LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Some Michigan lawmakers are working to give northern Michigan residents a break after historic ice storms pummeled their communities last month.

Tax relief.

State Rep. John Roth (R-Interlochen) announced his bipartisan plan to secure tax relief for those residents. The storm knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses. In addition, it closed schools for weeks and caused around $300 million in damages.

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House Bill 4387 would offer a tax credit for up to $5,000 to residents who live in a county covered by the state of emergency declared by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Those counties include Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Mackinac, Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego, and Presque Isle.

“My plan…looks to return some of their hard-earned tax dollars back to them,” Roth said. “In recent years, we’ve seen Lansing Democrats spend our money on coffee makers, swimming pools, petting zoos, and other wasteful pet projects. If we can pay for that crap, there’s no reason we can’t help Northern Michigan get back on its feet.”

The tax credit would earmark support for those working to clean up extensive damages triggered by the storm. The price of generators, heaters, tarps, new appliances, chainsaws, tree/debris removal, and structure repairs have already taken their financial toll on many residents.

School’s out for summer…hopefully.

In related news, Rep. Cam Cavitt (R-Cheboygan) is encouraging a plan to give some grace to northern Michigan schools so ice-storm related closures don’t force schools into a long summer session.  House Bill 4345 would lift minimum school hour and day requirements for districts within a county covered by the state of emergency.

“Our students just went through one of the most horrifying storms they will ever experience,” said Cavitt. “They lost power, connection to the outside world, access to groceries, and many other necessities that no one ever thought could just disappear for weeks on end.” Rep. Cavitt continued, “Things have been hard. We need to take steps to help these kids and their families, not force them to sit in schools that lack air conditioning until July.”

Both sets of bills have moved to various committees.