1. MIC
H
I G A N H O U
S
E
OF
RE
P
R E S E N T A T I
V
ES
There is no reason a family making $50,000 a year should
contribute nearly twice as great a share of their income
as a billionaire, but that is how our tax system works, for
now…
We can ensure that everyone pays an equal share by
establishing a graduated income tax that cuts taxes
for 95% of Michigan families and asks the wealthiest to
contribute the same share of their income as everyone
else.
This plan would make a real difference in the lives of
Michigan families who have been getting hit from every
angle — declining income, reduced benefits, rising costs
and disproportionately higher taxes.
Under this plan, a family making $80,000 would save $600
each year, an 18% tax cut.
More than 4.4 million filers would receive an $830 million
tax cut to stimulate economic growth and create jobs.
Additionally, 89% of business owners would receive a tax
cut. It’s time to help hardworking small-business owners
who don’t benefit from special-interest deals like the
MEGA business tax credits.
Under our plan to create Tax Equality, 95% of residents
would receive a tax cut!
A family making $50,000 a year would save $525. Their
effective tax rate would be 3.2% vs. the current 4.25%.
Visit www.MITaxEquality.com to learn what Tax Equality
would mean for you!
CreatingTaxEqualityinMichigan
9.210
0
5
20%
$0 to $17k
1
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
9.59.5
20%
$17 to $34k
20%
$34 to $56k
9.5
8.5
7.8
5.9
20%
$56 to $88k
15%
$88 to $165k
4%
$165 to $392k
1%
$392,000+
Sales & ExciseTaxes
PercentofHouseholdIncome
Household Income & Percentage of Households
IncomeTaxes PropertyTaxes
Percent of Household Income Contributed in State and LocalTaxes
6.3
3.9
5.0
3.1
2.3 1.6 .8
1.1
3.1
2.5
3.5
3.5
3.7
3.4
1.8 2.52 2.9
2.6
2.5
1.6
Source: Institute onTaxation and Economic Policy
Michigan Under Current Law
8.810
0
5
20%
$0 to $17k
1
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
8.88.8
20%
$17 to $34k
20%
$34 to $56k
8.8
8.1 8.3
8.9
20%
$56 to $88k
15%
$88 to $165k
4%
$165 to $392k
1%
$392,000+
Sales & ExciseTaxes
PercentofHouseholdIncome
Household Income & Percentage of Households
IncomeTaxes PropertyTaxes
Percent of Household Income Contributed in State and LocalTaxes
6.3
3.9
5.0
3.1
2.3 1.6 .8
2.4
1.8
2.9
3.2 4.2
6.4
1.8 2.52
2.9
2.6 2.5
1.6
.7
Source: Institute onTaxation and Economic Policy
Michigan with a Graduated IncomeTax
MICHIGANHOUSEOFREPRESENTATIVES
STATEREPRESENTATIVE
JIMTOWNSENDProudlyrepresentingRoyalOakandMadisonHeights
e-newsletter
townsend.housedems.com
Signupformy
STATE REPRESENTATIVE
JIM TOWNSEND
HOUSE DISTRICT 26
Email: jimtownsend@house.mi.gov
Website: townsend.housedems.com
Toll-free: (866) 585-2471
Phone: (517) 373-3818
STATE REPRESENTATIVE JIM TOWNSEND | P.O. BOX 30014, LANSING, MI 48909-7514

2. LearningfromtheFlintWaterCrisisthroughLegislativeOversight
RoadswillcontinuetocrumbleundertheRepublican“roadplan”
After learning that the city of Flint’s water supply was
contaminated with lead, and having recently witnessed
the spectacle of the legislative hearings to expel former
state representatives Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat, I
held meetings with the leadership of both parties in the
Legislature and encouraged them to consider having the
Levin Center at Wayne State University Law School come
to help train lawmakers and staff on how to properly
conduct legislative investigations and oversight.
The Levin Center was founded in recognition of Sen.
Carl Levin’s longstanding and distinguished career in
the United States Senate, where he was known for his
thorough and bipartisan legislative investigations and
oversight.
Republican leadership in the House and the Senate thus
far have not invited the Levin Center to Lansing to help
improve the manner in which we conduct legislative
investigations and oversight. Hopefully, with the help of
the Levin Center, Lansing will have more leaders like Sen.
Levin serving in the Legislature who value the institution
more than politics.
In a guest op-ed I wrote that was published on Nov. 4,
2015, I warned that we would continue to see our roads
deteriorate under a package of legislation passed by the
Republican-controlled Legislature. This legislation was
signed into law six days later by Gov. Rick Snyder.
According to a new report from the Michigan
Department of Transportation, 82% of state trunk lines
are presently in good or fair condition. Under this so-
called“road plan”, only 54% of state trunk lines will be
in good or fair condition by 2025 — a 34% drop in just
nine years.
This plan simply kicks the can further down the road, while
the cost of repairing our roads will continue to increase.
Half of the plan relies on future lawmakers to make
unspecified cuts. And, even if future lawmakers cut funding
for health care, community colleges, universities and our
schools, our roads will continue to get much worse.
The failure to find a bipartisan plan to actually fix our roads
is compounded by MDOT’s continued effort to pursue
the failed policies of the 1960s by investing billions to
expand I-75 and I-94. Vehicle miles traveled in southeast
Michigan have fallen by 8% since 2000, and studies show
that building more lanes does nothing to reduce traffic
congestion. Let’s fix what we’ve built and invest in our
communities and mass transit, not sprawl.
ManydecisionscontributedtotheFlintWaterCrisis,
buttheSnyderadministration’stakeoverofFlint,
underitsemergencymanagerlaw,ledtothecritical
decisionsthatcausedtheleadcontaminationofFlint’s
watersupply.
InApril2014,Snyder’semergencymanagerswitched
thecityofFlint’swatersourcefromtheDetroitWater
andSewerageDepartmenttotheFlintRiver.TheFlint
CityCouncilandmayorwereleftwatchingonthe
sidelinesastheemergencymanagerlawstripped
themoftheirpowerandvestedalloftheirauthority
intheemergencymanagerappointedbyGov.Snyder.
ThepeopleofFlinthavenowbeenwithoutcleanand
safewaterformorethantwoyears,andonlyrecently
learnedoftheleadcontamination,thankstoDr.
MonaHanna-Attisha,aformerRoyalOakresidentand
pediatricianattheHurleyMedicalCenterinFlint,and
MarcEdwards,aprofessoratVirginiaTechUniversity,
whoblewthewhistleontheSnyderadministration
andputaspotlightontheFlintwatercrisis.
I’vebeentoFlinttohelpdistributewater.Ican’t
fathomhowdifficultitmustbeforresidentstolive
throughthisandhowdevastatingitmustbefor
parents.TheconsequencesoftheFlintwatercrisis
canhardlybeoverstated,andthestatehasamoral
obligationtothepeopleofFlinttomakethisright,
bywhatevermeansnecessary.Notonlyisthewater
supplystillcontaminated,butthestatehasnoteven
begunremovingleadpipes,andRepublicanscontinue
toinsistthatresidentsofFlintshouldpayfor35%of
theirwaterbills.
Gov.Snyder’smisguidedobsessionwithrunning
governmentlikeabusinessappearstohaveblinded
hisadministrationtothetruththatgovernment
existstoserveandprotectthepeople,notmaximize
profits.WhileitwatchedGeneralMotorsrejectFlint
Riverwatertoprotectitsengineparts,theSnyder
administrationstoodbyandletthousandsofFlint
residentsbeexposedtotoxicleadlevels,justtosavea
fewthousanddollars.
TheFlintWaterCrisis