We all want our children to be successful.
Their educational journeys begin at home, but continue in the classroom.
A bipartisan bill package from state Reps Margaret O’Brien, R-Portage and Adam Zemke, D-Ann Arbor, works to improve teacher and administrator evaluations. Michigan teachers and administrators from across the state were consulted during this process.
Their feedback directly contributed to the development of these proposals.
I supported these bills in the House Education Committee.
The bill package creates greater accountability for teachers and more accurate information about the effectiveness of different teaching methods. House Bill 5223 focuses on classroom observations and developing a student growth assessment tool. House Bill 5224 looks at similar criteria and applies it towards school administrators.
The bills also encourage local control by allowing teachers, and their administrators, to help build the very metrics that will grade them. Tailoring the evaluation structure allows each school district to determine locally what works best for their children.
There were over a dozen diverse advocacy groups that strongly supported these bills to make Michigan more competitive and increase its? talent base. All educators deserve meaningful feedback on the critical nature of their work; and students deserve the opportunity to learn from a great teacher.
House Bills 5223 and 5224 work to bring full circle what we have recently done in the legislature to reform teacher tenure, the Michigan Public School Employee Retirement System (MPSERS) and Freedom to Work.
We changed the way teachers earn tenure by ensuring that the educator who is best qualified is rewarded, rather than the one that has been employed the longest.
Re-structuring MPSERS and capping the amount of money schools could spend annually on pension liabilities put more money in the classrooms. Freedom to Work made teaching more about our children, and less about unions.
But these changes hinges on providing a detailed and merit-based way of measuring teacher and administrator skill and competence.
Coupled with these previous reforms and others, we are better preparing our future college students and workforce.
My colleagues and I will continue to put policy over politics when addressing reforms that so greatly affect this state.
The next generation looks brighter when we know our kids are in the best hands.

As we move closer to working out the details of formulating a state budget, tough decisions must be made on spending finite resources to ensure that taxpayer dollars go toward bettering the state and making improvements for Michigan residents.
This has and needs to be a continued priority for the future, as outlined in Gov. Rick Snyder’s State of the State address earlier this year.
As a Legislature, we want to make sure the funds are used in ways that will help build a solid foundation for Michigan’s students. Funding of our Michigan’s schools brings about questions of where the money goes and how the funding benefits our children.
In order to understand the current picture of education funding, we need to first look into the past. In 2008, Michigan received one-time federal funding allocated to benefit education. By 2010, the funding had been spent and school districts had become dependent upon the funds to cover costs in their budgets. This caused a deficit for coming years and school districts scrambled to fill the holes that the federal funding had covered. Looking forward three years, funding for education has increased by $1 billion since Gov. Snyder took office, coupled with reforms that ensure the money is spent better.
In his recently announced budget for the 2015 fiscal year, Gov. Snyder proposed investing 3 percent more into K-12 education. The 3 percent will equate to a total of $11.7 billion invested into K-12 education. For schools in the state, the budget increase means the lowest-funded districts could receive more equitable per-pupil grant and districts that are already better-funded would receive $83 more per student. Included in the budget proposal is $2 million to pilot voluntary year-round school programs, nearly $1.4 billion to assist students in special education, and increasing funding toward retirement promised to teachers by $270 million. The increases in funding mean that more money is allocated per student than in previous years.
The state also plans to continue investing dollars to ensure that retirees receive their benefits. The funding will lend a helping hand to school districts and will help to guarantee that each student receives a world class education.
Focusing your tax dollars to work for schools and students is one of the most important things I do as a legislator. I am hopeful that the plan of investment in kids from early childhood through college or vocational school pays off for every hardworking taxpayer.
It is my personal goal to make sure that the coming 2014-15 budget is the best one for Michigan students, teachers, and parents.

Three years ago my first bill to be signed into law reformed the Workers Compensation Act of 1929.
The law had been untouched for more than 25 years and was in desperate need of changes.
Many policies related to workers compensation were the result of court decisions that were never written into law.
These decisions left a great deal of uncertainty for employees and job providers.
Michigan’s century old workers compensation laws were so far out of date that they didn’t account for a woman being the breadwinner of her family.
If a wife was injured, she would not receive any additional benefits for having dependents, such as a husband or children.
As the law read at the time, if the husband was injured he would be eligible for extra benefits for having a wife or children.
Backwards and inconsistent were the only ways to describe some of the sections of the law.
There was a definite need to revise those sections to account for shifts in the makeup of our workforce.
These simple and clarifying changes to the law were expected to save businesses money, allow them to hire more employees, and make sure benefits were fair for all employees.
I am happy to report that, just three years after passing the bill, we have seen a reduction in the cost of insurance premiums by more than 20 percent.
This is a shining example of making Michigan better for business and is one of the reasons why we now have the sixth highest economic growth rate in the nation.
Premiums are already down more than 15 percent from 2011-12 and is predicted to fall another 7 percent in 2014.
These decreases in premium cost will not affect an employee’s ability to get high quality care they deserve.
Unfortunately, a recent federal court decision has once again created uncertainty for Michigan employers.
Under current law, the carrier of a workers compensation insurance policy is obligated to provide each employee with an ‘Insurer’s Notice of an Issuance of Policy,’ also known as a Form 400.
This form is what links the liability of an insurance claim from the business to the insurance company. However, the courts determined this was not the case, throwing thousands of insurance policies across the state into question.
More than 200,000 employers are covered by such insurance plans statewide. This decision would create chaos for employees, employers, and the state’s ability to regulate policies.
I am currently working with my colleagues, staff, and the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs to craft legislation to resolve the issues with Form 400. Our goal is to fix the system fairly and make sure businesses and employees have a clear understanding of the regulations.
We need to preserve the integrity of Michigan’s workers compensation system which continues to provide benefits and protection to employers and hard-working taxpayers.

Michigan House Republicans have been working hard to ensure that economic opportunity is a reality for every hard-working taxpayer in Michigan. We are committed to reducing the tax burden for the citizens of our great state.
For example, House Republicans passed new laws to help the dedicated men and women that so willingly give themselves in service to our country, our veterans. We felt that they have earned opportunities and advantages for their willingness to protect our way of life. It has been our commitment to help them in as many ways as possible when they return home to civilian life. One way we have been able to do just that was by passing a law that fully exempts totally and permanently disabled veterans from paying property tax on their main residence. This small measure doesn’t match their sacrifice, but it will hopefully help ease their transition and long-term ability to live successful and productive lives in our great state.
Even the smallest of changes, can make the quality of life better for all of us in Michigan. For example we are working to pass a bill that reforms how we tax vehicle purchases. The idea behind the legislation is that vehicles should be taxed on their value minus the amount received for any ‘trade-ins.? Currently, we are one of only six states that tax consumers on the full vehicle cost. There is no reason that Michigan, a world leader in the automotive industry, should have a tax policy that hurts car buyers as compared to nearly all other states.
House Republicans and I have also worked to make the state more accountable, efficient, and easier for everyone. This includes the common-sense reform that requires the Department of Treasury to pay Michigan residents additional interest for late tax refund payments. It is your money and you deserve to have it in a timely manner, the treasury should be held to the same standards that you and I are. As taxpayers we deserve fair and equitable treatment for receiving interest on late payments.
For these same reasons, House Republicans have passed a series of bills that makes the Treasury Department more accountable during the audit process. These changes in the law give us taxpayers more ability to access information regarding audits. Realistic expectations and fairness become part of the equation, which is what we deserve as taxpayers when it comes to the money we entrust to the state.
Michigan is turning around after a very difficult decade. For almost 10 years we struggled with recession and economic downturn. Many small businesses and individuals have had a hard time making tax payments either due to high tax burdens or simply the weak nature of the economy. Because of this reality, Republicans in the House are working on a bill that would allow treasury to make an ‘offer in compromise? program for certain taxpayers. This legislation is a fair and just approach toward helping some deserving taxpayers responsibly get back on track. While the economy is improving due to these changes and the improvement we made in the previous term to reduce the tax burden on small businesses, we are not done yet. House Republicans are committed to working tirelessly at improving the quality of life and increasing economic opportunities for all Michigan residents.

Our state has come a long way over the past few years, and part of our success has been from eliminating red tape that stands in the way of progress. Since 2011, the state has cut 1,200 unneeded regulations and rules as part of an ongoing mission to make Michigan a more job-friendly place to live. I’m extremely proud of this milestone, but we still have a long way to go in order to revitalize our state.
To continue these reforms, I recently introduced legislation removing the requirement that a homeowner obtain a building permit when having energy-saving equipment installed in their home. Another bill sponsored by one of my colleagues would eliminate the requirement that technicians be licensed when installing simple household devices. New technologies in our homes make life easier but current regulations can often make installation processes more expensive and time-consuming for Michigan taxpayers. I want to make sure that we can enjoy cutting-edge technology in our homes in both a safe and cost effective way.
Recent advancements to technology in our homes allow us to better protect against burglary and other hazards while making our homes more energy efficient. The cost of current regulations deters homeowners from making these positive changes. This has become a public safety issue as well; citizens who live in neighborhoods where they feel they need a home security system installed are waiting to do so because of some of these added costs. My legislation would eliminate these burdens for homeowners so they may update their homes with less frustration while keeping more money in their pockets.
This legislation also impacts monitoring systems including both temperature and lighting controls. In order for them to be altered or installed, contractors currently have to obtain a separate license which can take extra time and money. Most companies affected by this regulation already carry insurance, making additional oversight unnecessary. This legislation is a common-sense reform. There is no reason a licensed electrician should have to obtain an extra permit to install something as simple as a single dimmer switch into a home. Again, safety is the biggest factor here as well. My bill will allow these updates in the home to take place at a lower cost, but still ensure that it pertains only to low voltage devices that will not lead to a fire if installed improperly.
My legislation ends redundancies in a process that used to result in costly installations for homeowners and can deter many residents from making the investment. These bills will also further the progress this state has made as a job creator. By prohibiting a municipality from establishing or maintaining local licensing requirements for this work or from prohibiting a person registered as a system provider or licensed as security alarm system contractor from engaging in the work for which they are licensed, we give employers more room to hire qualified technicians. With less red tape, we can continue on the road to success and residents can accomplish goals quicker by avoiding senseless obstacles.
Brad Jacobsen is the state representative for the 46th District. He can be reached toll free at 855-REP-BRAD or BradJacobsen@house.mi.gov.

Making our economy healthier won’t happen overnight, but we’ve made great progress towards that goal within the last two years.
When I took office in January of 2011, I joined with my House Republican colleagues in laying out an ambitious foundation for our state’s revival.
While we’ve come a long way since then, there is much we still need to do.
Michigan’s economy has rebounded and is growing, but I’m aware not everyone has felt the effects of our recovery yet.
There is no such thing as ‘good enough? when it comes to serving my constituency.
Because of that, I am committed to doing everything I possibly can to continue our success well into the future.
On January 30, House Republicans unveiled our ‘Action Plan? for the next two years.
This plan serves as a blue-print for achieving our policy goals, while maintaining accountability to our constituents.
A resurgent state economy is essential to making Michigan better than it has ever been.
We believe that our policy goals can make Michigan’s recovery a model for the rest of the country.
The Action Plan details ways we can improve our job climate.
These include investing in transportation; developing early childhood education; enhancing vocational education; helping our veterans get back to work, and much more.
My colleagues and I will also continue looking for ways to streamline government, while enacting long-term cost saving reforms.
In the long run, this will reduce the burden of debt that continues to be unfairly strapped to the backs of our children and grandchildren.
This term, I am serving on five House Committees; these include the House Committee on Transportation, Education, Energy, Technology, as well as Judiciary and Government Operations.
These assignments will allow me to gain insight and work on some of the most pressing and pertinent issues facing Michigan’s hard-working taxpayers.
Our state’s roads and bridges are crumbling before our eyes.
We need to look at every possible solution to improve our state’s infrastructure and keep Michigan families safe.
I believe that includes ways way can reduce the cost of bureaucracy and use more of the money we already have directly on fixing roads.
Our children deserve the best education possible and I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues on the Education Committee to make this happen.
Educating the next generation is a responsibility I take great pride in, as we are only as successful as we want to be.
Our children should have every opportunity possible to reach for the stars and achieve greatness. There will be many things to discuss in the Energy and Technology Committee as well this term. Energy legislation was revisited and rewritten in 2008.
However, we need to reevaluate these policies to see if they are helping or hindering the livelihoods of Michigan families.
We also need to review energy choice to get a clearer picture of the market and see if there is a way to help lower rates for our hard-working taxpayers.
I look forward to addressing these and other tough issues in the coming term. Any decision made will be to improve the quality of life for Michigan families now and well into the future.
We all have a responsibility to make Michigan the pinnacle of successful public policy and make other states want to emulate our success.
I encourage anyone with an idea or concern that could help our state’s recovery to contact my office.
There is much more that can be done for the hard-working taxpayers of this state and those efforts have now continued.
I’m confident that our best days are ahead of us and I’m confident in my ability to tackle these new challenges.
Jacobsen is the state representative for the 46th District. He can be reached toll free at 855-REP-BRAD or BradJacobsen@house.mi.gov.