“As the saying goes – ‘when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.’ Well, the Supreme Court handed us the nastiest lemons you can imagine, and we still found a way to make some quality lemonade,” said Borton, R-Gaylord. “Is our deal perfect? Not even close. But when we walked out last year, we said we would fight like hell until we had a deal that protected our tipped workers and small businesses. It took everything we had, but we fulfilled that promise by securing a deal that will truly benefit the whole of Michigan.”

“The governor proposed a bunch of new taxes today but still couldn’t come up with a plan that came anywhere close to the quality of ours,” said Borton, R-Gaylord. “These taxes could include businesses, retail delivery services like Lyft and Uber, towing, heavy truck parking, and internet advertising. It seems like she decided to put a tax on whatever came across her stream of consciousness during whatever planning process she made time for on her book tour. Our proposal would put more money toward our roads and do it without raising taxes.”

“My committee is ready to work on behalf of people, and the people are tired of poorly run government agencies charging them extra just because they can.”

“We have a responsibility to protect recreational opportunities for people across Michigan. If DNR bureaucrats don’t give up their attempts to raise fees, clear-cut forests, and support policies that chase people away from the outdoors, we will zero out their budget and get them out of the way,” said Borton, R-Gaylord. “This isn’t going to be an easy job. We’re talking about a budget that was over $82 billion dollars last year. We have a responsibility to look at every department and the programs they operate and ensure every dollar of waste is cut.”

State Rep. Ken Borton, R-Gaylord was proud to welcome Pastor Derek Hagland (center) to Lansing to give the invocation before House session on Thursday. Hagland works as a pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Gaylord. He was joined by Adam Ewing (left) radio host at 88.1 Living Word. ###

“House Republicans took the bull by the horns, and we delivered,” Borton said. “I could not be prouder to be a part of our Republican caucus. We stood unified a month ago when we demanded action on these policies, and we stood unified again today in passing these bills. The work is not done, but we’re definitely leading with confidence.”

House Republicans in the Northern Michigan Caucus on Tuesday released the following statement outlining their support for recently introduced legislation which will help bring solutions to a Michigan Supreme Court decision from last summer. The ruling puts unrealistic mandates on small businesses regarding wages and sick leave while phasing out the tip credit, which provides […]

“I imagine many frontline DNR employees have been put into impossible situations regarding these proposals,” said Borton, R-Gaylord. “Staff has been forced to choose between speaking out against the state mutilating public land for financial gain and keeping the jobs they rely on to pay for mortgages and support their families. Frontline workers at the DNR should feel confident that if they voice their frustrations with my office their anonymity will be protected. We need to keep getting the word out regarding these terrible plans. The public wants to hear from DNR officials who disagree, but those statements should not come at the expense of their jobs.”

“In forming this committee, House Republicans are putting a line in the sand and proving now is the time to save our tipped-wage workers and small businesses. Not next month. Not next week. Now,” said Borton, R-Gaylord. “Stalling by legislative Democrats put us in this mess in the first place. We aren’t going to waste another second before we find a solution.”

“Any person who thinks swapping trees for solar panels is a good idea has no business being employed by the department tasked with responsibly managing and protecting our natural resources,” said Borton, R-Gaylord. “DNR staff either completely forgot their job or were entirely corrupt from the start. Whatever the truth is, it’s inexcusable and nothing short of a fireable offense. The people involved in these decisions shouldn’t be out of the job for too long considering how cozy they are with the solar farm industry.”

“We’ve all read the Lorax. If he thought like the DNR, he’d only be speaking for trees for as long as it took to fill his chainsaw with gas after the solar industry waved a fat wad of cash in his face.”