Increased Funding for Schools
Protecting the Great Lakes
Michigan Business Tax
Holding Legislators Accountable
Biggest Challenge of the Year — Dealing with a $1.8 billion Deficit
Constituent Services
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I am honored to serve the residents of the 68th District and to play a role in the government of our state. In this newsletter, I would like to provide you with a report on my first year of service in the Michigan House of Representatives. It has been an extremely busy and challenging year as the Legislature faced an unprecedented budget deficit, delivered a balanced budget, and dealt with many state issues.
One of my major goals as your State Representative is to provide exceptional service to the citizens of the 68th District. In addition to a full legislative schedule, our office was very busy this past year as we answered thousands of phone calls, inquiries, e-mails, and letters on issues that affect you and your family. I have also sponsored town halls, roundtables, monthly "Breakfasts with Bauer," and attended hundreds of community meetings and events.
Our work is not done, however, and we have many important issues facing Michigan. We need to invest in and improve our educational system at all levels so the next generation is prepared for the jobs of the 21st century. We must strengthen our economy and make Michigan a magnet for businesses that will bring good-paying jobs to our state. We must make healthcare affordable and accessible to all Michigan citizens. And, of course, we must protect Michigan's wonderful environment and resources for generations to come.
These are not Democratic or Republican challenges; they are MICHIGAN challenges that can only be solved with a comprehensive, bipartisan approach that looks for solutions that are in the best interests of our entire state. I pledge to work with my colleagues in the House and Senate and with the Governor to move Michigan forward.
I hope that you will find this newsletter useful. I invite you to contact me to discuss any issues or concerns you may have. My door is always open to you.
With the end of the year quickly approaching, I want to wish you and your family a happy and joyous holiday season.
Sincerely,
Joan Bauer
State Representative
68th District
In a move to protect fair wages for all Michigan employees, I was pleased to introduce one of four bills which will crack down on wage discrimination and hold employers accountable when they do not provide equal pay for equal work. The plan sets new penalties for wage discrimination and creates new legal avenues to pursue those who discriminate and deprive employees of their right to wage fairness. In Michigan in 2007, a woman employed full-time and year-round earns about 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man. This wage discrepancy hurts families and hurts the Michigan economy.
Every child in Michigan deserves the opportunity for a quality education and I fought hard to include school equity funding in the state budget. I am pleased that we passed a plan to give the state's lowest-funded schools more money to hire additional teachers, reduce class sizes and distribute necessary resources. The plan provides funds to narrow the gap between the lowest- and highest-funded school districts. The Lansing School District should receive an additional $36 per pupil of equity funding.
Michigan is defined by the Great Lakes and our many smaller
lakes, streams and rivers. "Great Waters, Great Michigan" is
a plan which will protect our water from being diverted to
thirsty states and countries, and will keep it from being bottled
up to be sold for profit. By protecting the Great Lakes, and Michigan's water, we can protect what makes Michigan special.
I am extremely pleased that the Legislature crafted a comprehensive new business tax that rewards investment, protects Michigan-based companies, and safeguards funding for education, health care, and police and fire protection. The Michigan Business Tax, which replaces the outdated and much-criticized Single Business Tax, was signed into law in July. The MBT will help move Michigan toward economic recovery by providing credits for investment in Michigan, offering significant breaks to small businesses, and enhancing existing tax credits.
Holding Legislators Accountable
This Spring, the House of Representatives passed sweeping ethics reforms designed to restore integrity to the State Legislature and boost Michigan residents' confidence in government and their legislators. I supported a resolution to request a 5% salary reduction for legislators and a bill to end lifetime healthcare benefits for legislators. I also voted to require elected officials, appointed officials and statewide candidates to disclose their financial assets and to prohibit lawmakers from becoming lobbyists for one year after leaving office. The House also passed bills to prohibit a legislator from voting on a bill when a substantial conflict of interest is present and bans lawmakers from applying for or accepting grants from the state while in office. Finally, these bills required the people or organizations behind automated political phone calls — also known as "robocalls" — to disclose their identities at the beginning of a call. These reforms make it clear that legislators must be held to a high standard of accountability. These reform bills are awaiting action in the Senate.
Biggest Challenge of the Year — Dealing with a $1.8 billion Deficit
Without question, the most significant challenge of the year was a budget solution to solve our state's unprecedented budget crisis. After months of long hours, all night sessions, and hard work, we passed a balanced budget plan which is a mix of cuts, reforms, and revenues that protects funding for vital services and gets Michigan's economy back on track. We agreed to raise revenues through increases in the income tax and the Michigan Business Tax, which avoided deep cuts that would have endangered our community and impeded the Lansing area's economic recovery. Severe spending cuts were on the table at one point that would have decimated funding for our kids and schools, health care for our seniors and veterans, and police and fire protection in Lansing and Lansing Township and were avoided only because of the additional revenue raised.
A total of over $400 million was cut from the state budget. This budget does not rely on one time fixes; it is a budget solution that also includes significant government reforms.
Important to the 68th District are the following budget items:
- $1.1 million in additional funding for the Lansing School District
- 1 percent increase for all community colleges which will help Lansing Community College
- 1 percent increase for public colleges and universities which is good for Michigan State University
- No cuts in revenue sharing which means Lansing and Lansing Township should receive the same funds as last year to use toward police, fire, and other important services
- Continuation of $100,000 in funding for the Black Child and Family Institute
I pledge to continue working with my colleagues in the House and the Senate to deliver comprehensive, bipartisan solutions to the challenges facing Michigan.
One of my major goals as a State Representative is to provide exceptional service to the constituents of the 68th District. I am fortunate to have two outstanding staff members — Mary Clark and Sarah Anthony — who believe that we SERVE our constituents and that it is our job to assist you in any way with issues regarding state government. Throughout the year, our office has:
- Handled 577 detailed constituent concerns requiring review, research, and follow up;
- Communicated with constituents regarding legislative issues (2,781 e-mails and 1,389 letters);
- Answered thousands of phone calls, inquiries and various other constituent relations issues;
- Sponsored 3 budget town halls, a Business Roundtable on the new Michigan Business Tax, and a monthly "Breakfast with Bauer";
- Sponsored a reception and awards program for the top 10 graduating students from Lansing's high schools;
- I attended over 200 neighborhood meetings, community events, and activities;
- Met with hundreds of individuals and groups on legislative issues.