Pot, pensions, porn: Lansing-area lawmakers set goals

LANSING – Pot, the pension tax and "revenge porn" are among the issues Greater Lansing lawmakers hope to tackle in the 2015-16 legislative term.

Senators and representatives from the 98th Legislature, including the 11 who represent the Lansing region, will be officially sworn in Wednesday at the Capitol. But local lawmakers have already set far-reaching goals for the next two years.

That includes unfinished business for the eight legislators who were reelected in November.

State Rep. Mike Callton, R-Nashville, for example, wants to continue his push for legislation that would expand and better regulate access to medical marijuana. State Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, wants to reintroduce a bill protecting active-duty military personnel from losing custody of their children while they're serving overseas, and wants to pass legislation cracking down on so-called revenge porn, which involves taking intimate photos or video made to share with a lover and posting it online as retaliation.

The area's three freshmen legislators, meanwhile, will bring new ideas.

State Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Potterville, who ousted one-term Democrat Theresa Abed in November, said one of the first bills he plans to introduce would repeal the state's controversial pension tax. State Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr., D-Meridian Township, who replaced term-limited East Lansing Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, said he wants to push a bill requiring the state to recognize same-sex marriages from other states and another that would restore the state's tax credit for child care.

And state Rep. Brett Roberts, R-Eaton Township, who replaces Mike Shirkey after Shirkey was elected to the state Senate, said he hopes to introduce bills expanding broadband connections and other infrastructure in rural areas. He also wants to improve access to vocational education.

That issue, touted by Gov. Rick Snyder in his inaugural address on New Year's Day, should gain bipartisan support because "we have thousands of jobs here in the state of Michigan that are currently not being filled because we don't have young men and women qualified to take those jobs," said state Rep. Tom Leonard, R-DeWitt Township, who will be speaker pro-tem this term.

Other goals: State Sen. Mike Nofs, R-Battle Creek, is working with the Snyder administration on energy policy issues and could introduce bills later this year. State Rep. Sam Singh, D-East Lansing, who will be minority floor leader this term, said he'll push for more investment in education and renewable energy and return to last term's failed effort to add workplace protections for gays, lesbians and transgender individuals. State Rep. Tom Cochran, D-Mason, said Democrats need to do more to reach out to small businesses this term, which he called "the engines that create the majority of job growth."

State Rep. Ben Glardon, R-Owosso, wants to pass a bill setting credential requirements for radiology technicians and another that would allow municipalities with an A credit rating be treated as AA-rated groups when it comes to selling bonds.

And some legislators are planning bills they said would directly affect Greater Lansing.

State Rep. Andy Schor, D-Lansing, said his first act will be to reintroduce a bill, inspired by Lansing's problem-plagued Life O'Riley Mobile Park, that would give municipalities more oversight of such facilities. Leonard said he'd like to push legislation that would lower the state's auto insurance rates. He said making insurance more affordable would encourage more people to sign up, which would help agencies such as the Delta Township-based Auto-Owners Insurance.

And Singh said budget discussions beginning this month would have implications for the region. Early forecasts of a budget shortfall could mean tightened belts for state departments and their employees, a big economic bloc for the region.

"This spring will be a busy time for all of us," he said.