STATE

Small Business Testifies Against Bill to Give More Power to Unelected Bureaucrats

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the state and nation’s leading small business advocacy organization, testified before the Michigan House Committee on Natural Resources, Environment, Tourism & Outdoor Recreation in opposition to SB 14, a bill to repeal a prohibition on state agencies promulgating rules stricter than those at the federal level without providing a rationale for such action.

NFIB State Director Amanda Fisher appeared before the committee as the House began to take up the Senate bill, which passed the upper chamber on a party-line vote on May 17th.

“The Legislature passed the existing compromise law in 2018, and NFIB worked with the sponsor and other stakeholders at that time to achieve a solution that provided flexibility to address Michigan-specific issues that may need more nuanced regulations,” said Fisher. “Under this existing law, the extra steps that need to be taken by Michigan departments are not prohibitive but work to ensure that new regulations have been thoroughly vetted.”

Fisher pointed to a U.S. Chamber cost study indicating that federal regulations alone on small businesses (firms that employ fewer than 50 people) averaged $12,000 per employee in 2017 – up from $10,585 in 2010. The amount per employee continues to increase as more state-specific regulations are added.

“Small business recognizes the need for some regulations. Unfortunately, they are often duplicative, nonsensical, expensive, and overburdensome without achieving desired outcomes,” continued Fisher. “Senate Bill 14 takes power from the people’s elected representatives, the Legislature, and gives it to unelected bureaucrats with no transparency or accountability to the citizens they are supposed to be serving.”

Alternatively, Fisher urged adoption of SJR C, a joint resolution to change the Michigan Constitution to require all administrative rules to be approved by the Michigan Legislature. “Public policy should be overseen by elected officials, not made by a ‘shadow legislature’ in windowless government offices,” concluded Fisher.

Grand Rapids Businessman Receives

Royal Decoration from the Netherlands

Dutch American businessman Paulus C. Heule, CEO of Grand Rapids-based Eenhoorn LLC, has received a royal decoration from the Kingdom of the Netherlands in recognition of his decades-long efforts to strengthen business and cultural relationships between the United States and the Netherlands. In addition to this work, Heule has served as honorary consul of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in West Michigan since 2010.

The royal personal decoration of Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau was bestowed upon Heule by André Haspels, the Dutch Ambassador to the United States. During the official knighting ceremony held at the Dutch Ambassador Residence in Washington, D.C., Heule was honored for his work to strengthen the transatlantic relationship between the United States and The Netherlands. Among others, Heule was recommended for knighthood by the former Prime Minister to the Netherlands Prof. Jan Peter Balkenende, PhD.

“It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by The Kingdom of the Netherlands,” said Heule.

“I see my role as a liaison for both cultures, serving as a bridge to make connections, explore opportunities for collaboration and celebrate the rich heritage of each.”

In 2012 Heule co-founded the West Michigan Global Initiative, a group designed to promote economic and cultural ties, and coordinated the first official trade mission to the Netherlands led by Lt. Gov. Brian Calley. He has since led multiple trade missions with business leaders and dignitaries both to and from the Netherlands, and in 2015, Heule hosted a rare trip to Grand Rapids for the King and Queen of the Netherlands, which was a perfect opportunity to showcase Dutch influence throughout the West Michigan region.

In 2016 Heule, along with other Dutch businesspeople, spearheaded fundraising efforts for restoration of the Netherlands Carillon, located at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia. The carillon was a gift from the Netherlands as an expression of gratitude for the United States’ aid surrounding World War II and is recognized as a symbol of friendship between the two countries.

A first-generation Dutch American, Heule emigrated with his family to Grand Rapids, Michigan in the early 1980s and went on to graduate from Calvin University with a degree in Mathematics. In 1988 he founded Eenhoorn LLC, a privately held real estate investment and property management firm, with his father. Today Eenhoorn operates across the United States and Europe, including the Netherlands.