Properly maintaining a harbor is critical to the port’s economic viability and the financial bottom line of shippers and importers. A lack of dredging in Southwest Michigan harbors is forcing ship operators to carry lighter loads, costing them millions of dollars.
That is why I co-sponsored Senate Resolution 97, calling on the U.S. Congress to ensure funds collected from shippers are used exclusively as intended: to maintain and dredge our nation’s harbors. It has been referred to the Senate Natural Resources, Environment and Great Lakes Committee for consideration.
Congress established a federal harbor maintenance tax on shippers in 1986 to fund harbor operations and maintenance at U.S. ports.
However, even though the federal Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund has a balance of nearly $6 billion, the critical dredging needs of Great Lakes harbors have not been met.
In fact, despite collecting almost $1.5 billion in maintenance taxes from shippers last year, only $758 million was actually spent to dredge harbors in Michigan and other coastal states.
That is unacceptable.
Sustaining a healthy harbor is important on several fronts: It supports Southwest Michigan jobs in an increasingly global economy, fosters entrepreneurship and protects our state’s great natural resources.
Our shippers have fulfilled their obligations to support harbor maintenance; it is now time for the federal government to do their job.
This resolution will send a message to Washington that their failure to act is hurting our economic recovery and costing us jobs.
Michigan’s skies could be especially bright this coming July 4th, because legislation allowing consumers to buy certain, previously banned fireworks in Michigan is on its way to the governor to be signed.
Southwest Michigan retailers know that this isn’t about bringing these fireworks to our state. Many residents currently drive to Indiana or Ohio to purchase these types of fireworks, resulting in lost economic activity and revenue for our state.
House Bill 4293 will allow for the sale, transportation and use of consumer-grade fireworks under certain conditions. Retailers wanting to sell these fireworks, typically described as fireworks that shoot up into the air, will pay annual application fees of $1,000 to sell from a building and $600 to sell from a tent as well as a six percent fireworks safety fee on retail sales.
The reform also provides for an inspection and permitting process, requires liability insurance, and calls for the creation of a website listing every entity issued a consumer-grade firework certificate, to promote public safety and accountability.
A companion bill, Senate Bill 194, outlines criminal penalties for violators. Both proposals were supported by the Michigan Fire Service Coalition which consists of many firefighter groups, including the Michigan State Firemen’s Association.
I supported the bipartisan reforms because they will put Southwest Michigan small businesses on an even playing field with fireworks sellers across the border. That means more revenue for our schools and roads while responsibly balancing public safety and job creation.
Thanksgiving is a time to gather together with family and friends and give thanks for our many blessings. While much has changed in the 390 years since the first Thanksgiving, coming home to a simpler life remains at the heart of the holiday.
America’s first Thanksgiving in 1621 was born out of an expression of gratefulness for a bountiful harvest. The New World settlers and the local Native Americans joined together for a three day celebration featuring feasting, singing and dancing.
More than 150 years later, President Washington proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day as a time to rejoice a young nation’s freedom and liberty. After falling out of favor, the holiday was reborn by President Lincoln in 1863 as a time to unite a country torn apart by civil war.
Today, Southwest Michigan families will gather to enjoy turkey, watch parades and football games and honor other family traditions.
In the modern, global, 24/7 digital world, the spirit of Thanksgiving might be more important than ever. It is a moment to take the weight of the world off our shoulders, connect with our loved ones and celebrate the most cherished thing we have: one another.
In the bustle of the holiday, I hope we will all take time to warmly express our gratitude to our family and friends for their love and friendship throughout the year and to give thanks for the blessing of living in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
May God bless you and fill your hearts and homes with love.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Peabody Award winning journalist Elmer Davis once said: “This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.”
His quote reminds us that we enjoy our freedoms and way of life today because courageous men and women have risked – and continue to risk – their lives to defend America.
Last week, I was honored to take part in several tributes throughout Southwest Michigan on Veterans Day thanking our American patriots for their outstanding service.
Celebrated on the anniversary of the end of World War I, Veterans Day is a time to honor the enormous sacrifice and selfless dedication of our veterans. It emerged from the great outpouring of thanksgiving that marked the end of what was once called the Great War – a fight for freedom that was to end all wars.
As we know, that struggle continues. Through a second world war, conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, and now wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, America’s finest stand up for freedom and liberty.
These patriots left their families to ensure that we could live in the land of the free. Some never returned. Because of their valor, we live in a country that is the beacon of liberty and hope in the world.
Their great sacrifice is a debt we can never fully repay.
In heartfelt appreciation for their sacrifice on our behalf, I urge all Southwest Michigan residents to take time to thank our veterans for their service. Not just one day a year, but every day.
God bless our veterans and their families. Thank you.
Working on a farm instills in youths a sense of responsibility, work ethic, and countless other invaluable lessons that will guide them for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, the U.S. Department of Labor has proposed rules that would prohibit children under age 16 from performing many duties on a family farm – including all interaction with animals.
I believe that the values and life skills learned on the family farm are at the core of our Southwest Michigan community, which is why I co-sponsored a resolution calling on the department not to implement the new regulations.
Protecting youths in the workplace is a laudable goal, but the reality of these onerous rules would be to destroy the generational family farm and community organizations like 4-H and FFA that are central to our Southwest Michigan communities.
These federal proposals illustrate the vast disconnect between Washington bureaucrats and Midwest family farmers.
Senate Resolution 94 is a way to ensure the message is heard in Washington that their actions can have real, damaging effects on families and farmers in the real world.
The proposed revisions to the federal child labor regulations would effectively ban participation by youths in raising animals and showing them at the local county fair, milking the family cow or helping parents to feed the horses. The proposals are outrageous and must be stopped.
