Issue Position: Bureaucratic Reform

Issue Position

When I was sent to Lansing as a House member, I knew my job was to represent the people and concerns of this issue. I saw it as a chance to advocate our UP positions and knew there would be pressures from the opinions in other areas of the state. The bitter truth was that far more of the problems we face come from the lobbying power of the departmental and agency bureaucrats. I was often astounded by the passion people inside a department have for pet projects and views and the elitist attitude they take against their own employees and the citizens of the state. This can be summarized in the recurring fight the legislature fought to clarify that no state employee should be punished for or forbidden from talking with a state legislator. We need to fix this bad practice and do more to keep these agencies in check. The departments currently act with lobbying impunity either for themselves or other lobbyists. This must be reined in so they follow the same rules as other lobbyists

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