Rep. Josh Schriver: Pre-General Election Intel
Official Newsletter: Representative Josh Schriver
“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
October 4, 2024
Dear Neighbor,
Due to the strict periods where Representatives cannot use office resources (such as this email newsletter) during election seasons, this must be my final email to you all before the General Election on November 5, 2024.
Last month, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson asked Michigan residents to report “election misinformation” to her office. In addition, she threatened any officials who vote against certifying election results. What happens if illegal immigrants are caught participating in the election or ballots are cast without signature verification? What if the precincts are out of balance? What if not certifying the results is necessary when fraud is detected?
The Secretary of State has not clearly defined what protocols members of the Board of Canvassers should follow if fraud is detected. As Michigan’s top election administrator, Benson is required to work in a bipartisan fashion to address resident concerns - not deploy a smear campaign against those who have legitimate concerns about significant vulnerabilities within our election systems that could lead to more voter fraud.
Meanwhile, other swing states are cleaning up their voter rolls while our Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson continues to avoid giving clear guidance about properly maintaining our voter rolls. For example - in North Carolina, nearly 750,000 ineligible voters were removed from its voter registration database. Reasons shared: failure to vote in the last 2 federal elections, lack of response to follow-up notifications from the government seeking to confirm their registration, death, felony conviction, requests to be removed, and lack of U.S. citizenship.
You can’t have secure elections unless the voter rolls are maintained properly.
Some questions that we all need answers to:
What are the protocols election officials must follow if fraud is detected? How is it dealt with? Are there any consequences if there is strong evidence to suggest election laws were broken and the case is NOT prosecuted?
How does she define what constitutes “misinformation”?
How many people who have passed away in the last 5 years remain on the voter rolls? What about people who have moved out of state? What about illegal immigrants?
Jocelyn Benson says Michigan’s elections are more secure than ever before. So why hasn’t she provided proof to back up her claims? That burden is on her.
Michigan Legislature Allocates $1 Million to Establish an Anonymous Tip Line for Students to Report Parents Who Don’t Secure Their Firearms In the Home
In the 2024-2025 budget, the state legislature reduced school safety funding by over 90 percent - from $345 million to $26.5 million. This week, the Budget Committee decided to allocate $125 million to help bridge the funding gap. While this will help school districts retain mental health professionals and school resource officers to help keep the schools safe, it’s wrong to sneak in $1M for a hotline to encourage students to “report their parents.”
This was added to the bill at the very last minute, in hopes that no one would catch it. In addition, no floor speeches were allowed in the Michigan House of Representatives, so no public debate could occur before the vote.
Safe storage laws very similar to the one Michigan now has on the books were ruled as un-Constitutional by the Supreme Court in Columbia v. Heller. The courts were very concerned that the law represents more government oversight over what goes on inside the home.
Many are concerned about how the schools will use the data from this “anonymous tipline.” What will the government use the data for? Will it lead to unannounced home visits by Child Protective Services? Will a judge issue a search warrant based on a mere anonymous accusation? Doesn’t this violate the Constitutional rights of American citizens to face their accuser? What about the judicial standard of innocent until proven guilty?
While I am generally supportive of efforts to keep our schools safe, I will not support bad bills that violate the Constitution - let alone a bill that could set a dangerous precedent and lead to more government surveillance in Michigan.
I am thankful for 10 of my Republican colleagues who had the courage to vote against this; however, I was very disappointed to see so many who swore an oath to follow the Constitution vote based on optics rather than the bill’s merits.
Warning: Post-General Election Bill Flurry
While we have had very few session days this year, many political pundits expect the Democrats to push through 150-200 bills (maybe more) prior to Republicans taking office in January if the Republicans take back control of the state legislature in November.
Here are a few of the bills they could advance:
Legislation to force state employees to affirm gender dysphoria on driver’s licenses, birth certificates and other official government documents.
Hate crime legislation - a very dangerous slope that could lead to more religious persecution down the road in Michigan.
“Voting rights” legislation that could result in the implementation of curbside voting all across the state and severely compromised chain of custody ballot protocols.
Repeal of a law on the books that prohibits MDHHS funding for abortion procedures.
Giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.
I fully expect the usual tactics: last-minute agenda changes - and distributing bills to Republican members of the state legislature without time to review the bills beforehand.
That’s why I need your help to stop these horrendous bills! If you stand with me - please contact Speaker of the House Joe Tate and ask for the following:
3 business days - so lawmakers can have time to review the bills before the vote.
NO taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood.
NO driver’s licenses for those who came into this state unlawfully.
NO official recognition of gender dysphoria on official government documents.
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 most recent votes:
HB 4361: Organ Donor Tax Credit
NO- Instead of providing smaller income tax credits, we should be focused on reducing the income tax rate back down to 3.9%, as was promised by the Legislature and Governor Granholm more than a decade ago. There are many individuals who are unable to donate organs due to health or other issues. They would not be able to take advantage of this tax credit.
PASSED 92-17
SB 926, 931, 934, 933: Compulsive Gaming Prevention
NO- The increased revenue into the Compulsive Gambling Fund is not needed; the revenue could be used for other purposes for the best interest of all Michigan residents rather than this special interest group.
PASSED 58-51, 61-48, 58-51, 58-51
SB 928, 929, 932: MDHHS Budget Implementation
NO- This would transfer the entire costs of a birth to the taxpayers of the state, regardless of whether a father could pay or not. While the amount may seem small in a single year, these costs will only continue to add up annually. Removing this will only ensure a further lack of responsibility for individuals who are unwilling to support their child.
PASSED 56-53, 56-53, 56-53
HB 5328: Increase Retirement Benefits for Judges
NO- Some judges DO receive healthcare benefits from the counties and cities that serve as the trial-court funding units. They simply don’t receive those benefits from the State of Michigan. This bill does not distinguish between the judges who receive healthcare benefits from their local funding unit, and those who do not. Moreover, judges are more highly compensated than the average state employee. A Court of Appeals judge makes approximately $186,500 per year in salary. If a state employee who makes $60,000 per year in salary is forced to purchase their own retiree health care, then a judge who makes $186,500 per year should have to do the same.
PASSED 61-48
HB 5600: Office of Tribal Legislative Liaison
NO- This is unnecessary, the tribes in this state are already consulted and have a strong voice in the legislature regarding legislation that affects them. This is an additional cost to the state for a liaison office. Instead, the relationships that exist with the tribes and the executive branch could be expanded to include the legislature.
PASSED 87-22
SB 834: Increase Public Safety Officer Death Benefits
NO- These decisions should be made locally to most appropriately meet the unique needs of each jurisdiction. This is yet another ineffective one-size-fits-all approach on the part of the State. Local entities are much better suited to make these decisions.
PASSED 104-5
SB 701: Medical Services to Rural Hospital Areas
NO- Updating the census numbers to 2020 will cause two locations to be removed from the pool. Moreover, my bill to repeal the “Certificate of Need Commission” will allow healthcare services to develop and grow based on local demand rather than dependence on an unelected board approval for development and expansion to fit local needs.
PASSED 104-5
SB 237, HB 4906: Use Tax Exemption: Data Centers
NO- This special interest policy will reduce sales and use tax revenue to the state, affecting the School Aid Fund, revenue sharing and General Fund revenue.
PASSED 56-41
HB 5394: Organ Donor Registry w/ Tax Return
NO- This makes it so a form that is filed with an income tax return – which goes to the state – is passed on to a third-party organization for processing in certain circumstances. This could create privacy concerns for citizens that aren't aware of what happens to the form once they submit it.
PASSED 99-10
HB 5682: Tax Exemption for Broadband Grants
NO- Using these tax dollars as a grant for this special interest should be used for important state services that benefit all Michigan residents.
PASSED 103-6
HB 5204: Allow Court of Appeals Judges to Swear-In New Attorneys
YES- Court of Appeals judges should have all the powers of circuit court judges, including the ability to swear in new attorneys to the practice of law
PASSED 109-0
HB 5717: "Joel E. Popp Memorial Highway"
YES- Our law enforcement personnel continually place themselves in danger on behalf of our citizens and state. This highway naming allows us to express our gratitude and appreciation for Trooper Joel E. Popp’s service to this state.
PASSED 109-0
SB 351: Extend "Breastfeeding Antidiscrimination Act"
NO- Some business owners might express concerns about the impact of the bill on their establishments. They may worry about potential disruptions or discomfort among customers, potentially affecting business operations. There are practical challenges of enforcing the bill, especially in terms of defining appropriate spaces for expressing breast milk and ensuring compliance across various types of different public accommodations. This bill also uses the term “birthing person”, which opens the door for biological men posing as women to sue business owners who do not allow them to “pump” in their private establishment.
PASSED 83-26
HB 5583: Allow SOS to Sue for Michigan Campaign Finance Act (Ingham County)
NO- Given the track record of our Secretary of State, the concern here is how the Secretary of State will abuse the powers given under this bill, for political purposes.
PASSED 56-53
SB 790/791: Home Help Caregiver Council, Redefine "Public Employee" (Unionizing)
NO- These bills are about the unionization of workers and will allow for the unionization and consideration of home health worker as public employees. This will put the reimbursements and costs directly under control of an unelected board and future policies will be subject to these decisions. The council will have the explicit authority to collect union dues directly and transfer those to the union if one is formed. The council will be required to send a list of all caregivers to a labor organization assisting with the unionization process.
PASSED 56-53, 56-53
SB 567/568: Mandate Pre-Screen Public School Students for Dyslexia
NO- These bills are overly prescriptive, requiring the use of certain practices and forbidding others. Some schools have already found significant success using LETRS training to prepare teachers for literacy coaching – under the bills, these schools could be forced to abandon this tool in favor of inflexible, state-mandated practices. The lack of funding mechanism outlined in this policy is financially illiterate at best.
PASSED: 100-8, 101-8
HB 5803, SB 911: Lower MPSERS Contribution by 7.06% and Eliminate Employee Healthcare Contribution
NO- Lowering/eliminating these contributions will ultimately result in Michigan taxpayers (again) footing the bill.
PASSED 56-52
HB 5429: Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program
NO- The CASA program already exists in 30 Michigan counties; this bill is not necessary. Also, there is no funding mechanism established for this program. Fiscally irresponsible.
PASSED 96-12
HB 5503, 4017: Gun Control Hotline
NO- This bill allocates money for a hotline for children to report their parents based on the unconstitutional “safe storage law.”
PASSED 98-11
HB 5922: Modify Distribution Requirements from Transportation Economic Development Fund
YES- This is needed to prevent a reduction in funding for Kent County and Macomb County for Transportation Economic Development Fund Category C funding.
PASSED 95-13
SB 935: Repeal “Raise the Age Fund”
YES- This eliminates the Raise the Age Fund, reducing state costs. Moreover, Subsection 400.117i (2) reads, “The state treasurer may receive money or other assets from any source for deposit into the fund.” This repeal prevents corporations such as Black Rock from funding/influencing Michigan’s judicial system.
PASSED 58-51
SB 817: Lock-In Costs for Natural Resource Trust Fund Projects
NO- Natural Resource Trust Fund projects aim to use restricted funds to improve recreational and wildlife opportunities throughout the state. The specific list of projects approved by the Trust Fund Board include trail expansion, park expansion, campsites and similar initiatives. These types of projects take taxpayer funds away from addressing Michigan’s dangerously weak infrastructure, which must be improved in a way that lasts.
PASSED 99-10
All 2023 VOTES & REASONS: CLICK HERE
All 2024 VOTES & REASONS CLICK HERE