Capitol Connect: July 17, 2022

In This Issue:

The LRCC Joined Ingham ISD, Public Safety Officials to Discuss School Safety & Security
State House Introduces Bills on School Safety & Mental Health
State Budget Approved, $7B Still in Play
Heritage Hall Opens
New Project Alert

The LRCC Joined Ingham ISD, Public Safety Officials to Discuss School Safety & Security

The Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce (LRCC) recently joined the Ingham Intermediate School District (ISD) along with several superintendents, public safety officers, elected officials, and business leaders for a roundtable to discuss school safety and security. The LRCC believes this is an important conversation that our entire community should be engaged in, including the business community.

State House Introduces Bills on School Safety & Mental Health

The State House of Representatives School Safety Task Force introduced a bipartisan package of bills that are meant to improve school safety and mental health outcomes for students. The bipartisan task force has been studying safety in schools and policy solutions they hope will prevent future acts of violence. Below is an outline of the bills introduced:

Provide guidance on modern security measures when constructing new school buildings (HB 6331);
Instruct schools to update their safety plans every three years in consultation with the ISD safety coordinator (HB 6320);
Encourage more school resource officers in schools to work with students (HB 6332);
Add OK2Say contact information to school ID cards (HB 6327);
Ensure reporting/tips the OK2Say program receives are passed on to local law enforcement and the new ISD coordinators (HB 6329);
Require more active shooter drills with at least one drill that includes local law enforcement involvement (HB 6319);
Provide school safety and security training for school staff (HB 6321 and HB 6322); and
Create uniform definitions statewide for school safety terms such as lockdowns to foster better communication during crisis events (HB 6324 and HB 6325).

The LRCC Policy Committee will review these bills. If you have any questions about the bills, please contact Steve Japinga, LRCC public affairs senior vice president at sjapinga@lansingchamber.org.

State Budget Approved, $7B Still in Play

The State Legislature approved the 2022-23 budget and was signed by Gov. Whitmer. The budget is $76.billion overall, which includes $19.6 billion in School Aid Fund (Senate Bill 845) and $15.3 billion in General Fund (House Bill 5783). However, there is still $7 billion left for the Governor and Legislature to decide how best to spend the remaining budget. The $7 billion consists of one-time surplus dollars and ongoing funding. The Governor and lawmakers will continue to negotiate on how to best spend these dollars.

Below are a few successes for the LRCC’s priority requests as well as for our region. The LRCC, along with our partners at the Capital Council of Governments (CAPCOG), will continue to work with the Governor and State Legislature on advocating for our regional priorities in the coming months.

Downtown Lansing, Inc. – $5 million (LRCC | CAPCOG Priority Request)
Potter Park Zoo – $2 million (LRCC | CAPCOG Priority Request)
Michigan Reconnect & Going Pro – $110 million increase (LRCC Priority Request – Workforce Development)
Statewide Pre-Apprenticeship Program – $10 million (LRCC Priority Request – Workforce Development)
New Behavioral Health Center at former McLaren Greenlawn Hospital – $5 million (LRCC priority request – healthcare accessibility and affordability)
Revenue Sharing for Local Governments – 6% increase
Grants for Local Units of Government to Fund Retirement Systems – $750 million
MSU AgBioResearch Program – $2.6 million increase
MSU Extension Program – $1.2 million increase

The LRCC along with our partners at CAPCOG will continue to work with the Governor and State Legislature on advocating for our regional priorities in the coming months. Check out a regional list of priorities below.

Regional Priority Requests List

Heritage Hall Opens

The Heritage Hall welcome center at the State Capitol Building is now open to the public. In 2019, the LRCC and CAPCOG advocated for this investment in the state budget process and were successful in securing state dollars to fund the building of the new welcome center. The new center will serve as an educational resource for schools, residents, and visitors while enhancing security at our historic capitol.

New Project Alert in Meridian Township

Demolition of the Haslett Village Square has begun in Meridian Township. The first project underway is a 132-unit independent senior housing project called America Home Meridian. Read more via the Lansing State Journal below.

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