Joan Bauer has served our community for more than thirty years - as our State Representative since 2007, as a teacher, as the Director of Volunteer Services at Ingham Regional Medical Center, at Lansing Community College, and as a Lansing City Councilmember for eleven years. She has forged a record of making hard decisions, listening to community concerns, forging consensus, and delivering results.
Joan wants Michigan and the 68th District to be a place where people want to live, work, and raise their families. Following are her ideas on how to move Michigan forward:
On the Economy
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Create and keep good paying jobs by diversifying the economy and attracting the knowledge based businesses of the 21st century. |
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Support legislation that encourages good corporate citizenship. |
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Support worker-training programs in skilled trades and high-tech, cutting edge jobs to provide a quality workforce. |
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Work with labor and business to move Michigan forward. |
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Prioritize support for small business development since 45% of all Michigan jobs are in companies with fewer than 500 workers. |
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Support entrepreneurship by creating a Center for Small Business and Entrepreneurship within MEDC, by rewarding our universities and colleges that continue or expand entrepreneurial education, and expand access to capital for start-up companies. |
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Rebuild our central cities starting with Lansing which is home to the state capital, a major research university, important law schools, outstanding health systems, and manufacturing. |
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Work regionally to strengthen our local economy, achieve efficiencies, and enhance the quality of life that attracts business. |
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Partner with our research universities to develop research based spin-off businesses. |
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Expand on Michigan’s role as the “automobile capitol of the world” by strengthening our position as the world’s leader in automotive research, design, and technology. |
On Education
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Increase funding for Michigan’s public schools and universities. |
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Keep college education affordable. |
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Expand our efforts to assure that our educational systems prepare Michigan’s students for the jobs of the 21st century. |
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Fund smaller class sizes in the elementary grades. |
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Prioritize quality early childhood programs to give our children the start they need. |
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Increase the number of students who go to college and who graduate from college by promoting college education as a necessity in the new economy. |
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Consider tax credits and college loan forgiveness programs for college graduates who stay in Michigan for at least five years after graduation. |
On Healthcare
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Fight to lower the outrageous expense of prescription drugs. |
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Support the development of a health plan for Michigan modeled on the Ingham County Health Plan, Governor Granholm’s new health initiative, and the Massachusetts healthcare plan. |
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Work to reduce the health care expense shouldered by Michigan businesses and families by working with all stakeholders to develop a universal healthcare system in Michigan. |
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Capitalize on healthcare as a high-tech, growing industry. Lansing’s two health systems are major employers, are engaged in cutting edge technology and research, and are expanding their facilities. Michigan State University is a critical medical research and educational institution. |
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Work with our research universities and other stakeholders to actively promote the development of stem-cell research in Michigan. |
On the Environment
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Provide incentives to promote the redevelopment of brownfield sites. |
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Encourage research and development of the sustainable energy industry and technologies. |
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Fight to protect the Great Lakes and Michigan’s waterways. |
