The following column was published by the Lapeer County Press on Saturday, February 22

We recently voted on a resolution in the House addressing “sanctuary” policies in Michigan and how certain legislative spending will be addressed with those policies in mind.

My vote to support this resolution was based on three things — consistent enforcement of our laws, transparency for taxpayers as their money is used for certain spending initiatives and reining in out-of-control government spending.

Sanctuary policies traditionally do not allow for or permit cooperation between local authorities or officials and federal immigration enforcement. We have seen a few of these situations in some form in Michigan over the last several years. The Grand Rapids police chief recently admitted that his department will disregard detainer requests from federal authorities and will not enforce immigration laws even when told a crime has been committed. The Kalamazoo County Sheriff has said he will only work with federal immigration officials to a limited extent while also instructing his department to disregard detainer requests. In June of last year, Immigrations Customs and Enforcement highlighted issues with Kalamazoo County’s noncompliance.

House Resolution 19 requires that municipalities and state universities have rules, policies and ordinances that comply with federal immigration laws if they want to receive legislative grant dollars. It’s important to note that this will only apply to dedicated grants. It would not affect the state’s constitutional or statutory revenue sharing.

As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, which is charged with overseeing the state budget and crafting responsible, effective spending plans, I don’t believe it’s appropriate for an area that is blatantly circumventing federal law to receive an earmark over another area that is complying with the law.

Most hardworking taxpayers would agree — and it’s their money. With rules such as HR 19, we can provide additional layers of accountability to taxpayers on where and how their money is being used.

These new parameters for legislative grants allow us to serve as a needed check on rampant spending in state government. The governor’s proposed budget for the coming fiscal year is $83.5 billion, which is $1 billion larger than the bloated budget she signed last year. In addition, state spending has grown by 43% since the governor took office.

At some point, this unsustainable spending that relies on nickel and diming taxpayers and small business owners must stop and receive a thorough review. Families across our area and the state are having trouble keeping up with their own budgets. Costs for basic goods have soared, owning a home is out of reach financially for many, and some people are having to pick up a second job just for life to be more affordable. They shouldn’t be tasked with covering increased government expenses too — especially when monetary promises are going to communities or counties that aren’t even following our nation’s laws.

As legislators, we have a fundamental responsibility to respect tax dollars that state government is afforded. Through proposals like HR 19, we are honoring that commitment.