Legislator secures $500K for Ottawa County water regeneration study

State Rep. Bradley Slagh (R-Zeeland) today helped reign in Michigan government’s out-of-control spending by voting to advance the budget proposal for the coming fiscal year. The budget is notably smaller than last year, marking another year of successful, targeted cuts to waste and abuse within state government.

“People I represent are already stretched thin by inflated household costs – they simply can’t tolerate tax increases of any kind. I know that, and that’s why I stood firm against them,” Slagh said.

While the state budget approved by Slagh and his House Republican colleagues is smaller than the budget agreement from last year, it still delivers historic investments in the things Slagh said really matter to the people of West Michigan, including education, public safety, and infrastructure. One notable addition Slagh was glad to see in the budget is special funding  for two new high-security housing units to address a shortage of high security prison beds, improving safety for corrections officers and inmates while modernizing facilities for Michigan’s highest-risk offenders. Once completed, the project would allow the state to close an underutilized lower-security prison, generating an estimated $49.8 million in annual savings.

“This is something we really need,” said Slagh, who chairs the House Corrections Budget Committee. “I see the Department of Corrections main charge to be protecting the people of Michigan from criminals, and that’s what this funding helps achieve.”

Slagh also said he was pleased that despite the reduced overall spending within the state budget, the Corrections Budget continues to fund important programs within the state’s prisons that foster skilled trades and higher education to help returning citizens resume regular life as contributing members of society after serving their sentences.

Slagh also advocated for state tax dollars to be infused back into the communities he represents. Ottawa County will receive $500,000 for research related to ground water aquifer recharging; a program being administered by local Water Resource Commissioner Joe Bush.

“The issue of having enough water to drink is one that’s greatly concerning,” Slagh said. “By researching methods to rehydrate our aquifers, we could potentially provide solutions for other parts of the state experiencing similar issues as well.”

The budget agreement Slagh helped advance today also includes cuts to 250 ghost employees – state positions that departments receive funding for but never fill. These dollars often get funneled to department slush funds. Cutting ghost employees ensures that departments must be transparent about how they spend their resources.