LANSING—The Michigan Senate Finance Committee voted unanimously today to pass Senate Bill 104, legislation sponsored by State Senator Glenn Anderson (D-Westland) that would give local governmental units the ability to exempt 100% disabled veterans living in their communities from local property taxes on their principal homes. Today's action is the culmination of six years of work by Senator Anderson to reduce the tax burden for Michigan's disabled veterans, and the bill now moves to the full Senate for consideration.

LANSING—State Senator Glenn Anderson (D-Westland) has been working diligently for six years on an effort to reduce the tax burden for Michigan’s disabled veterans. He has introduced legislation to allow for this reduction every session since taking office in the State Senate in 2007. Senate Bill 104, this year’s version of the bill, would give local governmental units the ability to exempt 100% disabled veterans living in their communities from local property taxes on their principal homes. After a great deal of research and many discussions with interested parties including veteran representatives, his bill is scheduled for a hearing before the Senate Finance Committee.

Lansing – The Michigan Senate Democrats today slammed the budgets being passed by their Republican colleagues over the past week for continuing their ongoing trend of favoring corporations at the expense of investing in Michigan's schools, communities and working families.

The Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA) was created with the best of intentions. While the service of the MCCA is just as important today as when it was enacted, many questions have been raised about its practices. That is why I am fighting to implement true auto insurance reform in Michigan by adding some much needed checks and balance to the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association.

A modern and well-maintained transportation infrastructure is essential to businesses and individuals alike, but any potential funding solution should be supported by both. However, some Republican proposed funding mechanisms to generate billions of dollars for transportation funding are raising more ire than praise in Lansing and around the state.

As local residents prepare to file their 2012 tax returns in the coming months, many working families are going to notice that their taxes have gone up. For some, this is because the Michigan Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has gone down. In 2011, Gov. Snyder recommended and the majority in the Michigan Legislature passed several detrimental tax changes, including reducing the state EITC from 20% of the federal EITC to 6%. This means the average Michigan EITC credit will drop 70%, from $439 to $132.

Senator Glenn S. Anderson issued a statement tonight responding to Governor Snyder’s 2013 State of the State address.

It is hard to miss that our local roads and highways are in constant need of construction and repair. Whether your company relies on trucking and ground shipments, or you or your employees simply drive to work each morning, the condition of these roads plays a role in the condition of our businesses. As a State Senator and a local resident driving throughout the district, I, too, am well aware of the pressing need to expend state resources to fix these problems.

LANSING”Senator Glenn S. Anderson voted against legislation that will repeal the Personal Property Tax without a sound plan in place to replace all of the lost revenue that local governments depend on the Personal Property Tax for vital services.

Lansing – Several members of the Michigan Senate Democrats expressed outrage over Republican legislation, House Bill 6060, that seeks to neuter the recall process in Michigan and further silence the voice of the people. Several Senators argued that the legislation is a blatant act of self-preservation by legislative Republicans seeking to defend themselves from the pending repercussions of their misguided policies and even legal investigations.