LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Jon Bumstead, R-Newaygo, issued the following statement on Wednesday in response to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s 2022 State of the State address:
“I appreciated hearing the governor’s thoughts on many of the issues directly impacting Michigan’s future this evening.
“I’m glad to hear of the governor’s support for rebuilding water infrastructure across our state. I believe we should actively protect the water in our lakes and rivers, as well as the drinking water entering the pipes of our homes. I introduced Senate Bill 565 to invest $3.3 billion to preserve and protect Michigan’s water quality, infrastructure, and vital natural resources.
“The Michigan Senate took action toward ensuring our state’s water infrastructure will undergo significant improvements by passing Senate Bill 565 unanimously. I look forward to the governor endorsing my bill, so we can get to work making transformational changes around the state.
“As budget subcommittee chair for the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, I will continue working with stakeholders and my colleagues in the Legislature to develop a budget that effectively invests state dollars to improve the safety and reliability of our state’s water infrastructure.
“The governor proposed a rollback of Michigan’s retirement tax. I am very supportive of providing tax relief for everyone in Michigan. If those that have a public pension deserve a tax cut, then I would support everyone that receives retirement income be given the same reduction. Additionally, there are those of retirement age that still have to work to make ends meet, and those seniors should also be given relief.
“The governor also proposed tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit to 20% of the federal credit to help low-to-moderate income families. I’ve consistently supported lowering the tax rates on both families and businesses in our state, so I am excited to hear the governor is finally getting on board.
“I introduced legislation to lower the income tax rate on businesses to improve the economy and create more high paying jobs to assist families across the state. I also voted in favor of legislation to lower the individual income tax rate to 3.9% and provide a child tax credit to families with children 19 years of age and younger. These bills will provide immediate tax relief to low- and moderate-income families, and I look forward to the governor supporting these commonsense solutions.
“I am also in favor of the idea to encourage more residents to pursue job training programs to help close the skilled trades gap. There are thousands of unfilled jobs in our state, and we need to promote skilled trades education and job training programs to help fill these high-paying opportunities.
“As vice chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, I look forward to the governor’s upcoming budget presentation and working with her administration to ensure Michigan passes a balanced, responsible budget that funds critical priorities like water infrastructure, skilled trades education, tax relief for families and seniors, and continuing to pay down our long-term debt.
“As we move forward into 2022, I hope to work together with my colleagues in the Legislature and the governor to wisely invest in the future of our state to build a better Michigan.”
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