Dear Michigan ASLA Members:
I wanted to follow-up and provide a brief update on legislative efforts being made to oppose (HB 4693, 4694, and 4695)—legislation that would eliminate the requirement for the licensure of landscape architects.
Summer recess has begun in the legislature and they will not return to a full schedule until September 6th. Over summer recess many state lawmakers host legislative “coffee hours.” These coffee hours are mini-town hall meetings in which constituents have the opportunity to come and share their concerns with their elected officials. MiASLA members have already begun meeting with key lawmakers back in their legislative districts.
We are asking members to engage their lawmakers over the summer. The top priority is for members who reside in districts of representatives on the House Regulatory Reform Committee to contact their representatives over the summer. Below is the list of members on the Regulatory Reform Committee.Please look to see if you reside in one of these districts.
House Regulatory Reform Committee
Brandt Iden (R) Committee Chair, 61st District Joseph Bellino (R) Majority Vice-Chair, 17th District Kathy Crawford (R) 38th District Eric Leutheuser (R) 58th District Lana Theis (R) 42nd District Michael Webber (R) 45th District Beth Griffin (R) 66th District Roger Hauck (R) 99th District Michele Hoitenga (R) 102nd District John Reilly (R) 46th District Jeremy Moss (D) Minority Vice-Chair, 35th District Scott Dianda (D) 110th District John Chirkun (D) 22nd District Frank Liberati (D) 13th District Leslie Love (D) 10th District Jewell Jones (D) 11th District
Find your state representative at the following link: http://house.michigan.gov/mhrpublic/
If you are a constituent of one of these legislators we are asking you to try to contact your representative. You can attend a local coffee hour or contact their legislative office in Lansing. Talking points for constituents of members on the committee can be found here.
If you are NOT a constituent of one of these legislators we are asking that you still try to attend a local coffee hour with your representative. These meetings should be more informational and an opportunity to discuss landscape architecture with them and provide background on projects you have worked on in your community. Too often lawmakers in Lansing do not know enough about landscape architecture. We are asking members to go and discuss exactly what you do and how you serve the community.
A copy of What Is Landscape Architecture can be found here. Please leave a copy of this document with your legislator. The document is editable and you can insert projects that you have worked on or that were built in their district.
Member’s websites with their coffee hour schedule and other contact information can be found here: http://house.michigan.gov/MHRPublic/frmRepList.aspx?all=true If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Matt Solak at the Michigan ASLA office at (517) 485-4116.
Sincerely,
Ben Baker, ASLA
President, MiASLA
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