TitleBytes News & Happenings

Legislative Work Picking Up Speed

Apr 4, 2017

Cami Pendell, MLC

It’s natural at the beginning of any new legislative cycle that there is a lull on bill activity as committee assignments are announced, committees organize and then begin to hear presentations from departments that they will tend to work with over the course of the next two years.

Recently, the Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) gave a presentation to the House Insurance Committee.  The information they shared provided a general overview of the Department’s duties and responsibilities.  That committee, which has a total of 17 members, includes 7 freshman legislators so this introductory information was especially helpful to them as they start to learn more about DIFS.  In addition to the Insurance Committee, DIFS also gave the same presentation to the House Financial Services Committee, which is a 9-member committee and has 4 new legislators appointed to it.

With much of that introductory work now completed, the committees will turn their focus to more statutory related work.  (Editor’s note:  Mark your calendars for the May 10th MLTA Legislative Day – our chance to gather in Lansing, rub shoulders and inform the legislators! Register now by clicking HERE)

Legislative Member Spotlight

With so many new members in the House of Representatives, the MLTA Legislative Update will begin to spotlight legislators that will have significant influence on issues that are key to the title insurance industry.  One such member is Rep. James Lower (R-Cedar Lake), who chairs the House Local Government Committee.

State Rep. Lower was first elected to the Michigan House in 2016. He represents the 70th District, which contains Montcalm County and portions of Gratiot County including the cities of Alma and St. Louis.

Prior to joining the Legislature, he worked as Executive Director for a small national consulting firm. He was also a legislative assistant in both the Michigan House and Michigan Senate.  This previous legislative experience has enabled him to hit the ground running in the House.

Lower was also a member of the Ionia County Commission, where he served as vice-chairman. In addition, he was the Village Manager of Edmore. He also was a member of the Montcalm Economic Alliance and has been involved in several grassroots organizations and campaigns.

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