ELSENHEIMER: BUDGET ACTION MUST REINVIGORATE ECONOMY: House Republican Leader calls for reinvestment into priorities, government reform.

As several departmental budgets were sent to conference committee today, House Republican Leader Kevin Elsenheimer called for a commitment by all lawmakers to invest in the economy and reinvigorate the state jobs market, issuing the following statement:

"Now is a unique opportunity to reprioritize state government spending. The budget cuts that are necessary will not be easy or painless, and it is crucial that the top priority of all state lawmakers is job creation through a reinvestment in our economy. Our caucus will continue to look for cost-savings to reinvest in our economy.

"There are programs that we must fund -- and we will -- but there are many programs that we want to fund that economic realities won't allow. Every dollar we are able to save is a dollar we can reinvest and use to reinvigorate Michigan's economy and job creation."

WEEKLY UPDATE

In this Issue:
● FYI Notes
● Jobs Available: Michigan Agricultural Job Fair
● Video Update
● Bi-Weekly Survey
● Michigan Website for Kids Available
● Cormorant Update
● Bellaire Office Hours

Dear Friends,

I want to keep you updated on what is happening in Lansing and how it affects us all in northern Michigan. Therefore, I will be sending bi-weekly e-newsletters containing a legislative update and other useful information. I hope that you will find this information helpful, and if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact my office. Thank you for your time and interest in district events.

Kevin Elsenheimer
State Representative
105th District

UPDATE -- JUNE 12, 2009

FYI Notes

Tributes and Congratulatory Notes
Looking for a unique way to commemorate a special occasion for a co-worker, friend or family member? My office is pleased to offer legislative tributes in honor of a number of noteworthy events such as retirement, anniversaries of businesses in our community, awards and public recognitions. To request an official state of Michigan tribute from my office, please visit www.gophouse.com/elsenheimer.htm, select "Recommend someone for a congratulatory certificate" and fill out the request form.


Coming to Lansing?
As House Republican Leader, I receive invitations to countless legislative conferences and events. Please know my priority is you. If you plan to visit Lansing for a conference or meeting, please contact my office in advance so I can make every effort to meet with you while you are in town.


Stay in Contact
Mail: P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909
E-mail: kevinelsenheimer@house.mi.gov
Toll-Free: 1-877-536-4105
Phone: (517) 373-0829
Fax: (517) 373-1841
Website: www.gophouse.com/elsenheimer.htm
Blog: http://staterepkevinelsenheimer.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/teamkevin


Jobs Available: Michigan Agricultural Job Fair
More than 600 agriculture jobs are expected to be available at a June 22 job fair being sponsored by myself, Rep. Wayne Schmidt, Rep. Dan Scripps, Sen. Jason Allen and Sen. Michelle McManus. We are teaming up with Northwest Michigan Works! and the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments to bring food-producing jobs to area residents.

Michigan is going through tremendous changes economically and technologically, but one of the constants we can count on is the strength and vitality of our agricultural heritage. I’m encouraged that we will be able to connect potential employers and employees for jobs ranging from working on a potato farm to assisting with fruit processing through this job fair.

The Agricultural Jobs Fair takes place from 10 a.m. to noon on Monday, June 22 at the Park Place Hotel Dome. The Park Place Hotel is located at 300 East State St. in Traverse City.

If you are a job provider interested in participating, please do not he contact my office at 1-877-536-4105 or by e-mail at kevinelsenheimer@house.mi.gov. Residents interested in applying for a job should bring a resume if possible. Michigan Works! will also have staff on hand to meet with area residents.

Hear more by clicking on the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ9AbyMEbxk&feature=channel


Video Update
Do not let Lansing bureaucrats tell you that there is no more room for cuts! We have a major opportunity before us to restructure our state government, and I have no intention of ignoring it. Please click the video link below to hear some of my thoughts on our current situation and the opportunities we are presented with:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBO5_yOPjcc


Bi-Weekly Survey
House Republicans have introduced House Bills 4774, 4778, 4777, 4773, 4776, 4775, 4928, 5002 and 5003 in order to help curb prescription drug abuse in Michigan. These bills will help prevent traffickers from doctor shopping for maladies they are not afflicted with.

Has prescription drug abuse affected your life? Please take the survey below:
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB229B2LRZL5B


Michigan Website for Kids Available
Summer is almost here and that means one thing - soon enough the kids will be out of school. If you need a rainy day activity or have a kid who always asks 'why', I encourage a visit to www.michigan.gov/kids. This site provides great state history, fun projects, and games. It also has links to other great resources like the DNR Outdoor Explorers Club.


Cormorant Update
Earlier this year, I used my trip to Washington, D.C. regarding the state's auto industry to also talk to U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials about cormorants, including presenting photos and local testimony about the birds. In May, I sat down with Department of Natural Resources Director Rebecca Humphries about the issue.

By working with Director Humphries, my legislative colleagues, and sportsmen and women, I hope to present Michigan's case to the feds for increasing the depredation numbers when they begin reviewing options for their next program order. Currently, the federal government allows the removal of 10,500 birds a year. Initial discussions have indicated a willingness to at least double that number.

It appears that northern Michigan's cormorant issue is beginning to gain traction in Washington. That's good news for residents. I will do my best to keep their attention and continue building a case over the next year for a larger depredation order when they actually issue it in 2010. You might also be interested to know that Senator Jason Allen sponsored the recently passed Senate Resolution 54, which requests that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service indefinitely extend the depredation order for double-crested cormorants.


Open Office Hours
It is important to me that I get a chance to hear concerns from you on a personal level. I always enjoy conversing with the people of northern Michigan, and I make it a point to sit down on a regular basis and just talk. If you would like to speak with me about a particular idea, concern or issue you have, please do not hesitate to come and chat!

I will be at the Otsego County Library from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 12th. I will also be visiting the Bellaire Public Library from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on this same day. Please do not hesitate to come and talk with me - my door is always open to you.


If you do not wish to receive these updates, please email me at kevinelsenheimer@house.mi.gov and type "Unsubscribe" in the subject line.

REP. ELSENHEIMER'S INVITE TO HIS UP COMING AG JOB FAIR

STATE, FED TALKS HINT AT CORMORANT PROGRESS: Elsenheimer, Humphries meeting puts officials on same page.

Updating the federal cormorant management plan is still a year away but recent meetings between federal and state officials indicate they agree on increasing the depredation order.

House Republican Leader Kevin Elsenheimer used a trip to Washington, D.C. earlier this year regarding the state’s auto industry to also talk to U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials about cormorants, including presenting photos and local testimony about the birds. In May, Elsenheimer and Department of Natural Resources Director Rebecca Humphries sat down to discuss the cormorant issue, as well as other topics.

“Talking directly to the people in charge is always the best avenue when possible, whether you are in D.C., Lansing or on Beaver Island,” Elsenheimer said. “Working on the cormorant situation together with Director Humphries, legislative colleagues, and sportsmen and women, we will be able to present Michigan’s case to the feds for increasing the depredation numbers when they begin reviewing options for their next program order.”

Currently, the federal program allows the removal of 10,500 birds a year. Initial discussions have indicated a willingness to at least double that number, which Elsenheimer said is a good starting point for now.

Director Humphries thanked Representative Elsenheimer for being a consistent voice on cormorant control for Michigan.

“We are glad that so many in the Michigan Legislature are supporting our efforts to increase effective control of the double-crested cormorant and push for a regional management solution to the challenges they present,” Humphries said.

The Michigan House this year already sent resolutions to Congress and federal agencies calling for attention to cormorant overpopulation in the state.

While in Washington, Elsenheimer also discussed the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ efforts for cormorant control and gathered contact information for sharing proactive initiatives or scientific information that could be provided to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Division to assist local communities in better controlling cormorants.

“Northern Michigan’s cormorant issue seems to be starting to get traction in Washington, so there’s at least a beginning that’s good news for residents,” Elsenheimer said. “Now we need to keep their attention and continue building a case over the next year for a larger depredation order when they actually issue it in 2010.”

Elsenheimer also applauded today’s passage of Senate Resolution 54, sponsored by Sen. Jason Allen, which requests that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service extend indefinitely the depredation order for double-crested cormorants.

NORTHERN MICHIGAN AG JOB FAIR ANNOUNCED: Area lawmakers come together to help industry and job seekers.

More than 600 agriculture jobs are expected to be available at a June 22 job fair being sponsored by Reps. Kevin Elsenheimer, Wayne Schmidt and Dan Scripps and Sens. Jason Allen and Michelle McManus who are teaming up with Northwest Michigan Works! and the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments to bring food-producing jobs to area residents.

“Michigan is going through tremendous changes economically and technologically, but one of the constants we can count on is the strength and vitality of our agricultural heritage,” said Elsenheimer, of Kewadin. “I’m encouraged that we will be able to connect potential employers and employees for jobs ranging from working on a potato farm to assisting with fruit processing through this job fair.”

The Agricultural Jobs Fair takes place from 10 a.m. to noon on Monday, June 22 at the Park Place Hotel Dome.

“Agriculture is one of the few industries that is not only keeping jobs in Michigan, but adding more,” said Schmidt, of Traverse City. “This event is an opportunity for local producers to hire local workers who may not have been available in recent years.”

Allen, of Traverse City said: “The agriculture industry is not only from our soil, but on our soil, and it provides stable jobs that can’t be taken away from Michigan.”

Elsenheimer has been contacted by several residents from his House district whose unemployment benefits are ending and were searching for various methods to contact potential employers. After talking with area companies and Michigan Works! the idea of the job fair was developed, and Elsenheimer approached House and Senate colleagues with the idea.

“This is a great idea to help the farming and food production industry in Michigan continue to grow, and it also can lead to keeping food on local families’ tables through the jobs being offered,” said McManus, of Lake Leelanau.

Job providers interested in participating can contact Elsenheimer’s office at 1-877-536-4-105 or by e-mail at kevinelsenheimer@house.mi.gov.

“Putting people and jobs together is a top priority in this tough economy and I think the ag producers, Michigan Works! and other officials making this a possibility have found a proactive step to improving Michigan’s economy,” said Scripps, of Leland.

The Park Place Hotel is located at 300 East State St. in Traverse City.
Residents interested in applying for a job should bring a resume if possible. Michigan Works! will also have staff on hand to meet with area residents.

RECENT VIDEO ON STATE CONSOLIDATION

ELSENHEIMER: "MORE CONSOLIDATIONS WILL BE NECESSARY"

This article ran in the Petoskey News Review this morning.

By Noah Fowle News-Review Staff Writer

With Michigan staring down significant budget shortfalls in the next two years, cuts and other cost-saving measures are only beginning to roll out of Lansing.

Rep. Kevin Elsenheimer, R-Kewadin, predicts the state will examine areas where it can consolidate, including school districts and layers of overlapping government.

“We have more government in Michigan per person than almost any other state in the union. We simply can’t afford all of the government we have,” the House Minority Leader said. “Lansing is also looking at a number of school districts and consolidation in that area.”

Elsenheimer added, “It makes sense for Northern Michigan governments to be cooperating as much as possible so that they might avoid some of the things Lansing might be ready to do.”

Although talk of consolidation often brings up fears of inevitable gaps, officials in Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties are growing increasingly comfortable with the idea. During last week’s annual tri-county board of commissioners meeting, talk of consolidation was not shied away from as local leaders looked to the successful emblem of the three-counties’ emergency management services.

Emmet County Board of Commissioners chairman Jim Tamlyn said that as counties begin to get past their invisible political boundaries, they will understand how much common success they have at stake.

“When someone or a new business moves into Cheboygan County, they don’t just spend their money there,” he said. “I don’t think there is a limit to what can be consolidated. The health departments are already doing it.”

Linda Socha, the chair of the Cheboygan County Board of Commissioners, said if consolidation mandates come from Lansing she and her counterparts are ready because they have been working on them from the ground up.

“It will be easier for us because we have a proven track record,” she said. “We work so closely already. We do it out of survival.”

In Charlevoix County, board of commissioners chairman Chris Christensen declined to give details on the next area that leaders are considering consolidations, but said the dialogue is already starting.“It’s apparent to us now that this is the future,” he said. “And some efficiencies can be gained.”