Unflappable State Rep Joey Andrews addresses local residents

On Friday afternoon August 8, during South Haven's Blueberry Festival, Representative Joey Andrews of the 38th House District addressed residents gathered at the South Haven Memorial Library on Broadway St. Casco Township is located in the 38th House District.

Andrews lamented the least productive legislative session "since 1940, when the legislature did not meet. Only six bills have been signed into law; nothing big," he said. "The House is non-functional." As a Democrat, he is in the minority in the State House of Representatives.

Rep. Andrews spoke at length about the difficulties getting the state budget passed, reporting that Speaker of the House Matt Hall removed the top Democrat from the Appropriations Committee. Hall has not been an effective leader in Lansing, in Andrews' opinion; it's "not a great situation right now," Andrew said regarding budget negotiations.

Rep. Joey Andrews addresses a crowded gathered at the South Haven Memorial Library

The state budget process is impacted by the Federal Budget, which has passed. President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" contributes to "a one billion dollar hole in the Medicaid budget, and a $600 million loss [in state revenue] due to the tax structure," Andrews said. He was not optimistic a budget would be in place by September 30 ahead of the start of the fiscal year on October 1.

Andrews predicted financial hardship for the State in the near future as the State needs between $1.5B and $2 billion to fill gaps in the budget. Road bonds that have funded construction expire this year. Subsidies are expiring for people subscribed to Affordable Care Act insurance, and insurance rates are projected to increase. Free breakfast and lunch programs in public schools are at risk; these programs, according to Andrews, are "40-80% Federally funded due to matched funding." He noted public schools are adopting austerity measures. "It is bad," Andrews said of the budget. "It is not right sizing anything."

Rep. Andrews spoke about Short Term Rental legislation that has been reintroduced. The STR legislation includes a use tax that will benefit the "Pure Michigan" fund and local governments. It will implement a statewide registry of STRs. The proposed legislation has received a thumbs up from both VRBO.com and AirBnB.com, with Andrews reporting that the companies said "this looks good to us."

Andrews is also working through a bill regarding the use of sandbags as a method for addressing erosion.

He is also working on a bipartisan effort focused on nuclear legislation which would boost workforce attraction efforts and provide credit for university students who work on small reactor technology. (The Holtec plant, formerly Palisades, will use small reactor technology).

Andrews' Methane Digester package of bills has moved out of the House. This package will simplify the permit process for Ag producers using or wanting to construct methane digesters. The bill is waiting for Senate action.

In a question and answer session, Casco Township resident Linda Teeter led. She noted the filled room and the presence of recording devices. She asked if Rep. Andrews had concerns about his own security and safety, and that of his staff.

Andrews responded that following the shooting deaths of the State Representative and her husband in MN, Andrews installed a home security system. He acknowledged that people tape snippets from his town hall meetings and use them online to provoke anger. He was an advocate for de-escalating tensions and working to make progress for constituents in his district.

Casco Township News founder Julie Cowie asked if the nuclear legislation being developed includes funding for workforce housing for people who will come to work at Holtec.

Andrews answered that his district includes some of the zip codes where housing costs are increasing the fastest in Michigan. He advocates addressing zoning regulations and the permitting process as a way of shrinking the cost of construction. He also favored removing bans on multi-family housing and decreasing required setbacks.

"The era of being a quiet tourism area is done. Are we just going to be a playground for the rich?" Andrews asked rhetorically, "or can workers live here? We need to get denser: we need apartments, townhomes, and duplexes. I don't think growth is a bad thing. Getting denser will not result in a town losing its charm." He urged those in attendance to "go to your municipalities; allow development to come."

Next, a resident from St. Joseph, J. Mark Swartzentruber, disrupted the meeting with religious exhortations directed to Rep. Andrews, which Swartzentruber simultaneously videorecorded with his phone. As the disturbance impeded the established purpose of the meeting, Swartzentruber was asked to leave by the Library director. "This is how he makes money--as an online influencer," Andrews explained to the startled and annoyed crowd. Apparently this was the second time Swartzentruber interrupted a Town Hall led by Rep. Andrews.

Police were called, the two or three out-of-town disruptors left the room, and the session continued.

Speaking first after the disturbance, a local resident, a mother, thanked Rep. Andrews for intervening in previous weeks when her special needs son needed cognitive support. Such support had been secured and the constituent expressed her gratitude to the State Representative.

A South Haven Township resident asked about mental health services and how clientele of community mental health services, many of whom are on medicaid, may be impacted by budget cuts. Andrews explained that recent budget problems stemmed from the DOGE processes at the Federal level, which created"a few issues with disbursements."

Julie Cowie asked about a recent social media post from Sen. Aric Nesbitt's office referring to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) as the "Michigan Department of Economic Corruption." She asked if Andrews knew what was behind that post.

Andrews responded that the Governor controls the board of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The MEDC has many tools for business attraction and development for the State. Recently a $20M MEDC grant to a business incubator in Dearborn was egregiously misused and an investigation is underway. This raises "a legitimate issue of transparency," Andrews explained.

"We need to have an attraction program" for the state, he said, reporting the Michigan is "the #6 best state in the nation to do business in," and MEDC has been responsible for those attraction programs.

A resident from South Haven Township complained about the speed of cars exiting the roundabout. Rep. Andrews urged him to attend South Haven Township Board meetings, with neighbors, and enlist the Township's help in having a traffic study conducted as that is the jurisdiction that must be involved for speed signage.

Claire Bodtke of Geneva Township lamented the attacks on medicine and vaccine research coming from the federal government. "Most insurance companies are not interested in NOT covering vaccines," Andrews reassured her. He favored expanding Medicare and developing a public option for healthcare that people could buy into. Andrews hoped a future Town Hall, held jointly with Sen. Elissa Slotkin, could be focused on different healthcare models and strategies for rebuilding public health.

A man asked about the state of the Michigan Democratic Party (MDP). Andrews responded that while "party leadership has been pretty absent the past 4-6 years, the new chair is more diligent with a move back to a grass roots party." He went on to say the MDP "needs to be a party of reform; we were defending the establishment too much." People care about "housing, health care, and inflation." He hoped the MDP would be "more outcome-oriented and less process-oriented; let's make it easier to buy or build a house and start a business."

Local realtor Adam Locker asked a question about density and addressing the parking problem in South Haven. "Coastal towns are figuring this out," Andrews responded. "Traverse City, Holland, and Muskegon have taken an intentional approach" to growth, he said.

"We're going to embrace growth," Andrews affirmed, stating city leaders should not be scared of pushback from those who oppose change. "Developers think they'll be regulated to death" and they stop building in our communities. He said this happened to St. Joseph, which he said developed a nickname, 'St. No.' Andrews proposed the use of pre-approved housing plans as one strategy to get more housing built in a quicker and cost-efficient manner.

Sen. Joey Andrews serves the 38th House District and lives in St. Joseph.