“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
September 24, 2024
Dear Neighbor,
There are strict periods where Representatives cannot use office resources (such as this email blast) during election season. We are now in a window where I am allowed to send this email out to you, so I wanted to take the time to get you all up to speed as far as my most recent vote record and reasons (below).
Due to the aforementioned rules preventing Representatives from using office communications such as this email blast during most of the election season (July-November), I will return to my regularly scheduled newsletters once the election season comes to a conclusion after our General Election on November 5, 2024.
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:
5803 & SB 911: Lower MPSERS Contribution and Eliminate Healthcare Contribution
NO- This money should continue to go to MPSERS and be put toward paying down the pension system. If we pay that off before 2038, it would free up billions of dollars per year that could go back into the classroom. Reducing the liability for districts does not eliminate the liability – it only shifts it elsewhere. Lowering the cap of school contributions would cost the state approximately $700 million in FY 24-25 alone. The law that implemented the 20.96% contribution cap did not provide for the pension and OPEB system to be treated as separate liabilities - treating them as two separate entities is irresponsible and against the intent of the responsible MPSERS reforms made in the 2010s.
BOTH PASSED 56-52
SB 482: Regulations on Sharps Containers
YES- This will help alleviate the need of frequent disposal of mostly empty sharps containers and reduce medical waste. By allowing longer storage, particularly in low volume usage areas, this lessens the disposal costs on smaller and more rural operations.
PASSED 110-0
SB 449/450: Expand “Social Welfare Act”
NO- Expanding “Social Welfare” using taxpayer funding is a failed function of government, and an unwise use of taxpayer dollars. Churches and other private sector entities are more than capable of addressing these needs that our government is seeking to meet here.
PASSED 104-6
5060: Repeal the Michigan Economic and Social Opportunity (MESO) Act of 1981
YES- Repealing the Michigan Economic and Social Opportunity (MESO) Act of 1981 makes sense because it has proven to be an ineffective means to use the government to address poverty. Michigan’s poverty rate has skyrocketed to 13.3 percent (13th highest in the nation), up from 18th.
PASSED 110-0
5191-5197: Insurance Regulations
NO- 5191: Michigan is unique in many of its insurance policies and issues, and outside groups will not understand the complexities of the issues local Michigan residents face. 5192: Encouraging the sharing of information about fraud to another outside organization could potentially undermine privacy considerations. 5193: Auto insurers are not the same as health insurers. 5194: Including insurance fraud in the definition of racketeering to allow duplicative charging won’t help investigate or prevent insurance fraud. Existing civil and criminal insurance fraud offenses are sufficient. 5195: Creating a misdemeanor and other low penalty option could allow those committing fraud to face insufficient consequences for fraud compared to what they could face currently. 5196: A fine resulting from the DIFS hearing process is enough of a penalty in the circumstances that would apply to this policy. 5197: Existing protocols for fraud investigation are sufficient.
ALL PASSED 106-4
5523: Create the Bureau of Community Services and a Commission on Economic and Social Opportunity
NO- Based on the information included in this program, it appears this will be just as ineffective of an attempt at using the government to address poverty. Taxpayers would be better off with money in their pockets. Michigan’s previous attempt to solve poverty in this manner left us with a poverty rate that has skyrocketed to 13.3 percent (13th highest in the nation), up from 18th.
PASSED 84-26
5827: Unemployment Expansion
NO- This will lead to increased costs for employers as they will now have people drawing off their unemployment accounts for longer periods of time. The current 20-week limitation was implemented due to the problems the UIA system was facing at the time which included both debt and high costs. This start us on a return to that model which would be bad for the state. The state unemployment rate is currently 3.9%, which is lower than the national average of 4%. There is no need to increase the number of weeks that can be collected for unemployment.
PASSED 56-54
SB 571: Prevailing Wage for Solar/Wind Workers
NO- These changes would extend prevailing wage requirements to the private sector for the first time and sets a dangerous precedent for the future. Making contractors and subcontractors submit their payroll records within 10 days to the state is burdensome and adds another layer of bureaucracy that employers will have to deal with. Creating a database within LEO will almost assuredly be used by the department to go after contractors or subcontractors. Prevailing wage on renewable energy projects will make the cost of energy even higher than it already is!
PASSED 56-54
SB 293: Affordable Housing Expansion
NO- If we reduce the overall “pot of money” that is available for housing assistance by allowing more people to qualify, then low-income housing will see a reduction in money available. By expanding housing assistance to middle-income households as well, we are continuing to fuel inflation and driving up the costs of homes, which has caused the “missing middle” crisis.
FAILED
SB 398: Give DEGLE Emergency Authorization Power
NO- According to DEGLE the Morrow Dam issue has already been mitigated. FERC regulated dams are the purview of the federal government. DEGLE currently has the proper authority to enforce activities.
PASSED 56-54
4409: Drug Manufacturing Data Reporting Act
NO- Drug manufacturers are very concerned about the inconsistent nature of the drug transparency laws that have passed around the nation. If Michigan passes a drug transparency law, it will only perpetuate the inconsistency problems that exist today. These reporting requirements are becoming burdensome and could increase costs to consumers as the manufacturers may find a way to pass the cost on through their drug prices.
PASSED 90-20
4728, 5027, 5166, 5167, 5168, 5169, 5170, 5171, 5172, 5173: Expand Medicaid and Remove HIV Test Requirements for Breast Milk Donors
NO- These changes could increase taxpayer payments in both the state Medicaid program and for private insurers. This will create yet another layer of state government and bureaucracy that will likely not solve the issue. It’s important to test something as precious as breast milk for something as dangerous as HIV.
4728 PASSED 103-6, 5027 PASSED 91-18, 5166 PASSED 87-22. 5167 PASSED 101-8, 5168 PASSED 89-20, 5169 PASSED 102-7, 5170 96-12, 5172 PASSED 70-39, 5173 PASSED 99-10
5699-5702: Local Official Term Reform (Term Start Date No Earlier Than December 1st)
YES- These bills are necessary to ensure that the appropriate board of county canvassers has the time necessary to properly certify the results of local races. We shouldn’t rush to swear in any elected official until all due diligence has been done. These bills create more time so that work isn’t rushed.
ALL PASSED 109-0
SB 599: Modify the Term “Medically Frail” for In-Home Placement
NO- This policy will result in an exorbitant increase in taxpayer funding for in-home support, tethers, monitoring, and other accommodations to benefit convicted criminals.
PASSED 60-49
SB 350: “Promise Zone” Development
NO- Based on how this bill it written, it is unclear if the bill would be applied retroactively. This should be clarified. We need to ensure our legislation is clear and that we understand any potential impacts if applied retroactively. Moreover, we shouldn’t be supporting promise zones covering non-essential projects such as study abroad programs.
PASSED 56-53
SB 544/545: Licensing Guidelines/Fees for Dead Bodies in Refrigeration Facilities
NO- These unnecessary government fees/regulations create a series of burdens on facilities such as funeral homes, who may not have sufficient capacity to accommodate new government standards.
544 PASSED 76-33, 545 PASSED 73-36
SB 602: Consumer/Agent Regulations for Right-to-List Home Sale Agreements
NO- This policy will become burdensome on the related State Department (LARA) and likely lead to request for additional taxpayer funding to compensate. If you are buying a home, then you need to read contracts carefully before signing to avoid the issues this bill is seeking to address.
PASSED 103-7
5571-5576: Regulations for Election Petitions
NO- These new substitutes are substantially different than the original legislation. The intent of the package as submitted by the Board of Canvassers is no longer clear. We are making changes that take the certainty out of the process and regulations. This will cause legal issues as things are challenged in court. We should not have unelected political action groups (i.e. Voters Not Politicians) writing our laws.
ALL PASSED 56-54
5683/5684: Occupational Licensing Reform for Cosmetologists and Estheticians
NO- This policy further steeps yet another non-governmental sector in the murky muck of government licenses. We all saw how government licenses harmed Michigan residents during 2020 when our government used these licenses as grounds to threaten/shut down private businesses in the name of “public safety” during a “pandemic.”
5683 PASSED 107-3, 5684 PASSED 106-4
SB 175: Increased Fines for Failing to Transfer Ownership on Property with Local Assessor
NO- This is a fee increase and there is no need for it. The penalties are too harsh, especially for instances of an individual forgetting to report the required information to the local assessor.
PASSED 56-54
5661/ 5662: Create “Event Online Ticket Sales Act”: Criminalize Buying Tickets with “Bots”
NO- Federal policy has already been enacted to enforce what this bill seeks to accomplish.
5661 PASSED 106-4, 5662 PASSED 98-12
5694: Permit Insurers for Offer “Value Added Products”
NO- The language in this bill is not specific enough to give confidence that there will not be any abuse of this policy by the insurance directors it grants power to. The rules permissions outlined in this bill could easily lead to erroneous and burdensome rules adopted by rogue insurance directors.
PASSED 104-6
SB 393/394: Establish “Environmental Permit Review Commission” (EPC)
NO- Stakeholder groups worked for several years to develop a long-term solution to frustrations with the DEGLE rule-making process and these laws proved that inserting the regulated community into the discussion early, the resulting rules would be much improved for all concerned. In addition, they point to a lengthy record of success by similar boards in the state of Indiana. This current process creates transparency in the rules process and encourages consensus building for effective rule-making.
FAILED
SB 662: Redefine “Normal Lake Level” for Special Assessment Financing
NO- The bill seems to be retroactive with respect to the definition of normal lake levels (Page 3 lines 14-17). Why would that be necessary? It adds confusion for any local bodies to remove the National Geodetic Vertical Datum and replace it with a more regional approach. Have any local municipalities asked for this change? Which ones? We have no record of this. How was $600,000 chosen as the threshold for which principal amounts should be kept subject to the Revised Municipal Finance Act and which should not? This policy leaves us with more issues than solutions.
PASSED 68-42
5733: Authorize Secretary of State to Implement Tolls on Bridges/Tunnels
NO- The Secretary of State shouldn’t be helping toll operators collect revenue. There is an unknown taxpayer cost to the state to implement this program. How can we vote YES on a bill that doesn’t even project how much money Michigan taxpayers will have to put up to support the policy?
PASSED 70-40
SB 150: Remote Hearings for Michigan Tax Tribunal
YES- This change allows the opportunity for a petitioner to participate remotely in a Michigan Tax Tribunal hearing. In-person hearings would still be allowed if agreed upon by all parties.
PASSED 104-6
5817/5818: Museum Authority Tax Exemption
NO- Museums have the ability to support themselves through private donations, user fees, and other revenues. Taxpayers should not be on the hook to support museums many residents will never use. 0.4 mills is an extra $40 a year on a property that has a taxable value of $100,000. Residents are already taxed enough on their property we shouldn’t allow even more property taxes to be levied. While any county can create a history museum authority, those authorities may on fund a history museum in Detroit.
BOTH PASSED 56-54
5507: FY 2024-25 Education Budget
NO- This bill significantly eliminated funding for school safety. My full analysis is included in my earlier vote explanation on this budget found in my publicly available vote explanation archive.
PASSED 56-54
4485/4486/4487: Eliminate Statute of Limitations for Criminal Sexual Conduct
NO- Our legal system relies on evidence and due process, and these bills undermine those fundamental principles. Removing the statute of limitations for such serious offenses will lead to numerous challenges, including fading memories, lost evidence, and difficulties in defending oneself. Imagine if someone accused you of committing sexual assault more than 30 years ago. How would you prove your innocence? These claims will often be impossible to refute, making it exceedingly difficult for people to receive a fair trial.
4485 PASSED 57/53, 4486 PASSED 58/52, 4487 PASSED 56/54
5507: FY 2024-25 General Budget
NO- This budget allocates taxpayer dollars exclusively to non-white business owners ONLY. That’s racist. My full analysis is included in my earlier vote explanation on this budget found in my publicly available vote explanation archive.
PASSED 56-54
5736: Require All Michigan Employers to Display Veteran Benefit Posters
NO- This is just another poster that all Michigan employers must display even if they don't have a veteran working for them. This creates a high chance for many Michigan business owners to be fined for non-compliance with a poster that does not apply to their business. Michigan business owners are currently free to have this poster placed in their business if they so choose.
PASSED 56-54
SB 366: Increased Penalties for Natural Gas Safety Violations
NO- Increasing the maximum penalty for natural gas violations from $10,000 to $200,000 is an unreasonable and over-the-top twentyfold increase.
PASSED 89-21
5568: Office of High-Speed Internet
NO- This expands the size and authority of the state government into the realm of our internet service providers…with little legislative oversight outlined in the policy to ensure accountability.
PASSED 56-54
4414: Require DTMB to Publish Digital Literacy Resources
NO- This is something that can be done at any time – based on the language included in this bill, it is unclear why we need a law directing a department to take actions they are already authorized to do.
PASSED 56-54
5724: Attempt to Scrub Publicly Available Personal Information of Judges
NO- This bill seeks to accomplish something impossible in nature (scrubbing the internet). I do agree that requiring public display of home addresses for elected officials can put elected officials in harms way, but this bill seeks to address this problem in a way that is not possible to fulfill, due to the nature of the internet (blogs, social media, etc.).
PASSED 81-27
5056/5058: Create 4-H Foundation Fundraising License Plate
YES- This policy will provide the Department of State (DOS) with an increase in funding to the Transportation Administration Collection Fund (TACF). Section 811e of the Michigan Vehicle Code requires the payment of a start-up fee, typically paid by the receiving organization, to the secretary of state to cover the costs of developing and producing a new fund-raising plate and directs the fee revenue to be deposited into the TACF. The start-up fee amount for each year is required to be calculated every January by taking the three-year average cost to DOS of developing a new fund-raising plate, for 2023 that fee is $90,000. Any fee revenue deposited into the TACF more than the cost of development would remain in the TACF, which supports the department’s vehicle registration and licensing operations.
BOTH PASSED 109-1
5429: Appoint CASAs (Court Appointment Special Advocates)
NO- There is no funding mechanism for this proposed state-level program. How can we vote “YES” on a policy that doesn’t detail how taxpayer dollars will pay for it? Moreover, 30 Michigan counties have already opted in to this program and others are free to do so if they have a problem this program would solve.
PASSED 99-11
4921/5726: Automated Speed Enforcement Devices in School Zones
NO- It is unclear how this video surveillance system could identify the driver of the vehicle in question. In Michigan, speeding tickets are issued to drivers, not to registered owners of vehicles (drivers are assessed points for speeding violations). Implementing this technology will create a burden on law enforcement, as personnel will be required to inspect and verify evidence created by the cameras. A third-party vendor who installs and uses the speed detection system may be required to testify in court on the accuracy of their system when a ticket is challenged in court. Data storage will be expensive and the exact cost of this program for Michigan taxpayers has not been laid out.
PASSED 60-40
5056/5058: Create 4-H Foundation Fundraising License Plate
YES- This policy will provide the Department of State (DOS) with an increase in funding to the Transportation Administration Collection Fund (TACF). Section 811e of the Michigan Vehicle Code requires the payment of a start-up fee, typically paid by the receiving organization, to the secretary of state to cover the costs of developing and producing a new fund-raising plate and directs the fee revenue to be deposited into the TACF. The start-up fee amount for each year is required to be calculated every January by taking the three-year average cost to DOS of developing a new fund-raising plate, for 2023 that fee is $90,000. Any fee revenue deposited into the TACF more than the cost of development would remain in the TACF, which supports the department’s vehicle registration and licensing operations.
PASSED 107-1
5535/5536: Pawn Broker Resale Rate Increase
YES- By modestly increasing the interest rate from 3 percent to 5 percent, law abiding pawn shops can remain competitive in the finance industry and bridge the gap between legal business and illicit practices.
5535 PASSED 88-22, 5536 PASSED 90-20
4613: Extend Temporary Licenses for EMTs/Paramedics from 120 Days to 1 Year
YES- This bill has just returned from the Senate with a few clarifying changes to resolve a few conflicts regarding how this policy will work for EMTs/Paramedics seeking to upgrade their temporary license to a full license. There is a shortage of EMTs and paramedics, this will allow individuals to help fill needed roles while they finish their licensing requirements. Extending the timeframe of a temporary license will allow those wishing to be EMTs and paramedics more time to satisfy the requirements to become fully licensed.
PASSED 110-0
4723: Create License Plate for Merchant Shipmen
NO- Adding additional plates further increase the administrative cost to the SOS.
PASSED 104-6
4331/4332: Blight Remediation
NO- Using taxpayer dollars to fix up land won’t solve the underlying “people problem” causing properties to be abandoned/blighted in the first place.
PASSED 96-14
SB 716: Historic Plates
YES- This gives historic vehicles the same option to have a personalized license plate that other vehicles are eligible for. This provides greater freedom for individuals to customize their historic vehicles. This could bring additional revenue into the Michigan Transportation Fund for road and bridge repairs.
PASSED 110-0
5635: Name Portion of US-131 as “Sgt. Matthew Webber Memorial Highway”
YES- Our military personnel put their lives on the line to keep us safe at home. This highway naming allows us to express our gratitude and appreciation for Sgt. Matthew Webber and the ultimate sacrifice he made dying to protect our country.
PASSED 110-0
5826: State Funding for Doulas
NO- This is unnecessary and can already be done through an 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 57-53
All 2023 VOTES & REASONS: CLICK HERE
All 2024 VOTES & REASONS CLICK HERE