LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Roger Hauck voted against Senate legislation appropriating millions in additional funding to close the books on the 2023-24 fiscal year.
“When it was passed last year, the budget was already too big,” said Hauck, R-Mt. Pleasant. “I voted against it then and still oppose the drastic overspending and one-sided, mismatched priorities. The Senate voted to throw even more taxpayer dollars at this already bloated budget. At some point, we have to say enough is enough.”
Hauck and several Republican senators voiced their frustration with the increased state funding that ignored many key priorities.
Hauck introduced amendments in an attempt to focus on issues he said people have made it clear that they care about.
Two of the measures would have established a child care tax credit to help offset increasing costs and clawed back state funding previously appropriated to the Gotion battery plant development.
Hauck’s third amendment would have repurposed funding in Senate Bill 55 to provide local governments with the necessary funding to hold a special election to fill the vacant 35th Senate District.
All three amendments were voted down by the Democratic majority.
“I know funding is a major hurdle when attempting to schedule a special election,” Hauck said. “My amendment would have solved the funding portion of this issue right then and there on the Senate floor had it not been voted down along party lines. These people are paying taxes, and their voices are not being heard in the Senate, including on votes to spend more of their money.
“The governor has ignored her duty to schedule the election, the Senate has refused to provide the funding, and the people whose calls to their senator go unanswered have little recourse but to wait until this political game is over.”
###