“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
January 9, 2024
Dear Neighbor,
During our Lame Duck period, the entire Michigan House Republicans led a protest by walking off the floor to boycott the rapid passage of numerous bills that would harm Michigan residents. Due to the fact that some Democrats joined the entire Michigan House Republican Caucus in this protest, there was a denial of the required quorum needed to pass some horrendous bills. This boycott defeated an avalanche of terrible policies that Governor Whitmer surely would have ended up signing into law.
Here are a few of the worst bills we defeated:
As we begin a new term, Republicans have been elected by the people of Michigan as the Majority Party in our State House of Representatives. Regardless of who is in the majority or minority, I shall continue to actively uphold my oath to the Constitution and honor my promise to report every single vote and reason. In addition, I shall continue to work tooth and nail to prevent bad bills from passing, repeal harmful laws and pass policies that are in the best interest of Michigan residents, so help me God.
My intent in this new term is to serve on the Oversight Committee to launch State-Level Investigations into the Oxford School Shooting, weaponization of state government, threats to homeland security and issues of foreign influence. This will entail the use of subpoena power to call into question the actions and motives of public employees, department heads, and statewide office holders as it applies to nefarious activity. I will let you all know which committees I am appointed to serve on as soon as I’m notified.
In God We Trust,
Representative Josh Schriver
For the sake of full transparency and accountability, I am one of only 8 out of 110 State Representatives in Michigan to report every single vote I make with a reason for each vote. There are links at the bottom of this newsletter with an archive of all my votes and reasons since Day 1.
Here are my final votes in 2024:
SB 40, 962, 975, 976, 981: Expand Unemployment Benefits
(NO) These increases in weekly benefits will put a greater strain on the UIA Trust Fund leading to a greater chance of insolvency and required federal borrowing which took years to pay off the last time we borrowed. Ghosting continues to be a problem for employers and this will only encourage this activity if there is not sufficient encouragement to return to work or other accountability measures.
PASSED 58-51, 56-53, 56-53, 56-53, 56-53
SB 353, 880, 881, HB 6075: Expand Michigan Energy Assistance Program (MEAP)
(NO) Throwing more money at energy assistance does nothing to address the root cause of a customer's inability to pay their bills – high rates. This package dramatically expands eligibility for who can receive funding under the program, raising rates for those of us who pay for our own energy out of pocket.
PASSED 57-50, 56-52, 58-49, 58-51
4095, 4096, 5549, 5659, 5660: Statewide Safety Mandates for Public/Private Schools
(NO) Many schools already have effective safety mandates in effect. Some local public school districts oppose state mandates to change the programs and language they already use in conjunction with local law enforcement. Moreover, this program places unreasonable mandates for Christian private schools who use Christian counselors to instead use “state approved” psychologists that may not fit the culture of Christian private schools. The most effective means to stop violence in it’s tracks and preventing it from occurring in the first place is for school personnel to be allowed the voluntary ability to conceal carry (i.e. “Sentinel Program”) as well as allowing law enforcement and school resource officers to have presence in the schools. These measures are proven to prevent violence from occurring. Moreover, public schools must place an emphasis on building character, instilling moral principles, and teaching the value of every human life.
PASSED 94-15, 93-16, 57-51, 89-19, 57-51
6088: Remove Ability for Wayne County Municipalities to Opt Out of Regional Public Transportation Authorities
(NO) Local municipalities opted of this program out for a reason, and they should not be forced into this system they do not want to participate in. Automatic lifespan caps can ensure voter reauthorization and approval…removing them is a bad idea.
PASSED 56-52
5368, 5369, 4532: Stricter Structure Requirements for Lead Abatement
(NO) These changes will lead to greater enforcement and potential delays for established housing stock as the department will begin enforcing EPA lead abatement requirements. Adding new fees and training when workers are already hard to find will further place employers in a precarious situation in trying to find employees. Requiring local health departments and physicians to refer children over three to the Early On program is problematic as the program is not designed to serve those children.
PASSED 56-52, 56-52, 56-52
5788: Protect First Amendment When Redressing Grievances to Government Officials
(YES) Our First Amendment right to free speech should be protected, and our laws should discourage lawsuits designed to silence individuals who petition their government for redress of grievances.
PASSED 100-8
5882, 5883: Allow Remote Notary
(NO) The use of electronic signatures and technological platforms to create legally binding documents are susceptible to computer hacking and other types of fraud, and should therefore be avoided.
PASSED 91-17, 89-19
4924: Creates “Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act”
(NO) This policy will cause costly conflicts between court rules and state law, resulting in expensive increases for lawyer fees. Moreover, as the utmost subject matter expert on this topic, the Michigan State Bar Association Legislative Committee spoke against this policy, stating major concerns and conflicts between court rules and this proposed change to state law.
PASSED 96-10
5826: Establish “Doula Scholarship Program”
(NO) This is unnecessary and can already be done through an existing appropriation in the budget process. Additionally, there isn’t sufficient information required under the bill to determine the “financial hardship” used to measure who qualifies.
PASSED 56-51
5834/5835: Make “Xylazine” Illegal for “Illicit Use”
(YES) Xylazine is a tranquilizer drug that has been inappropriately manufactured, dealt and used as a street drug, commonly found in fentanyl, leading to death.
PASSED 99-8
5956: Prohibit Insurers From Discrimination
(NO) The federal guidelines on this issue are under “rules” rather than the US Code, and could be subject to change in the future. If more comprehensive or suitable guidelines were released on this subject in the future, Michigan would have to rewrite statute if we wished to align ourselves with the changes.
PASSED 57-51
5825: Codify the “80/20 Rule”
(NO) The 80/20 rule incentivizes insurers to raise premiums as high as possible as to have as big of a pot of money for the 20% rather than find ways to cut costs. The 80/20 rule disincentivizes insurers from spending more than 80% of premium dollars on patient centered expenses. It’s foreseeable that if administrative costs were down in a given year, insurers may spend more than what would be required under this rule.
PASSED 56-52
5654: Require the State to Use “QBS” Selection Program for Architectural Engineers
(NO) More experience doesn't necessarily make a firm more qualified and prevents newer firms from being awarded state contracts. Requiring the department to negotiate with a single firm first removes a powerful negotiation tool that could help save the state money.
PASSED 70-38
5998: Verify Statements in Child Custody Proceedings
(YES) By having verified statements pursuant to Michigan court rules, an individual could be guilty of perjury if making a false claim, which will help ensure honest statements are made in child-custody cases.
PASSED 98-10
6025: Guardianship Assistance Program (GAP) Eligibility
(YES) This helps to have child under the GAP program to be with relatives which might help create a better environment for the child to be in. This allows relatives of a child to receive funding in the program without having to go through process of becoming a foster parent. This aligns the Michigan GAP program with federal changes made in GAP funding.
PASSED 100-8
5431: Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation Act
(NO) This bill creates a system that provides more layers to the appeal process. The current system protects the integrity of the criminal appeal process by limiting monetary recovery to cases in which new evidence results in the individual being released from prison.
PASSED 56-52
5786: Reduce Requirements for Barber Licenses
(YES) Lowering these requirements are a good step in the right direction. Ideally, we would not have state licenses for this profession to begin with. Under these reduced requirements, Michigan can better compete with other states to attract barbers without compromising quality services and talent; most states require less hours than Michigan for licensure.
PASSED 105-3
4860: Township Official Conflict of Interest
(NO) This does not address what happens if a board member fails to disclose the conflict of interest. The current law is working, and township boards shouldn’t have a problem getting unanimous consent when a member conveys a conflict of interest. The State should simply allow charter townships to create their own conflict of interest policy, as is allowed with non-charter townships and cities instead of creating a flawed one-sized-fits-all solution.
PASSED 56-52
5271: Expand Post-Conviction Testing of DNA evidence
(NO) Loosening the standards for granting DNA testing technology does a disservice to the system of trial-by-jury, by implying that juries routinely convict innocent persons.
PASSED 56-52
5741: Mandate High Schools to Teach Students “Stop the Bleed” Curriculum
(NO) The state should not add this as a mandatory requirement to the model core academic curriculum for high schoolers. High schoolers are free to learn this material on their own and schools are free to create voluntary programs to teach this as they see fit. Moreover, if a certain school district desires to adopt this program into their schools as a class, they are free to do so.
PASSED 97-12
5742/5743: Good Samaritan Protections
(YES) This law protects individuals who attempt to save lives via CPR and other life saving methods. We must not punish people who attempt to step into a challenging situation to save someone’s life until they can be seen by paramedics.
PASSED 99-10, 105-4
5945: Local Disaster Relief Agency Board and Fund
(NO) There are already programs available to assist in the construction or repair of local roads or bridges in the event of a disaster. This is a redundant program that is unnecessary and just creates an additional growth of government. The damage to the roads in Houghton County as a result of flooding ended up costing over $30 million. The proposed fund and program in these bills would not be helping for this type of disaster.
PASSED 56-53
5836-5840: Remove Culpability from Human Trafficking Victims
(NO) This law allows “I was human trafficked” as a “get out of jail free card.” This does nothing to actually stop human trafficking. Human trafficking is already illegal and must be eradicated from our state. Law enforcement must continue to bust human trafficking rings to free modern day slaves.
PASSED 56-53, 57-52, 58-51, 60-49, 61-48
5841-5854, 5864: Advance Towards Legalized Prostitution
(NO) The Legislature should not legalize prostitution, period. This bill goes as far as allowing this for 16 and 17 year olds. Sickening. Renaming “prostitution” as “commercial sex worker” is a terrible shift of semantics.
PASSED 56-53
515-517: Redefine and Provide Immunity for Human Trafficking Victims
(NO) Current law regarding these types of criminal prosecutions is sufficient, and no change in law is required.
PASSED 56-53
5985-5988: Allow Retirement Payments to Special Needs Trust
(YES) This bill would allow people with disabilities or special needs to be financially supported as a beneficiary; creating long-term support when family is no longer there. The government should not get in the way of families choosing to put their own hard earned money into this type of trust.
PASSED 90-19
5695: Charge DHHS with Applying to Enroll Michigan in the Ground Emergency Medical Transportation (GEMT) Reimbursement Program
(NO) Not all of Michigan’s local public emergency service providers qualify for these dollars. We should aim to find ways to improve reimbursement for all local emergency service groups.
69-40
5022: Flow-Through Entity Tax Deadline Modification
(NO) With no way to track how many credits will be claimed until they are actually claimed, this makes it more difficult to predict income tax revenues.
PASSED 104-5
6052-6055:
(NO) Why are we rushing through major clean-up changes to Proposal 22-2 related law rather than waiting until there has been adequate time to review how procedures held up during the 2024 General Election? Any election law “clean-up” legislation needs to include increased election integrity changes. Specifically, why are we not addressing the apparent flaw that allowed a Chinese student, who was not a US Citizen and therefore ineligible to vote, to cast a vote that was tabulated and unable to be reversed? The Democrats have decided to introduce notable election law changes following massive defeats for their leadership just days ago. Do we feel it is appropriate for such important debate to be rushed through a lame duck session?
PASSED 56-53
5816: City Charter Commission Elections Timeline
(NO) This allows way too much time to elapse between when the legislative body or its voters call for a city charter commission be created and when the commission members must be elected. It is common practice for these elections to happen simultaneously, which makes this bill moot.
PASSED 56-53
5829: Changes to State Competitive Scholarships
(NO) This bill transfers a defunct program to an unconstitutional department. The Michigan Competitive Scholarship is a worthwhile program. We should award only scholarships to students based on merit and financial need. If the Michigan Competitive Scholarship is being phased out, this act should be repealed completely.
PASSED 56-53
6099-6104, 6106: Captive Reform
(YES) Captives can allow for reduced overhead for the buyer, and easing regulation may incentivize more potential buyers to explore this option.
PASSED 96-12
5798-5801: Create the Money Transmission Modernization Act
(NO) Some of the regulatory powers granted within 5798 are quite expansive, and it is a mistake to give the Director of DIFS such latitude.
PASSED 56-53
4757/4758: Increases Retailers Liquor Discount & Limits License Renewal Review
(YES) Increasing the discount will provide the opportunity for smaller retailers to be more competitive. Some liquor store owners argue the 17% discount is not in line with what other states have, and large retail stores are able to sell liquor at state minimum prices since they make profit through other types of sales.
PASSED 103-6
5428, 5873, 6219:
(NO) Funding for state park operations has steadily increased since the Recreation Passport program replaced daily and annual state park passes in 2010, from approximately $60 million in 2015 to over $100 million in the current fiscal year. By providing the “opt out” check box vs the current “opt-in” some people may inadvertently have to pay the increased fee when they do not want the Recreation Passport, particularly on every vehicle in their household.
PASSED 56-53, 56-53, 76-33
5636: Licensing of Freestanding Birthing Centers
(NO) This is another additional licensing structure that only grows more government intervention into healthcare. Requiring an employer to push vaccinations, including COVID-19, isn't something that should be included within the scope of this bill. As you must already be licensed in these disciplines to practice, licensing the facility and micromanaging their operations isn't necessary.
PASSED 56-53
4547: Increase Marriage License Fee
(NO) Why would we increase the fee to obtain a marriage license? If anything we should be lowering this fee, remove any barriers to marriage, and work to lower divorce rates to create and sustain more Michigan families.
PASSED 56-53
5694: Permits Insurers to Offer Value-Added Products or Services Related to Property and Casualty or Life Insurance
(YES) Many of the factors listed as criteria could be beneficial for individuals in multiple ways. The bill allows, but does not require, insurers to offer the products, and for free or at a discounted price.
105-4
5938: Mandate Payments to Dentist and Dental Therapists by Private Health Plans and Dental Care Corporations
(NO) Private insurers should not be dictated to on their choice or method of reimbursement.
PASSED 80-28
5283, 5284: Health Information Exchange and Health Data Utility
(NO) Transition to a state HDU model is a newer concept and it may be advisable to collect data on other states that have already started the transition to ensure we get this right. Cybersecurity risks are always a concern and there is no surefire way to stop them as health records continue to be targeted by data thieves.
PASSED 61-48
5616: Allow Doctors to Give Remaining Medication to Patients After Clinical Use
(YES) Any patient that has already been prescribed and paid for medication necessary for their continued care after these procedures should be allowed to leave with it.
PASSED 108-1
5371/5372: Medicaid State Plan for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics
(NO) There is already a federal program, this is not needed at the state level.
PASSED 68-41, 77-32
5785: Ease Regulations for Limited License Psychologists
(YES) This would treat Limited License Psychologists the same as other master’s level clinical degrees in the state by not requiring career long supervision. This will help provide needed additional mental health services, especially in underserved areas.
PASSED 91-18
All 2023 VOTES & REASONS: CLICK HERE
All 2024 VOTES & REASONS CLICK HERE