LANSING – State Representative Richard E. Hammel (D-Mt. Morris Township) has been appointed Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, the bipartisan panel responsible for authorizing the state's budget each year. He will also continue to serve as Chair of the Appropriations Economic Development Subcommittee, which works on job-creation and business growth.
"I'm excited about the opportunity to look at the state's budget from a number of perspectives," said Hammel, who is serving his second term as a legislator. "Michigan's entire tax structure needs to be revamped so that local governments can provide services, businesses can thrive and homeowners can get relief from rising taxes. I also welcome the chance to discuss my ideas about cutting costs and spending taxpayer money more efficiently with the other members of the Appropriations Committee."
Hammel also will play a vital role in the budget process as Vice Chair of the School Aid and Education subcommittee and a member of the Corrections subcommittee.
"I am looking forward to building on the bipartisan work I did last session on workforce development programs such as No Worker Left Behind and The Michigan New Jobs Training Program," Hammel said. "Job training is essential to keeping our state afloat during these hard economic times."