Government Reform
Government Reform: Fixing the Mess in LansingLansing is broken. Our state legislature is dysfunctional. We need new leaders who can set aside party politics and craft bipartisan solutions, make government more efficient, and insure valuable taxpayer money is not wasted. We need government to work for the people, not special interests, career-politicians, and privileged insiders. We need Lansing to be more transparent, accountable and efficient. I will stand at the forefront of government reform.
Two out of the last three years, the legislature Lansing has failed to passed the budget on time. Ever year, the budget process deteriorates into the spectacle of posturing, proxy fights in the media, and brinkmanship with the prospect of insolvency and government shut downs looming. Last minute decisions lead to ill-conceived raids on our long-term investments - such as education and roads - and poor policy decisions - like the Michigan Business Tax. Schools wait to do their own budgets, not knowing what the real funding numbers will be. Many go through an annual ritual of issuing pink slips to teachers, only to rehire some of them after the state budget is finalized. Cities wait for revenue for public safety, often laying off police and fire personnel based on worst-case guesses about revenue from the state. Road projects stall because planners cannot count on infrastructure funding. This is not how state government should work. We should instead have a clear, long-term plan for what we want for our future Michigan and the guts to implement that plan.
Transparency and Accountability
As your State Senator, I will:
1. End lifetime healthcare benefits for legislators. I will not accept such a benefit for myself after my term is completed.
2. End the revolving door as legislators become lobbyists by instituting a two-year ban on former lawmakers working for lobbying firms. With term-limits, all too often politicians are actually auditioning for jobs at lobbying firms after they are term-limited out of office. I am the only candidate in the race to promise to never become a lobbyist.
3. Pass a personal financial disclosure law for all legislators so the public can decide if someone has a conflict of interest. I am the only candidate in the race who has disclosed their personal finances.
4. Mandate that staff not be employed in the for-profit sector. I have had my campaign staff sign such a pledge. Citizens can rest assured my staff will not be involved in situations where they can profit by abusing their influence with state agencies.
5. Make our budget process needs to be more transparent. State government must post all expenditures on the internet in a simple-to-understand format.
Structural and Budget Reforms
As your State Senator, I will:
1. Institute multi-year budgeting so we can make long-term plans rather than lurch from crisis to crisis.
2. Mandate that the state budget be passed by July 1st or legislators will have their pay docked.
3. Institute a system of community conversation forums to discuss key state issues, such as the budget and governmental reforms. We need more collaboration and communication between our elected leaders and our citizens. We have done this in Grand Rapids with the budget forums and the Green Grand Rapids initiative. We need to take our West Michigan tradition of citizen-involvement to state government.
Efficiency
As your State Senator, I will:
1. Incentivize regional cooperation among neighboring cities, towns and townships and between those units and county governments. We ought to encourage local governmental units and school systems to share services such as human resources, administration and information technology.
2. Work to make sure public employee contributions for health care benefits more closely aligns with private sector levels. When I was on City Commission in Grand Rapids, my colleagues and I led the way in bringing city employees closer to private sector health care cost levels. However, we must understand and take into account that our public employees are some of the hardest-working and most productive in the nation.
Click Here to Download David LaGrand's Financial Disclosure
Strengthen Our Community: Keeping our Cities Vibrant
Strong cities are the core of a strong region. After nearly a decade of devastating funding cuts, David will insist that Lansing restore funding for police and fire departments, parks and roads. As a former City Commissioner and Assistant Kent County Prosecutor, he will work with citizen groups and city leaders to keep our neighborhoods safe, prosperous, exciting places to live.
Education
Education is our most foundational investment. This is not just a tremendous moral issue, it’s a practical one too. Without a skilled and talented work force, Michigan will never succeed. We are at a cross roads, and we cannot afford to turn our backs on our children. David will work to stop Lansing’s cuts to our kids and schools. He will work to keep dollars in the classroom, not the administrative offices. David will work to restore the Michigan Promise Scholarship and fight for fair funding for West Michigan public schools. To renew Michigan, we must renew our commitment to excellence
Environment
Our state has breathtaking natural beauty. Michigan is blessed with natural treasures: our Great Lakes, freshwater beaches, inland lakes, mighty rivers, forests and parks. We are a state the loves to hike, fish, hunt, camp and spend time in the great outdoors. Live in this wonderland is a privilege that also comes with the responsibility to provide the stewardship necessary to pass it along to our children. I believe we can protect our natural treasures and grow our economy by responsibly developing some of our natural resources.
Diversify into Clean Energy Technologies
1. Invest in the burgeoning new field of alternative, clean energy. We ought to work to reduce our reliance on foreign fossil fuels and position Michigan at the leading edge of new, green technologies. With our research and development abilities, skilled workforce and natural resources, Michigan can become a world leader in the production of solar cells, wind turbines, efficient batteries, and energy conservation technologies. One way to spur the continued growth of the clean energy sector is to improve our Renewable Portfolio Standard.
Be a Good Steward of our Environment
Protect our lakes, rivers, forests and parks.
1. Fight against invasive species, such as Asian Carp.
2. Work to stop efforts to ship our water out of state.
3. Hold polluters accountable.
4. Allow Michiganders to vote on whether they want to permanently ban oil and gas drilling on the Great Lakes.
The Economy and Jobs
The Economy: Making Michigan Open for Business and Rebuilding Our Middle-Class
My first priority for Michigan is job creation. We must create an economic environment that is attractive to new businesses and supports our existing businesses. As a small business owner, I know what it takes to create jobs and make a payroll. I understand the ways government can help businesses, and they ways government can hamper business. Small businesses are the engine that will power our economic recovery and job creation. I will work tirelessly to make sure our entrepreneurs have the support they need to create good-paying jobs so our middle-class thrives again. Michigan families are struggling, but with the right leadership, our best days are ahead.
As your State Senator, I will:
* Reform our business tax system to create an environment that encourages business growth and job creation.
- * I will work to eliminate the 21.99% surcharge on the Michigan Business Tax (MBT).
- * I will work to simplify our business tax system that is competitive, coherent, predictable, easy to comply with and fair for all businesses: small, medium and large as well as manufacturing, retail and service.
- * I will insist on outcome-tested tax incentives for entrepreneurs to launch business start-ups.
- * However, business tax reform is not enough to turn our economy around. We must do more.
- Cut through the bureaucratic red-tape that hampers business development. I have worked with local and state regulatory agencies and they do important work to protect citizens. But they should always be treating businesses as partners, not opponents. We need to streamline licensing programs so businesses can quickly open and create jobs. I believe we can do this while continuing to protect workers, consumers, and the environment.
- * I will make sure government agencies are doing everything they can to promote job creation. Job providers have to know that they have a business-friendly government in Michigan.
- Help entrepreneurs diversify our economy, and encourage growth in the rising industries of advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and alternative energy. At the same time, I will support our traditional sectors such as automotive and furniture manufacturing as well as agriculture and tourism.
- * Tax incentives can be useful tools in competing with other states and helping diversify our economy. However, tax abatements must be performance-based and outcome-tested. As a business owner, I promise that I will always strive to ensure that any incentives are a good business investment for the tax payers of Michigan.
- * Michigan has an incredible research and development sector at our university and corporate labs. We need to support our scientists and encourage them to spinoff their inventions into private sector business ventures.
- * I will always work with our business community to make sure that job providers locate in Kent County.
- * Open up the credit market so Michigan entrepreneurs can have the investment capital to grow. Michigan businesses have been red-lined by Wall Street banks.
- * I will work to develop innovative policies so our businesses can get the loans they need to create jobs.
- Rebuild Michigan’s crumbling transportation infrastructure. Economic development specialists understand that businesses want to locate in a state with high-quality roads, rail and ports.
- * Michigan’s roads and bridges are literally falling apart because Lansing is chronically underfunding our transit systems. Unless we can find a stable funding solution, the money that we all pay in gas taxes will leave Michigan to pay for roads in other states.
- Support Michigan workers.
- * I believe Michigan workers have the work ethic, talent and experience to rebuild Michigan.
- * I will make sure that companies that receive money from the state ought to hire Michigan workers first if they have the necessary skills and are cost-competitive. This will guarantee that our tax dollars go to work for us. Let’s not outsource our jobs. Let’s keep them right here in Michigan.
- * I will make sure we continue our success in lifelong learning and retraining so that our people can rapidly adapt to our ever-changing economy.
- * Illegal Immigration: Our federal government needs to protect and secure our borders and enforce our laws, and we need to do everything we can in state government to address the problem of illegal immigration. That’s why I support legislation that will crack down on hiring illegal workers and stealing Michigan jobs by revoking the business licenses of companies who hire illegal workers. We must punish businesses that break the law and help protect valuable Michigan jobs. I also support the Hire Michigan First plan, which gives businesses tax incentives to hire Michigan residents and would take away state tax credits and end state contracts for companies that outsource jobs or hire illegal workers.
- Ensure that our children receive a high quality education so they can be productive citizens and have the skills necessary for the modern economy.
- * I will make our children are prepared to land the jobs of today and the future. Lansing must stop cutting k-12 and higher education. Economic development specialists understand that businesses want to locate in places that have a skilled workforce and a good quality of life. Michigan workers are some of the best and most talented in America.
- * I will work to expand early childhood education.
- * I will work to make a college education affordable and restore the Michigan Promise scholarships.
- * I will work so that we educate our citizens to be the best and the brightest and then give them the tools to stay here in Michigan.
- Reform Lansing.
- * Our state has been in an economic and fiscal crisis for several years. Yet, year after year legislators in Lansing fight partisan fights, gut important investments in our future, use gimmicks to balance the state budget, and fail to do their job. We need a comprehensive, bipartisan, long-term solution to our budget crisis so the rest of the country and world knows our house is in order and Michigan is open for business.
