Part of the Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce’s mission is to engage with local, state, and federal officials and help connect them to its members. At the 8th Annual Eggs & Issues Legislative Breakfast on August 23rd, chamber members had a chance to hear from local representatives to the Michigan State Senate and House, U.S. Congress, and St. Clair County Board of Commissioners.
The panel of legislators included Congresswoman Lisa McClain, Senator Dan Lauwers, State Representative Andrew Beeler, and S.C.C.C. Chair Jeff Bohm. The event was moderated by Scott Shigley, Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce Public Affairs Committee Chair.
Congresswoman Lisa McClain talked about the Inflation Reduction Act that was recently signed by President Biden, and she expressed concern that incentives for renewable energy included in the bill may not be helpful for medium to small businesses.
McClain also noted she felt there was a disconnect in Washington between what high-level government officials believed was happening in communities like St. Clair County and what she hears from her constituents.
“I think the biggest problem [is that] you have all these government officials in D.C., you have all these administrative departments in government, that have no clue of what’s happening in our district,” said McClain.
McClain is hosting the Secretary of Labor on October 4th so she can connect him with business leaders to talk about the seriousness of the labor shortage and other issues affecting Michigan’s 10th District.
Senator Lauwers shared his observations that many businesses are struggling to get back on track since the COVID-19 pandemic. He has seen a pattern in the number of businesses coming to him with problems dealing with the State over matters of permits.
Both Senator Lauwers and Representative Beeler shared their frustration over government regulations that they believe may be prohibiting businesses from growing in our area. They cited several examples of business owners seeking licenses or permits who faced multiple barriers to expanding their businesses or opening a new one.
Representative Beeler also addressed a question about what can be done to solve the child care shortage in St. Clair County.
“The child care issue is a basic supply and demand problem,” said Beeler. “We have extremely low supply, and there is high demand for people who need it.”
Beeler went on to say, “To me, what can I do, Dan, Lisa, Jeff, what can we all do? We can create a better environment for people to compete in the market of child care, and the marketplace will solve this problem.”
When the panel was asked how they felt about Shane Hernandez running for Lt. Governor alongside Tudor Dixon and what that would mean for St. Clair County, Senator Lauwers replied, “It’s a big deal for us if he gets elected.”
He went on to express Hernadez’s commitment to the community, “I think it would be fantastic for our area. How long has it been since we had someone at top-level in the administration that knew us , that understood us?”
Rep. Beeler said, “I think it’s a continuation of a wave of normal people getting involved in government.”
Shane is one of us. He’s a business owner, he’s a dad, he lives…in Port Huron, he goes to church here. Beeler also said, “There is not some sort of ruling class in this country of people who are smart enough to make decisions and those who aren’t. There are just Americans, and Michiganders who should step up, and the difference between those who are doing it and those who aren’t is that those who are doing it raise their hands. I’m encouraged to see a guy like Shane on the ticket, potentially the number two guy in the state. That’s really inspiring. I think it should be inspiring to all of us.”
The panel also discussed access to elections and student loan debt along with the expansion of the IRS through the Inflation Reduction Act.
For more information about the legislators present at this event, contact them here:
Senator Dan Lauwers: https://www.senatordanlauwers.com/
Rep. Andrew Beeler: https://gophouse.org/member/repandrewbeeler/posts
Congresswoman Lisa McClain: https://mcclain.house.gov/
Commissioner Jeff Bohm: https://www.stclaircounty.org/offices/boc/DistrictInfo.aspx?district=5
To learn more about the advocacy aspects the the Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce, visit their website here:
https://www.bluewaterchamber.com/about-us.html
Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand
