“Restaurant workers have been pleading for relief. But when the Legislature met today, House Democrats still refused to act.”

State Rep. Ken Borton, R-Gaylord, and Greg Kates, Otsego County deputy sheriff and school resource officer, stand together at the Michigan State Capitol on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. Kates was Borton’s guest at the Michigan House of Representatives’ annual ceremony remembering 9/11 and honoring Michigan first responders.

“While navigating a construction zone isn’t exactly fun, projects like these truly are a sign of a healthy community,” said Borton, R-Gaylord. “I always try to remind folks of all the good behind construction. At the surface level, we’re creating jobs and producing a great result for our town. But when you look deeper, these improvements will be the first thing prospective business owners or residents see when they jump off the interstate.”

“Northern Michigan is filled with unique restaurants that people travel hundreds of miles to visit. Each of those locally owned operations is at risk of shutting down after this ruling,” said Borton, R-Gaylord. “These businesses rely on local people – from high school kids to adults who have worked in the service industry their entire lives – to stay afloat. These folks pride themselves in offering the best possible service and are rewarded through quality tipping. These extreme changes being pushed on us by the Supreme Court mean that most of these hard-working people will be laid off in the coming year. It’s unacceptable. The Legislature must return to work and save our restaurant and tourism industries.”

“Anyone with children in their lives can see just how real the mental health crisis among our youth is,” said Borton, R-Gaylord. “The amount of trauma every kid carries with them is something we couldn’t have even imagined when we were growing up. Our kids are constantly targeted by social media companies who care more about profit than safety. They face cyberbullies who want nothing more than to reduce their sense of self-worth to nothing. These kids even lived through a pandemic. Democrats know this; they’ve got kids too. They chose to cut school safety and mental health funding anyway.”

“This recycling event is a great way for us to get rid of those things that we all know we probably shouldn’t just throw away, but we also don’t know quite what to do with, so they end up just sitting in the back of the garage for too long,” said Borton, R-Gaylord. “No one is immune. We’ve all got expired medication, old smoke detectors, and electronics that probably won’t even turn on anymore. Events like this give everyone a responsible way to discard the waste that needs a bit more special care than we’ve been giving it.”

“The Unemployment Insurance Agency is almost entirely funded on the backs of small businesses. This bill seeks to force businesses to bankroll unemployment benefits for employees who chose not to seek a new job in a timely manner,” said Borton, R-Gaylord. “Obviously, the unemployment system is important, but state government should not be expanding the burden on small businesses or allowing people who don’t want to work to further abuse the system.”

“Criminals continue to find new and innovative ways to defraud our communities,” said Borton, R-Gaylord. “Instead of applying skills and talents toward real jobs, people are now falsifying deeds in desperate attempts to steal property. Oftentimes, these cases wind up costing true property owners thousands in court fees as they have to prove they really do own the home they worked so hard for.”

“Expanding the Good Samaritan Law and high school curriculums to include bleeding control equips Michiganders with the tools they need to act swiftly and confidently in emergencies,” said Borton, R-Gaylord. “This initiative embodies our shared commitment to safety. It’s about preparedness, and it’s about taking care of each other.”

“State prosecutors shouldn’t have to wait until smugglers commit heinous acts against vulnerable people before they can prosecute,” said Borton, R-Gaylord. “Helping people illegally enter our country is dangerous and can lead to many unintended consequences. The feds recognize smuggling as a crime, so our state should too.”

“People in Northern Michigan couldn’t care less about drones and electric bikes,” said Borton, R-Gaylord. “In fact, the only time many of them have seen them is watching Back to the Future. I don’t think we should be governing through ideas in sci-fi movies from the 80s. If Democrats keep their stranglehold on power, I’m starting to wonder if we’ll start seeing proposals like $60 million for flying vehicle infrastructure or $1 billion for time machine feasibility studies.”