, and get to the bottom of why Michigan is considered the most corrupt state in America. Trust in our government is at an all-time-low. This must change right now.
The primary job of House Oversight is to hold state department directors accountable. My colleagues and I will be conducting perhaps the most significant audit of our government in recent memory.
We face a situation where your tax dollars are funding benefits for illegal aliens. We have inaccurate voter rolls that lead to election fraud. We have a ton of terrible customer service issues within our State Departments. We have violations of state law by our own government officials with zero consequences. We have a lack of compliance with public record requests. We have a government that has turned into a weapon against her own taxpaying residents. The time to turn the tide is now and I’m ready to be your voice fighting against corruption, regardless of personal expense.
Sick Leave and Minimum Wage Issue
Service industry workers and business owners both rely on the “tip credit” and “earned sick time” for their income. The tip credit is a special exception to the minimum wage where restaurant servers, bartenders, and others get paid less than the minimum wage in exchange for being able to accept tips. Those workers often end up making far more than the minimum wage under this system, and the local bars, restaurants and cafes can afford to keep more people on staff.
But last year, the Michigan Supreme Court issued a terrible ruling that would eliminate tipped wages for restaurant servers and force them all to make just minimum wage. It also created a one-size-fits-all mandate for earned sick time policies in the workplace that would force some businesses to adopt worse policies than they offer right now. It makes no sense, and many workers do not like these changes. Thousands of working people have come to the Capitol to protest and ask for lawmakers to change it back and fix this mistake.
A recent survey of Michigan restaurant servers found more than 80 percent want to keep the tipping system in place, rather than yielding to the Supreme Court decision.[1] Another survey of Michigan restaurant operators found that if the tipped wage is eliminated, more than 92 percent of restaurants would have to raise their menu prices, 66 percent would have to lay off some of their workers, and 20 percent would be forced to shut down.[2] Some even considered switching to carry-out only.
The court’s decision aims to decimate Michigan workers and businesses. If the House didn’t act before the February 21 deadline, the Supreme Court decision will take effect as-is and we could see tipped wages eliminated, harming employees who rely on tips for their income. The proposed one-size-fits-all paid sick leave mandate would also devastate business owners by forcing them to comply with complex rules, adding significant costs and red tape, and reducing benefits for workers. The impact of inaction would be catastrophic for Michigan’s economy, especially for hourly workers and small business owners who are the backbone of our communities.
Legislative Response
The above court ruling is a ticking clock on all these people’s jobs and livelihoods. We needed to do something immediate to solve this now and fix this law before people start losing jobs, taking home less pay or businesses start shutting their doors.
The House should have solved this crisis months ago, but it was not important to the previous Speaker, whom I met with over 2 years ago to discuss how important it was to solve this problem before it was too late. We pushed and protested for action, but the previous Speaker refused to hold a vote on a solution. Now that the power has recently shifted in this new term, we worked as quickly as we could to create and pass a viable solution.
On the first day of the 2025-2026 term, our new Republican majority introduced HB 4001 and 4002. On February 4, we successfully passed these bills out of the House with 57 of 58 of Republicans voting YES.
These bills now move to the Michigan Senate and I’m working to help ensure they are passed quickly.
This term, I will work hard on behalf of Michigan families to address other important issues, including lowering the cost of living, holding bad actors accountable, improving government transparency, fixing our election systems, and restoring law and order to our communities.
HB4001: PASSED 63-41, HB4002: PASSED 67-38.
Other Votes
HR1: Motion to Select Matt Hall as Speaker of the House
YES - Speaker Hall made several substantial changes to the House rules that I requested, including giving all legislators complete autonomy to hire their own office staff without threat of punishment/removal, and prohibiting lobbyists from circulating on the House floor.
I look forward to working with him to advance good conservative public policy, pass bills to repeal harmful laws our Governor recently signed, and hold state department leaders accountable.
PASSED: 110-0
HR2: Motion to Select Rachelle Smit as Speaker Pro Tempore
YES - Rachelle Smit has a strong conservative voting record. She has been a very strong supporter of efforts to hold our state’s top Law Enforcement Officer accountable for violations of Michigan election law. Example: many fraudulent voter registration applications that were submitted. Our Attorney General decided not to press charges.
Also, she has an impressive track record as a municipal clerk. I have full confidence she will lead sessions on the House floor with integrity.
PASSED: 110-0
HR3: Motion to Nominate House Clerk Scott E. Starr.
YES - I believe Scott will be a great addition as Clerk of the House of Representatives.
PASSED: 110-0
HR14: Requires Greater Transparency on How Your Tax Dollars Are Spent
In 2022, a $20 million earmark was awarded to an ally of our Governor. The Detroit businesswoman used the funds to purchase a $4,500 coffee maker, an $11,000 first-class international plane ticket, and $408,000 in salaries for herself and one other employee.
The budgeting process is broken, and it’s time to fix it.
This new legislative rule will:
Require earmarks in the state budget to be publicly disclosed weeks ahead of the final budget approvals.
Force lawmakers to clearly define the public good of the project.
Prohibit for-profit entities or newly hatched nonprofits from receiving earmarks.
Require the bill to include the name of the legislator requesting funding.
This is a significant step in the right direction as the Republican majority works to rebuild public trust in our state government. Long overdue!
PASSED: 105-0
Coming Soon
Senate Bill 1: Requires the Governor’s Office to Comply with Public Record Requests
Currently, Michigan is one of only two states in the nation that do not require the Governor’s office to comply with public record requests. According to the Center for Public Integrity, Michigan ranks nearly dead last for anti-corruption measures for government officials.[3]
Thankfully, there is a bill package in the Michigan Senate that appears to be a significant step in improving Michigan’s reputation for government transparency and accountability. Senate Bills 1 and 2 would require the Governor’s office to comply with public record requests. This just passed the upper chamber.
My office is currently reviewing this legislation to identify any changes that need to be made to ensure it will be effective.
Bills Co-Sponsored
Recently, my office co-sponsored an initiative to prohibit the Department of State from registering illegal immigrants to vote in Michigan. In addition, I co-sponsored another bill to give control over large-scale solar farms right where it belongs: in the hands of local zoning boards.
I appreciate you taking the time to read my update. Please feel free to share this information with any of your neighbors, family, friends and co-workers so they can stay up-to-date on what’s happening in Michigan government. As always, feel free to reach out any time via JoshSchriver@House.MI.gov.
In God We Trust,
Representative Josh Schriver
All 2023 VOTES & REASONS: CLICK HERE
All 2024 VOTES & REASONS CLICK HERE