WEEKLY UPDATE

UPDATE -- October 2, 2009

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

Budget Update

As you may know, the state government shut down for 107 minutes this past Wednesday as we were unable to reach a budget agreement or pass a continuation budget. Shortly after midnight, we did pass a budget for October and Governor Granholm signed it into law.

House Republicans were sincere in July when we proposed and published our plan to balance the budget without raising taxes on Michigan families and job providers. We believed then, as we do now, it is the best way to strengthen our floundering economy and move Michigan forward. There is plenty of blame to go around in the legislature and no one should feel that they have captured the moral high ground.

However, fourteen of the fifteen budgets were passed by the Legislature. Many of these budgets were passed with Republican votes in the House to meet the agreement spelled out by House Speaker Andy Dillon and Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop.

There is still plenty of work to do. We have not completed the K-12 School Aid Budget yet and negotiations are ongoing.

You may be interested in an article published by the Lansing State Journal which highlights some of the changes the budgets make:

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20090930/NEWS04/309300025

No New Taxes, More Reforms

Discussions among Democrats are already beginning on new taxes and fees to further hurt Michigan families and businesses. Some taxes being considered are on healthcare, satellite television service, bottled water and fast food.

I am opposed to any new taxes on Michigan's citizens and businesses. We are losing thousands of jobs and Michigan family budgets have declined by almost $10,000 this decade. We passed budgets that reflected these decreases in your income by reducing spending in the state's checkbook.

Without a doubt these cuts were hard choices to make, and now we must continue to live within our means. But that doesn't mean the discussion should end there.

I've had countless ideas to reform and reduce waste in state government sent to me by the people of northern Michigan. I, along with my colleagues, will be proposing reforms in the coming weeks to streamline how our government operates. These reforms will help resize the state's checkbook and save money so that we can focus on the programs that are critical to our success without taking more of your money.

If you have additional suggestions to reduce waste or reform government, please feel free to contact me. You can see some of our ideas in our budget plan, available here: www.gophouse.com/plan

Agriculture Data

Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) Director Don Koivisto unveiled a set of food and agricultural county profiles for each of Michigan’s 83 counties and nine agricultural regions. The profiles highlight the diversity of Michigan agriculture, the economic impacts of the agri-food industry from a systemic view including food processing and distribution. The profiles also include information on current food and agricultural trends like locally produced and organic foods.

“These county profiles can be used by policymakers and private sector partners looking for opportunities to bolster the already successful food and agriculture industries in Michigan,” said Koivisto. “As the state’s second-leading industry, there are numerous entrepreneurial prospects and expansion possibilities for the state’s established agri-food businesses to create new jobs and economic growth in Michigan.”

Michigan produces more than 200 commodities and is second in the nation in terms of agricultural diversity. For example, the thumb area is number one in the state for dry beans and edible grain production, while western Michigan is tops for fruit and vegetable production. The majority of the state’s livestock producers are located in central Michigan.

When combined, the state’s 10 million acres of farmland, 1,000 licensed food processors, and more than 50,000 retail and food service establishments, Michigan’s food and agricultural systems are a potent economic driver and jobs provider.

“With the recent increase in consumer demand for local food and ag products, these profiles are a tremendous marketing tool for municipalities,” said Koivisto. “Agriculture has long been the state’s economic workhorse and MDA is proud to be able to help communities identify and capitalize on additional opportunities to unlock its economic potential.”

The profiles combine data drawn from USDA’s National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) 2007 Census of Agriculture and other public sources. The county and region profiles also contain food processing and distribution data, and information about local sources of food such as farmers markets and food banks.

For a complete listing of the county profiles, visit www.michigan.gov/mda. For additional information, visit USDA-NASS at http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Michigan/Publications/Charts_and_Maps/Census/index.asp