East Michigan News

State Representative Jerry Neyer, a Republican from Shepherd, responded to Governor Gretchen Whitmer's State of the State address on Wednesday. The governor proposed refunding permitting fees and streamlining the permitting process.

Rep. Neyer commented on the proposals: “The governor said a whole lot of nice things tonight, I just hope she’s ready to grab her shovel and get to work. We can start by refunding farmers for the manure spreading fee that just went into effect. It’s ironic, really, that lawmakers are paid to make crappy legislation while the state is making farmers pay to get rid of crap."

He continued by addressing other fees: “The manure fee isn’t the only one; the government has compiled a heap of burdensome and unnecessary fees – some of which the governor just signed into law a few months ago – they regularly push onto the public. If the governor wants to get rid of them, Republicans aren’t going to stand in her way. It shouldn’t matter what party you’re from, if you want to cut government red tape and make things more affordable for residents, I’ll gladly be a partner in those efforts.”

Governor Whitmer announced during her speech that she would instruct state agencies to refund permitting fees where feasible and review their necessity. She emphasized her intention to streamline processes in order to reduce costs.