Dear Friends, Hello and welcome to my January e-newsletter. I would like to take this opportunity to share a few updates from our state Capitol. Please keep in mind that this e- newsletter is not exhaustive and is only meant to be a summary of some of the legislative activity in Lansing. For more information, please do not hesitate to call the office toll-free at 1-877-238-0001 or email MartinHowrylak@house.mi.gov. Rep. Howrylak introduced 36 bills, missed no votes in 2017 I am pleased to report that I finished 2017 without missing any of the Michigan House s 512 roll call votes. It s my fifth straight year of perfect voting attendance. I participated in all 3,117 votes during my tenure representing the 41 st District, according to a compilation from MichiganVotes.org. every one of these votes. I want the voices of residents in the Troy and Clawson areas to be heard in Lansing that s why I go to work every day. I ve done my best to represent our community with I introduced 36 bills, five resolutions and two joint resolutions during 2017. My legislation to help modernize the state s Unemployment Insurance Agency was signed into law by Gov. Rick Snyder last month.
Other bills remain under consideration as the Legislature continues its current two-year session in 2018. Many of my bills deal with tax relief, criminal justice reform and improving transparency of state government. Rep. Howrylak continues efforts to ease tax burden on families, seniors Last week I voted in favor of tax relief, continuing my efforts to reduce the tax hardship on Michigan families. The bills increase personal exemptions for Michigan taxpayers and their dependents on state income taxes, while providing additional relief for senior citizens. People deserve to keep more of the money they work so hard to earn. I am especially pleased that we are maintaining and phasing in increases for the personal tax exemption. I have introduced legislation during my three terms in the House to reduce taxes on all residents, and these bills will help accomplish that. The bills ensure that Michigan taxpayers can continue claiming personal exemptions on city and state taxes. The legislation also gradually increases the state personal exemption from the current $4,000 to $4,800 for the 2020 tax year. House Bills 5420-21 now go to the Senate for consideration. Rep. Howrylak hosts Clawson Mayor for State of the State PHOTO INFORMATION: State Rep. Martin Howrylak of Troy was joined by Clawson Mayor Debbie Wooley for Gov. Rick Snyder s State of the State address at the Michigan Capitol on January 23. It was Gov. Snyder s final State of the State speech.
Consumer Education Event I am partnering with the Michigan Attorney General s office to host a Consumer Education event on Friday, February 9th. This month s presentation will cover identity theft. A light lunch will be provided. The event will start at 11 a.m. at Clawson s Hunter Community Center, located at 509 Fisher Court. Individuals looking for more information may contact my office toll-free at (877) 248-0001 or by emailing martinhowrylak@house.mi.gov. Additionally, more information is available on my office website www.rephowrylak.com. The time is now for Michigan to employ a State-run bank Earlier this month I introduced a bipartisan package of bills that would create and maintain a state bank. The bank would be authorized to engage in limited banking activities, including the facilitation of loans to eligible groups, municipalities and those who qualify for business-related subsidies. This is a fiscally responsible solution for taxpayers. As states are looking for ways to reduce spending, many are exploring the idea of a state-owned bank, similar to the Bank of North Dakota. In North Dakota, public revenue runs through the state-owned bank (Bank of North Dakota, BND). The BND provides loans significantly below market interest rates to local governments, smaller banks and businesses. Local governments and schools use these savings to pump more money into classrooms, expand access to infrastructure funding and keep tax rates low North Dakota is the only state in the nation which runs its own financial institution. The Bank of North Dakota was founded in 1919 through legislative action and had an operating income of $136.2 million as of 2016. The state bank partners with community banks, overseeing loans or purchasing them to give community banks viability and an additional fund source. A Michigan state-run bank would effectively be a co-operative, holding state and local government funds. The bank could then use those funds to provide loans to the state and its subdivisions (schools, cities, townships, villages, etc.). That model has successfully been used in North Dakota, significantly reducing the cost of capital to taxpayers and helping keep taxes low. Like the Bank of North Dakota, this bank will not have retail branches. Its operations will be focused on wholesale lending. The legislative package would: Establish the Bank of Michigan and authorize it to receive state tax revenue. Create an advisory board for the bank composed of seven members appointed by the governor, which will include representatives from the private banking industry. Provide oversight by allowing an Auditor General to audit the bank and prepare an annual financial report. The Department of Insurance and Financial Services will also be
responsible for reviewing the bank s operations at least once every two years and will have authority to investigate. Permit the Community Bank of Michigan to lease and sell state-acquired property or partner with other banks and make loans to Michigan farmers, nonprofits using funds for rural business development, parks or recreational properties owned by the Department of Natural Resources that are in need of construction, reconstruction, renovation or maintenance; and government medical facilities for financing. This legislation allows the state to offer reasonable interest rates for targeted projects that benefit the public interest, while generating additional revenue for the state s general fund. The State Bank of Michigan would be a win-win for taxpayers, schools, local governments and local banks. House Bills 5431-5434, along with House Joint Resolution CC which protects a state bank from governmental deposit limits were referred to the House Regulatory Reform Committee for consideration. PHOTO INFORMATION: State Rep. Martin Howrylak (seated, second from right), of Troy, introduces bipartisan legislation at the Clerk s Office of the House of Representatives that would create a state-owned bank in Michigan. Howrylak was joined by (from left) state Reps. Henry Yanez of Sterling Heights, Abdullah Hammoud of Dearborn and Peter Lucido of Shelby Township. House approves Howrylak bill protecting the Fourth Amendment My legislation safeguarding the Fourth Amendment rights of Michigan residents was recently approved by the Michigan House 107-1, with overwhelming bipartisan support. Under House Bill 4430, state and local governments are prohibited from assisting or providing support to the federal government in the collection of data unless there is a search warrant or the
approval of the targeted party. This bill is a reflection of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects the fundamental right to property and privacy. No state resources should be used to help carry out warrantless surveillance programs that violate the Fourth Amendment. If the federal government continues to use controversial methods to collect electronic data, our state should not assist or participate in any way unless it is consistent with the Fourth Amendment and the Michigan Constitution. Given this month s vote by Congress to extend the federal warrantless surveillance program, it s even more important to make that perfectly clear. HB 4430 now advances to the Senate for consideration Protecting Michigan s vital public services & people who provide them A task force created by the governor recently examined underfunded and rising pension and healthcare costs at local governments across the state. Many communities are on the brink of bankruptcy, and if nothing is done, police officers and firefighters could be laid off and lose some or all of their retirement benefits through the federal bankruptcy process. Parks could close, and other essential services could be affected. This is a quality-of-life issue that deserves our attention. The task force found a need for improved reporting so communities have a better understanding of their future liabilities, and suggested some concepts to help communities with troubled retirement systems regain their financial footing. The final report can be found here: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/snyder/r3_task_force_report_579101_7.pdf As a result, we passed a package of bills to protect municipal retirement systems and retirees. The bills: Create a fiscal reporting method to help the state identify which communities have underfunded retirement plans to prevent possible bankruptcy for communities; Appoint a stability board with local representation to guide communities toward a better financial future with post-employment benefit liabilities; Assign a separate financial management team to implement a way forward if local parties can t come to an agreement through the board s suggestions. The package of bills was signed into law by the governor on Dec. 20. They are Public Acts 202 214 of 2017. Defending the unemployed
As you may have heard in the news, the current state of Michigan s unemployment agency (UIA) lacks clarity, integrity and accountability. There are glaring deficits within the system which are costly for both employers paying out the benefits and people looking to use them. Specifically, the UIA computer system failed causing tens of thousands of Michigan residents to be falsely accused of fraudulent claims. Because Michigan s penalties for fraudulent claims are among the highest in the nation, these innocent people were charged astronomical fees. The House took bipartisan action to fix these deficits affecting Michigan s most vulnerable residents by hosting a workgroup made up of legislators and experts. The workgroup s findings were compiled to craft a plan to improve the system s claim process and protect claimants who have overpaid and been falsely accused of fraud. The plan: Ensures claimants don t get charged interest on overpayments due to agency failure; Gives those accused of fraud access to an advocacy program; Allows the reopening of a fraud case by the agency within three years with good cause; Improves the process for determining the validity of an unemployment claim; and Clarifies the eligibility for hardship waivers and the agency s process for ruling on applications for a waiver. The workgroup spent almost 900 hours working to restore integrity to the Unemployment Insurance Agency. The plan was approved unanimously by the full House and signed into law by the governor last month. District office hours As an elected representative, it is important for me to be accessible to the public and to be available to listen to the ideas, concerns and suggestions of our neighbors. This is why I place such a large emphasis on office hours, community outreach and events. I believe talking to friends and neighbors face to face is the best way to gather ideas, answer questions and listen to suggestions. I rely on the perspective of people like you to advise me as I work to make state government more responsive, responsible and effective. I encourage citizens of the 41 st District to attend the events below. My upcoming office hours are as follows (No appointment necessary): Monday, January 29 th from 3:30 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Clawson Blair Memorial Library, 417 N. Main Street, Clawson Rep. Howrylak's Lansing Office
Mailing Address: Website: N-890 House Office Building P.O. Box 30014 Lansing, MI 48909-7514 http://www.rephowrylak.com Phone: (517) 373-1783 Toll Free: (877) 248-0001 Email: MartinHowrylak@house.mi.gov As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have any questions or concerns. I will continue to work on removing barriers to job creation, retaining our valuable businesses, growing our economy, and moving Michigan forward. If you have any suggestions, comments, or questions please let me know. Warm regards, Martin Howrylak State Representative District 41 *If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, respond to this email and type the word "unsubscribe."*