But the first four months of the term have not been free of criticism for Cotter, R-Mount Pleasant, representing Isabella County and most of mid-Michigan in the state House.

“Our district is very diverse,” said Cotter, who has lived in Mount Pleasant for 33 years. “There’s a great balance of an agricultural community and a city community.”

Cotter is currently working within appropriations on four subcommittees. He serves on the community colleges subcommittee, and is vice chairman of both supplementals and higher education and is also judiciary chairman. He handles the budgets within each subcommittee.

Lansing sophomore Virginia Bernero, president of College Democrats, said it is too early to tell how much of an impact Cotter has had while in office.

“From what we can tell he hasn’t done much for constituents and the student population,” Bernero said. “A lot of us are unhappy with how the budget is being handled.”

Cotter’s first bill, House Bill 4096, was introduced Jan. 21 and is intended to create an online database of government spending. The database would allow anyone to track Michigan’s budget in action.

With the hopes of increasing tourism and allowing people more time to hunt, Cotter introduced House Bill 4259 Feb. 15, which proposed the opening day of firearm hunting season should be moved to the Saturday closest to Nov. 15.

“We have a very low or reduced rate of recruitment for hunters,” Cotter said. “For every 100 hunters we lose in the state, we bring back 26.”

He said there is a 10-percent increase in hunter participation when opening day falls on a Saturday. Cotter said he hopes the change will introduce the activity to more people, particularly children.

The state also gets a 3-to-1 match from the federal government for every $15 hunting license it sells.

“We also see an economic impact from people traveling to hunting locations and tourism,” Cotter said.

An initiative to help residents prepare their tax returns was also pushed forward by Cotter on Feb. 24. Cotter provided a 2011 Michigan Taxpayer’s Guide and a newsletter about appealing a property tax assessment through his website.

Through Resolution 13, Cotter also declared the week of Jan. 30 through Feb. 5 as Catholic Schools Week in Michigan. The resolution was initiated to recognize the impact Catholic schools have on the community, he said.

Cotter and his wife Jennifer belong to Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 302 S. Kinney Ave. He graduated in 1999 from CMU with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship and business administration and earned his master’s in science in administration from CMU in 2002.

“He has a lot of great legislative ideas,” said Matt Golden, Cotter spokesman. “For CMU, having a representative for Mount Pleasant in a higher education community is beneficial for the university.”

-Staff Reporter Jordan Spence contributed to this report

Michigan’s medical amnesty bill aims to reduce incidence of minors being too afraid to send sick friends or themselves to the hospital if care is needed. The bill passed through the state House in October 2009, but has since sat in the state Senate awaiting a vote.

“The election has interfered with the movement of bills both in the House and the Senate,” said state Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing. “My hope is we get it done during lame duck.”

Meadows introduced the bill and it common sense.

He said the language of the bill has been satisfactory for everyone, including prosecutors and police.

“We’d rather see them saved than die,” Meadows said.

Harper Woods senior Becca Pollard said she is in favor of the medical amnesty bill and does not think it rewards bad behavior.

Pollard said a friend of hers had to be taken to the hospital with alcohol issues while she was a minor.

“The entire time she was in the hospital she was more worried about getting an MIP,” Pollard said.

Mount Pleasant Police would not have to substantially change any of their practices if the law is approved, said Public Information Officer Jeff Browne.

He said they write MIPs at the hospital “less than a percent” of the time and only in extreme situations.

“The only time that happens is if someone’s causing a significant amount of problems and we have to have them monitored,” Browne said.

A similar bill for drug amnesty is in the works, but Meadows said it has been harder agreeing on a common set of language for it, because narcotics are illegal for all citizens, not just minors.

Meadows said while he hopes the bill is approved before new legislators take office, he will still push for its approval.

“I don’t see any problems with reintroducing it,” Meadows said. “It’s not a controversial bill.”

Rep. Caul, R-Mount Pleasant, has sat on the state’s joint Capital Outlay Committee throughout his three consecutive terms. The committee hears requests from officials at the state’s 15 public universities and 20-some community colleges each spring to draw funding for campus projects.

Caul helped lobby for $37.5 million for CMU’s Education and Human Services Building, an amount which covered 75 percent of the project’s estimated total cost.

Toby Roth, director of Government Relations, said Caul has been “very accessible” and a “good friend” to CMU.

“He’s really been a huge advocate for us in Lansing,” he said. “It does hurt when you lose a member who has the experience that he’s gained over six years and, now, you have to try to start over.”

Roth said the next local representative will likely have an open door to campus as well. Caul maintains it is something he will encourage.

But more specifically, Caul said he will urge the representative-elect to request a spot on the Capital Outlay Committee.

“It’s critically important that we continue to have quality facilities to draw students to the university,” Caul said.

In the last ten years, two other construction projects at CMU were partly funded by Capital Outlay funds: the Charles V. Park Library and the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions Building.

For each, Ray Christie, vice provost of Academic Administration, said Capital Outlay funded 75 percent of the projects’ total cost.

Caul said his wife Sandy, who represented Mount Pleasant from 1998 to 2004, was on the committee when officials sought funds for the library and health professions building.

Caul also played a role when CMU vied for funding for its proposed biotechnology building two years in a row. The proposal, so far, has been unsuccessful.

Caul attributes this to CMU’s recent “education project,” or construction of the new Education and Human Services Building. Persuading the committee to allocate additional funds to CMU so soon was difficult.

“We kind of needed to wait our turn,” he said.

However, Caul saw some success advocating for Mid Michigan Community College when he was first elected in 2004. He supported the construction of MMCC’s Student Orientation and Academic Readiness Building and helped secure Capital Outlay funds to finance 50 percent of the $14.5 million Herbert D. Doan Center.

MMCC President Carol Churchill said Caul and his wife understand the role MMCC serves.

“They understand our mission and they understand that our programs lead to jobs,” Churchill said, noting Sandy currently serves as chairwoman to Mount Pleasant’s Advisory Committee for MMCC.

Caul said he has not given up on bringing the biotechnology building into another Capital Outlay bill.

He said it is possible a bill could come after the November elections and the “new” legislature takes office.

“Those people that are elected in November will be taking office in January so it’s possible,” he said. “But we’ll have to wait and see on that.”

So far, Christine Alwood, CMU’s director of Stewardship and Donor Relations, has thrown her name in the ring to take Caul’s place.

Craig DeRoche, former Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives and 2006 CMU Homecoming Grand Marshal, was spotted highly intoxicated Feb. 9 by residents in the Ann Arbor area. He was slipping and falling in the snow, said Saline Police Chief Paul Bunten.

When police arrived, a breath test revealed his blood-alcohol content was at 0.249 percent — three times the legal limit of 0.08.

“The investigation is not completed,” said Saline City Attorney Allan Grossman.

Legal repercussions for the incident are still in question, police said, because blood test results are not complete.

However, DeRoche’s largest trial may be how the public views his response, said Chris Owens, assistant political science professor.

Once a person enters the public sphere, his information and behavior are open to public scrutiny, Owens said. There are many people, he said, who do not enter politics because of the required transparency.

“With so many news outlets out there it is harder to keep things secret,” he said. “Once you step into the public arena … the things you do get scrutinized more than people that don’t (become public figures).”

Owens does not think the incident will have a notable impact on CMU.

According to published reports, police said DeRoche was intoxicated to such an extent he was unable to stand on his own.

Once the blood test comes back — a process Bunten expects to take about two weeks — police will be able to file for a warrant.

A warrant could be filed for the breath test, he said, but the blood test is what could detect whether substances besides alcohol were involved.

“The officers felt that they wanted some clarification,” Bunten said.

Throughout the 2009 legislative session, the policymakers of the Michigan House of Representatives had the opportunity to vote on 682 bills; State Rep. Bill Caul, R-Mount Pleasant, didn’t miss one.

“As a responsibility to my constituents in the 99th district, it’s important for me to be there each day to vote on issues that affect their lives,” he said.

According to a press release, only about 28 percent of Michigan lawmakers had a perfect voting record. That is, out of 110 representatives, only 31 were present during session to vote on every issue.

Caul said if some representatives are missing when a vote takes place, the ‘board,’ as he described it, is kept open to give the absentees time to get back to the chamber of the House to cast their vote on behalf of their district.

Still, representatives do miss opportunities to vote if they don’t make it back to the chamber on time.

Caul said representative may not be present when a vote takes place, subsequently foregoing the opportunity to cast a vote on the issue, because they’re attending to problems in their district or may be at a committee or negotiation meeting.

“All (representatives) feel like they have a responsibility to their constituents but, for a variety of reasons, they may have missed a session because of a critical issue,” Caul said. “I certainly couldn’t say that there are people who ignore their responsibilities.”

To see the voting record of any lawmaker in the state of Michigan, visit www.michiganvotes.org.

Questions: Should representatives and senators be allowed to miss legislative sessions in which votes will take place? Does it bother you, as a constituent, that your elected official is not always present to represent your voice? Should elected officials be subjected to punishment if they miss a certain amount of votes and if so, what?

Have a comment? Post it below!

The state House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the medical amnesty bill last week, and it now is on the Senate floor. Under the law, minors would be exempt from liquor violations if they turn themselves or a friend into the hospital.

The Mount Pleasant Police Department has issued minor-in-possession citations to minors being treated in the emergency room after consuming too much alcohol and underage individuals who brought them in or called 9-1-1, said Public Information Officer Dave Sabuda.

“As a police department, we will adjust to any legislation passed,” Sabuda said.

State Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, is sponsoring the medical amnesty bill and has spoken out against the current policy present at law enforcement agencies statewide.

“It is a common sense issue,” the House Judiciary Committee chairman said. “What we would learn is that students would not call (9-1-1) because they were worried about getting a ticket.”

Only seven state House members voted against the bill, and Meadows said he hopes to see similar results in the Senate.

Decrease the likelihood

Sabuda said he does not know of any instances in the past where students were reluctant to call an ambulance because of an overly-intoxicated friend. However, he said he believes the bill makes sense if it means it would decrease the likelihood of it happening.

Central Michigan Community Hospital, 1221 South Dr., has occasionally seen instances of drunk minors brought to the emergency room in the past, said Darcie Van Dop, CMCH community relations specialist.

Van Dop said the hospital does not want to get into the legalities of the matter, and will work with whatever happens.

She said there is no specific data to suggest that minors have been less likely in the past to call for an ambulance if they or their friend is in need of medical attention. However, she believes this should never be the case, regardless of the law.

“They need medical treatment, and we need them to come in,” Van Dop said.

While the bill has enjoyed support from the college population across the state, not all students are supporting it.

Maple City senior Ben Tompkins said he has dealt with heavy fines and other penalties stemming from an Operating While Impaired offense in the past. He believes those who drink illegally should be held accountable as well.

“I don’t think (the bill) is a good idea,” he said. “I believe in consequences.”

But it is a welcome challenge.

She is the press secretary for Jason Liptow, a Democrat running for the Michigan House of Representative’s 97th district, and is majoring in integrated public relations. She also is an active member of Alpha Gamma Delta, a sorority on campus which she helped with new member
recruitment.

“It’s very stressful,” Colville said.

At this point in the campaign, her work has only begun.

“Next semester, I’ll have to take a lighter class schedule,” she said.

The big picture

Despite time constraints and obligations, Colville presses on. She said she is glad to help Liptow, a former teacher of hers who she has
remained in contact with.

When Liptow began planning to run for the House, he asked her for a hand. Colville was happy to oblige.

“It’s real world experience, it’s a great resume builder,” Colville said.

Liptow had glowing praise for her contributions thus far.

“She is in charge of all communications,” Liptow said. “From the middle of August until now, she’s got a full Web site up and all the press
releases.”

When Liptow first met Colville as a substitute teacher for a freshman English class at Harrison High School in Harrison, he said he
immediately knew she was destined for great things.

“She has one of the of the hardest working work ethics I’ve ever seen,” Liptow said. “I chose the people who I thought best fit the job.”

Liptow has a mix of college students and others volunteering on his campaign, and Abbey was one of the first people to get involved.

“She sees the big picture, she’s very analytical,” Liptow said.

Life after college

While she enjoys her current duties, Colville already has her sights set on a future career.

“Overall, I’d like to be in management,” she said.

She enjoys having an active role in the influential realm of politics, though her first choice of employers would come from sports. She said
she is a big sports fan.

Liptow said he could see her doing something a little different in the future.

“She’ll end up ruling the world some day,” Liptow said, jokingly.

“All of the budgets are in various stages right now,” said Liz Boyd, spokeswoman for Gov. Jennifer Granholm. “No balanced budget plans have reached Gov. Granholm’s desk yet.”

If the state does not finalize cuts, it must pass a continuation budget by the Thursday deadline, or it will experience a partial government shutdown.

Boyd said the state is trying to avoid a shutdown at all costs.

“Everyone is working right up to the budget deadline to get this done because we do not want a government shutdown,” she said.

As of Tuesday evening, the Senate and adjourned and the House remained in talks to resolve issues.

No need for backup?

Michigan revenues are at their lowest in 45 years. The state expects to be short nearly $3 billion of its yearly budget for the next fiscal year. More than half will be covered by stimulus money, which leaves $1.2 billion to overcome.

Some of the budget cuts may include aid to cities and townships, Medicaid and state help for the mentally ill.

“We will not need backup plans because they are very confident that the deadline will be met,” said Abby Rubley, spokeswoman for House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford. “We are still waiting for all of the reports to come in that they are still working on.”

Political science instructor Alper Dede said he does not expect all the money to come from budget cuts.

“A parallel policy is increasing taxes,” he said. “It’s not just budget cuts.”

The state is expected to tax items such as bottled water and vending machine items. Granholm suggested cutting spending by more than $800 million, which would leave the rest of the deficit up to raising taxes.

Painful cuts

Boyd said there is nothing Michigan can do to avoid taking drastic measures.

“Regardless of what the final budget plans there will be, the cuts are going to be very painful,” she said.

Dede said he expects the education system and some state services to be affected, especially schools with lower enrollments.

Dede also said Michigan residents are not going to like the cuts, no matter what.

“There aren’t any people who like to see the government spending less on them,” he said.

The discussion of the cuts will continue right up to the deadline, Rubley said.

“Absolutely everything is still being discussed right now,” she said.

Despite the cuts, some programs have seen success in the process.

A state House committee voted to restore $120 million for the Michigan Promise grants, although the future of the grants is still uncertain. A legislative conference voted to give the Michigan State Fair $6.7 million to keep it running for another year and a $500,000 to find someone to run it.

Senate Bill 404, a bipartisan proposal that would top the film tax credit off at $50 million and reduce the available refunds by 7 percent, is being discussed.

The refundable film tax credits would be cut to 35 percent from their current rate of 42 percent.

The bill was introduced on March 25 and is sponsored by State Sens. Nancy Cassis, R-Novi; Jud Gilbert, R-Algonac; Tom George, R-Kalamazoo; and Mickey Switalski, R-Roseville.

“We recognize that Michigan has a significant, large deficit of $2.8 billion, and part of what’s contributing to that is the giveaway money to Hollywood producers,” Cassis said.

The bill would be keeping the film tax credit at $50 million, which would scale back a little on overly generous giveaway money, she said.

“These movie producers are currently not paying taxes in Michigan, but are still getting money,” Cassis said.

The bill would just restore funds to other areas of the state, such as police, fire and Medicare, she said.
Cassis said the bill also would support commercial ads and more jobs.

“We would be able to provide credit for commercials to be done here, and we would hire 90 percent of Michigan workers first,” she said.

In the long run, Cassis said, Bill 404 would recognize all the refundable credits that are not necessarily vital and giving relief to other businesses.

State Sen. Jud Gilbert said even though the majority is not in favor of the bill, it is still necessary.

“The bill is necessary because films last for a short duration, which means the money will run out before anyone gets the subsidy,” Gilbert said.

He said the bill would divert money into a tax relief.

“If the bill passes, people will see gradual employment increases in small businesses with longer durations,” Gilbert said.

Change may not be noticeable yet

Kevin Corbett, a broadcast and cinematic arts professor, said it is too soon to tell if the bill should be approved.

“It’s probably going to be at least five years before we can tell if the state needs to cut back on the film tax credit,” he said.

Corbett compared Bill 404 to a study on New Mexico’s current film tax rate. The study from Ernst and Young showing New Mexico’s film tax rate results at 35 percent was a five-year study, which meant it took five years to be able to tell if the tax rate was working for the state or not, Corbett said.

“Michigan’s current rate at 42 percent has only been in effect for 18 months, so it’s too soon to tell if we need to lower it or not,” he said.

The bill will not produce more jobs in Michigan or provide stamina for Michigan filmmakers, he said.

“There would be fewer filmmakers so, at 35 percent, the bill would generate even fewer jobs,” Corbett said. “If we keep the current rate, it could give Michigan film industry workers a chance to move up to the higher end of the film industry.”