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Reforming, Restructuring and Reinventing Michigan

LANSING (WWJ) - As Governor Rick Snyder prepares to present his budget proposal Thursday morning, West Michigan Senator Mark Jansen is unveiling a new Reforms, Restructuring and Reinventing Michigan website.

The new website will enable residents to provide suggestions and recommendations for reinventing the state.

Speaking live on WWJ Newsradio 950, Senator Jansen told Greg Bowman and Roberta Jasina what he's hoping the new website will accomplish.

"The Senate has a new committee this year - first ever - ... Reforms, Restructuring and Reinventing, and that means a lot of things to a lot of different people, so we are bringing in people ... who have done a lot of research ... but the average citizen just got engaged in an election ... and I think they're ready to be engaged in what Michigan's gonna look like into the future," Jansen said. "And, so we set up a website ... and it is gonna be a chance for the average citizen to kind of fill in a little information and quickly say here's what I think could be reformed, restructured and reinvented in Michigan. We're expecting a good response from folks who have some good ideas."

Greg and Roberta also asked Senator Jansen about reports that Governor Snyder would tax private pensions.

"I was given the question, probably two months ago, but it was not by the governor at the time," Jansen said. "We're beginning to hear some little leakage of these kinds of ideas that are out there, so we're kind of waiting with anticipation."

What does he think in theory about the governor's idea?

"I don't like it," was Jansen's response. "Basically, you've got people who have already retired and said, I'm gonna live on whatever it happens to be, um, it makes it kind of a different question if it's - we're gonna do this into the future - and people can plan around this kind of question."

"We've kind of chased away enough people from this state, so I think I wanna see all the details, but, on the surface it looks very questionable to me," Jansen added.

Click here for a link to Senator Jansen's website.

Stay with WWJ Newsradio 950 and CBS Detroit.com for the governor's address, scheduled to be delivered starting at 11am Thursday.

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