Rick Jones

Michigan's governor doesn't think the state should repeal new tax on pensions

Steve Carmody — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Governor Rick Snyder is cool to a proposal to roll back Michigan’s new pension tax.

The pension tax was part of a package enacted in 2011 that eliminated the Michigan Business Tax.

A group of five Republican state senators wants to repeal the pension tax and reinstate some homestead property tax credits.

Governor Snyder says the tax on pensions is just a matter of fairness, so that the tax burden falls equally. The governor insists the tax that pensioners are now paying is not too much ask.

House passes sex offender registry expansion

The Associated Press — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:04:55 +0000

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - More Michigan residents may soon be added to the state's online public sex offender registry.

The full House passed a bill Tuesday that would require people convicted of a single Tier I offense for some crimes involving minors to be placed on the online sex offender registry.

Offenses that would qualify would include unlawful imprisonment if the victim is a minor and knowingly possessing sexually abusive material of a child.

The bill's sponsor, Republican Sen. Rick Jones of Grand Ledge says the bill will allow the public to "protect their children and grandchildren."

The House Fiscal Agency reports that a few hundred people would be added to the state's public registry. Currently people convicted of Tier II and III offenses are already placed on the registry.

Medical marijuana bills go to floor of state House

Jake Neher — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Bills in the state House would let insurance companies deny coverage for medical marijuana.

Employers could also refuse to reimburse medical marijuana expenses through workers compensation.

Opponents of the legislation say it discriminates against a legal form of patient care.

Republican state Senator Rick Jones said many opponents of the bills simply want to abuse the system.

State lawmaker says "dissolving Detroit" should be an option

Sarah Cwiek — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 00:13:08 +0000

Detroit is at a political impasse that could lead to a financial collapse next month.

Now, one state legislator is saying Lansing should consider “all its options”—including possibly dissolving the city as a municipality.

The idea of dissolving Detroit—and effectively merging it with Wayne County—has popped up occasionally in some business and political circles recently.

But mid-Michigan senator Rick Jones is the first official to publicly discuss that as an option.

Jones says Detroit’s local leaders just aren’t dealing with the city's fiscal problems—and having the state’s biggest city file for municipal bankruptcy would be “horrible.”

“I think everything is on the table,” Jones said. “ I would be willing to consider dissolving the city, if that’s what it took.

“One of the options could be actually dissolving the city of Detroit, and putting all of their functions back into Wayne County. That is possible.”

Still, Jones acknowledges this merger scenario is “unlikely.” He says the prevailing discussion in Lansing is about bankruptcy versus some kind of state intervention.

Lawmakers in Lansing are also considering passing a revised version of the emergency manager law voters overturned in November.

Detroit faces the possibility of running out of cash in mid-December.

Bill to reform Michigan's public defender system comes before Senate panel

Jake Neher — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 20:58:48 +0000

A Senate panel has begun hearing arguments on a bill to fix the way Michigan counties provide defense attorneys to the poor.

The chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee says he’s still skeptical about the legislation.

Senator Rick Jones says it’s clear a handful of counties are having problems appointing competent public defenders. But he says he still doesn’t see it as a statewide issue that requires sweeping changes.

Nancy Diehl is the former president of the State Bar of Michigan, which supports the bill.

Commentary: The Politics of Abortion

Jack Lessenberry — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:16:54 +0000

Yesterday, the chairman of the state Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing and quickly pushed through what everyone is calling an anti-abortion bill, sending it on to the full Senate.

It was clear that this wasn’t meant to be a deliberative process. Legally, any committee has to give at least 18 hours notice before holding any hearing.

Michigan Senate panel approves anti-abortion bill

Rick Pluta — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 20:04:11 +0000

The state Senate Judiciary Committee has approved legislation that would require clinics and doctor’s offices where abortions are performed to be licensed and inspected. Critics of the bill say its real purpose is to put abortion providers out of business.

Rick Jones chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“The purpose is to make sure that clinics are licensed and safe. Certainly, a state that licenses junkyards, tattoo parlors, and used car lots would want to license abortion clinics,” he said.

Commentary: Senator wants lawmakers to pay more for health care

Jack Lessenberry — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:41:45 +0000

State Senator Rick Jones of Grand Ledge might want to watch his back for the next few weeks, or maybe, decades. Yesterday, he threatened to violate a time-honored legislative custom.

Lawmakers at all levels are traditionally known for telling the people “do what we say, not what we do.”

Michigan Senate passes missing children bill

Chelsea Hagger — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:01:02 +0000

A proposal that would require parents to report missing children immediately to authorities was approved by the state Senate today.

The bill was named “Caylee’s Law” by supporters, in response to the controversial Casey Anthony case in Florida.

The child’s mother waited 31 days before reporting her daughter missing.

State Senator Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge) says he was surprised to learn Michigan does not have an early-reporting law in place for missing children.

“I think it’s very important that parents report their children missing in a timely fashion. The outrageous case that drew this to our attention was the one of little Caylee, that the mother didn’t report her missing for over 30 days."

Jones added:

“As a former sheriff of Eaton County and 31 years of law enforcement, I don’t believe there is any reason for a parent to delay reporting their child missing.”

Under the bill, parents or caretakers would have 24 hours to report missing children under the age of 13 or could face up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

The bill has been sent to the state House.

State lawmakers consider changes to Medical Marijuana Act

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:05:38 +0000

Members of the Michigan legislature are considering several bills that would amend the state’s medical marijuana law. One bill would create a database of marijuana license holders.

State Senator Rick Jones: If teachers sacrifice, everyone should

Tracy Samilton — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 19:23:34 +0000

Republican state senator Rick Jones says many schools may soon demand that teachers pay at least 20-percent of their health insurance premiums.

Jones has introduced a bill that would keep a school’s per-pupil funding intact, if teachers agree to the cuts.

But he says teachers shouldn't be the only one making the sacrifice.

"I learned that senators and representatives pay anywhere from 5% to 7.6%, and I thought, how is that fair that we’re paying that and teachers are being asked to pay 20%?"

Jones says his new bill would require state legislators to pay 20% of their health insurance premiums.

He has also introduced a bill to alter the lifetime health insurance that legislators receive after serving only six years, calling it “obscene.”

The bill would phase in the benefit, beginning at ten years of service.