By: State Rep. Pauline Wendzel

I hope you had a joyful Christmas surrounded by family, friends, and all the things that make the season special. The New Year is a chance to pause, take stock, and think about the kind of future we want to build together. Over the past year, in my office, on the doors, and out in the community, I’ve heard your stories—stories of resilience, hard work, and the hope that things can get better. Those conversations aren’t just inspiring; they’re motivating. They remind me why I do this job and why it matters to fight for a Michigan where families don’t just get by but thrive.

As the Legislature begins its new session with a Republican-controlled House, the first order of business is clear: we must take action to save our bar and restaurant workers by restoring the Tip Credit and fixing the disastrous Sick Leave Act passed by activists on the Michigan Supreme Court. When Democrats had the majority, they had months to solve this problem. Instead, they ignored it. Due to their lack of action, a bipartisan group of legislators introduced a fix that would save restaurant jobs and make the Sick Leave Act workable for businesses. The bill never received a vote, prompting a bipartisan walkout that ended the Democrats’ disastrous lame-duck session.

Next, we must take action to help Michigan families deal with the rising cost of daily life. The message voters sent this election was unmistakable: people were tired of being told things are fine when they know they aren’t. Michiganders feel the weight of rising prices in every part of daily life—groceries, gas, utility bills—while their paychecks struggle to keep up. That needs to change, and House Republicans are ready to deliver.

We’re committed to keeping our promise to voters by reversing the Democrats’ income tax hike and putting more money in family budgets. We’re also going to tackle runaway utility bills. We’ll double down on American-made energy, innovation, and emerging technology like small modular nuclear reactors. Additionally, we’ll keep our promise and pass legislation to return control of massive wind, solar, and battery projects back to local governments and local people—not unelected bureaucrats in Lansing.

These past two years have brought about many dangerous policies that make Michigan families less safe, stretch their family budgets, and make our state uncompetitive. This will be an incredibly busy two-year period, and I’m excited to work hard and deliver real and meaningful results for our community.