LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Mark Huizenga welcomed Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom to the state Capitol on Wednesday night as his guest for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s 2024 State of the State address.
“I was proud to have Chief Winstrom as my guest for the governor’s address as we need to make sure our police officers have the resources they need to keep our neighborhoods safe,” said Huizenga, R-Walker. “I’m always willing to work with anyone to improve our state, and after a year full of partisan legislation, I’m hopeful that the governor will work across the aisle to achieve bipartisan solutions — such as providing tax relief for everyone and adopting regulatory policies that make our state more attractive for new investment and jobs.”
Huizenga said he’s focused on education and letting people keep more of their money.
“Making higher education more affordable is important, and last year I proposed freezing tuition at community colleges and our 15 public universities — but that idea was rejected. However, we need to focus more on the fundamentals,” Huizenga said. “Despite record K-12 school funding, our students rank in the bottom 10 nationally for high school graduation rates and fourth-grade reading proficiency, and only one-third of Michigan fourth graders are proficient in math. That’s unacceptable.
“The governor has proposed spending $25 million of taxpayer dollars on subsidies mostly for electric vehicles that few people can afford. We should be working to lower costs on everything, not just electric vehicles. My focus will be on letting folks keep more of their own money.
“Free money and free tuition are just another headline. We must remember that these are your hardworking taxpayer dollars. I will work with anyone that will help protect your taxpayer dollars and provide a bipartisan budget that helps Michigan grow.”
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Editor’s note: The above photograph of Huizenga is available by clicking on the image or by visiting SenatorMarkHuizenga.com/photos.
Photo caption: Sen. Mark Huizenga, R-Walker, welcomed Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom to the state Capitol on Wednesday night as his guest for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s 2024 State of the State address. Winstrom was named as the 15th chief of police for the Grand Rapids Police Department in 2022 after serving in the Chicago Police Department for over 20 years in various patrol, tactical, investigative, and administrative positions.