With the first 100 days of the new term behind us, I thought now would be a good time to give you an update on some of the things that passed the House. Apologies in advance because this is a bit of a laundry list, but there’s a lot to report!

Restaurant tipping
Last year, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that all employees must receive the full minimum wage from their employer, including tipped restaurant workers. Traditionally, servers in Michigan are paid a base wage plus tips, and if those tips don’t bring them to minimum wage, the employer must make up the difference.

We passed a bipartisan compromise that ensures all workers receive at least the minimum wage while preserving tipping as part of compensation, protecting both workers and small businesses.

Ending the lawmaker-to-lobbyist pipeline
My first bill this term, House Bill 4062, passed with bipartisan support. It puts a two-year cooling-off period in place so lawmakers can’t jump straight into lobbying gigs as soon as they leave office.

Education
Another of my bills, House Bill 4150, eliminates the $160 teacher certification application fee and the $50 renewal fee so we can get more teachers in the classroom and shrink class sizes. It passed 83-26 with broad bipartisan support.

I also backed expanded dual enrollment programs and more skilled trades options in our school curriculum.

Cell phones in school
I reintroduced my bill to limit cell phone use in schools, and this time it’s gaining momentum – especially after Gov. Whitmer endorsed the idea in her State of the State address.

Schools that have adopted these limits are seeing academic performance go up and discipline problems go down. Kids are even talking to each other again instead of disappearing into their screens. I’m hopeful we’ll get a vote soon.

Income tax cut
As chair of the House Finance Committee, I helped pass House Bill 4170 to cut the state income tax rate from 4.25% back to 4.05%. This reverses last year’s tax hike and passed with bipartisan support 65-43.

Road funding
Republicans plus several Democrat lawmakers joined together to vote for a plan to put $3.1 billion annually into roads without raising taxes. That includes making sure all gas tax revenue actually goes to road repair. The governor’s previous plan would have raised gas taxes by 45 cents per gallon; this plan doesn’t raise gas taxes.

Protecting women’s sports
A resolution to ban men from playing in women’s sports passed 66-43. Five years ago, that was just considered common sense.

Requiring photo ID to vote
I support House Joint Resolution B, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote, and photo ID to vote. (I expect the vote will have taken place by the time you read this.) If also passed by the House and Senate, it will appear on the ballot as a proposed constitutional amendment.

Public safety
We’ve passed two major pieces of legislation dealing with public safety. The first was to create a Public Safety Trust Fund, which would dedicate part of the state sales tax to have it go for policing in high crime areas.  I also voted to increase minimum penalties for Fentanyl dealers.

Stopping driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants
I voted against House Bill 4195, which would have allowed driver’s licenses for unauthorized immigrants. I’m glad to report the bill was defeated. I also opposed giving discretionary funds to sanctuary cities.

Outlawing deep-fake abuse
The House voted to ban non-consensual, sexually explicit deep-fake videos and images – an important step for protecting privacy and dignity in the digital age.

State Rep. Mark Tisdel, R-Rochester Hills represents Michigan House District 55, which includes the cities of Rochester and Rochester Hills, and part of Oakland Township. You can reach him by calling 517-373-1792 or by sending an email to [email protected]