LANSING – House Speaker Andy Dillon (D-Redford Twp.) today praised the members of the Bipartisan Freshman Caucus for their commitment to resolving the state's budget crisis and for demonstrating how members of both parties can work together to serve the best interests of Michigan's residents.
"The members of the Bipartisan Freshman Caucus bring a breath of fresh air to Lansing and remind us all that bipartisanship is not only the best way to get things done – it is the only way," Dillon said. "The people of Michigan expect their leaders to set aside their differences and do what's best for the families and communities we represent. Most of all, they expect us to protect the future of Michigan's children. I am eager to tap the energy and ideas of the freshman caucus to find a way to fund our schools, because it is essential that they have the resources necessary to educate our children and prepare them to succeed in the 21st century economy."
Dillon met today with two co-chairs of the Bipartisan Freshman Caucus, State Representatives Lesia Liss (D-Warren) and Bill Rogers (R-Brighton), to seek their help in coming up with a way to properly fund K-12 education.
"As the deadline on the continuation budget approaches, it is imperative that the Governor and House and Senate legislators all come to the table and engage in serious negotiations on how to resolve our differences in a way that protects our kids' education," Dillon said. "Members of the Freshman Bipartisan Caucus are leading the way in showing that it is possible to communicate in good faith despite having differences. I look forward to hearing their solutions on how we can all work together to avoid deep cuts to schools that will devastate our children's ability to train for good-paying jobs and hurt our ability to turn our state's economy around."