Priorities | Elect David Lauer

Nearly every person in Oakland County feels the added weight of costs skyrocketing. It’s never been more difficult to afford a home, to provide food for our families, and to find a high paying secure career.

Firstly, we must support our families by offering subsidies for childcare, programs to re-incorporate members of our family to the workforce, access to professional development and grant opportunities for advancement.
We not only have to build homes to fit our ever changing demographics, but we have to expand access to state subsidies and programs for first-time homebuyers and for renter assistance. Homeownership is the cornerstone for building wealth and stability.
We will leverage governmental programs to assist with rising energy costs. No Michigander deserves to have their heat shut off.

It is paramount to understand why equal funding does not always equate to equitable funding. The most recent SFRC reports from four years ago show that the average public school student requires approximately $10,000 per year. This does not account for at-risk populations, students in special education classrooms, or those who are neurodivergent. The cost of supporting these student groups can reach nearly $40,000 per year depending on their specific needs.

We cannot take from one group to give to another. We must fully fund our education systems while ensuring the burden of funding does not fall entirely on millage proposals and individual income taxes.

Studies show that higher taxes on nicotine products can lower rates of use and reduce cancer rates. A digital advertising tax would primarily affect large technology monopolies such as Meta and Google, which should be fairly taxed alongside traditional services and goods.

Exploring alternative sources of revenue can help lessen the burden of funding public school budgets on individuals and families.

We must address the shrinking pipeline of new teachers and exit of tenured educators to retirement. Teacher turnover and Brain drain to other states or districts impacts every classroom. This leads to larger class sizes, cancelled courses, and hiring of teachers that are not yet fully equipped to manage our classrooms, which in turn negatively impacts student achievement and benchmarks. We must implement professional development opportunities, competitive salaries and the resources necessary to retain high quality talent for a successful and sustainable career as an educator.
We are experiencing a mental health crisis in our student body. Michigan has one of the highest student-counselor ratios in the nation (690-1 where guidance suggests a ratio of 250-1). From safety concerns, absenteeism, acting out and threats to staff and teachers, we must provide relief to our educators. Mental health concerns take up a substantial amount of time and resources and have been directly correlated to teacher burnout and stress. Many educators leave the profession due to safety concerns and the stress related to managing a mental health crisis while simultaneously trying to support their classroom and academic goals.
The success of our public school system starts with highly paid, valued and supported educators and staff. Brain drain is a real and malignant threat to the sustainability of public education in Michigan. Many teachers are receiving low pay and poor benefits; there is a lack of respect for the profession and an environment that does not always support their progress. These issues have been exacerbated by insufficient school funding and attacks on the public education system. It is time that we fortify our systems and provide equitable support for long term professional development and attract high quality talent to our schools.

David believes healthcare is a fundamental right. Every Michigander deserves access to affordable, high-quality care regardless of where they live or how much they earn. That includes protecting reproductive freedom and ensuring individuals can make their own healthcare decisions.

David supports the MI Care program, and he supports Senator Hertel's recent "Health Care You Can Afford" proposal that will:

Lower health insurance premiums.
Provide more options and greater consumer control by creating a state-based health insurance exchange.
Increase healthcare options for small businesses.
Hold large pharmaceutical companies accountable.
Establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board.
Prevent drug manufacturers from blocking access to lower-cost medications and alternatives.
Cap prescription drug prices.
Ban medical debt from appearing on credit reports.
Support rural communities by ensuring their hospitals remain open and are adequately staffed.

I will champion environmental justice and protections for our beautiful state. Our finite resources are not a power grab or profit share for corporations.

Hold large corporations accountable for their carbon footprint. They must clean up the air and water that they pollute.
Work tirelessly to create clean energy jobs and training to strengthen our workforce and help transition workers to clean tech industries.
Make our current environmental impacts reflective on a clean and sustainable tomorrow.
I support: "MI Solar For All" , "Access MI Solar" and "REAP" We must provide incentives and financing opportunities that help create accessible solar energy to decrease reliance on large utility companies, and promote renewable energy practices.
I support Utility - Shutoff Moratoriums and just compensation to consumers who have lost service due to outages for greater than 24 hours, in a timely manner.
I support Polluter pay laws such as SB 385-393, corporations must pay/ fund clean up efforts for their burden on our environment, not tax payers.
I Support SB 246-47 and Governor Whitmer's 2026 Budget that would raise tipping fees to $5 per ton in an effort to curb waste imports into Michigan landfills and refortify efforts for environmental clean up and recycling.

I commit to a robust grassroots fundraising campaign that builds community transparency and ensures our communities' voices are represented. We deserve to know who is funding our politicians. I have endorsed MMOP (Michiganders for Money out of Politics). We also deserve to know that candidates are not taking money from special interests. If I’m not building this campaign on individual dollars and donors from our neighbors in District 6, then I have no business being elected.

The power of unions rests in their collective bargaining and support for one another. I firmly stand against “Free Riders” and believe every union worker should contribute their fair share of dues and/or service fees as a condition of their employment. This in turn promotes stronger financial stability and bargaining leverage.
I stand with prevailing wages. Every union member deserves union level wages and benefits. We must prevent undercutting by non-union contractors, ensure unions maintain their market share and organize new shops.
We are only as strong as the people that make up our organizations. We need better access to mental health services and healthcare.
Enhanced workplace Standards must continue past 2026. ESTA and PTO combined with increases to minimum wage will continue to attract high caliber talent to the Union trades.
Increased Road Funding / Infrastructure.
Subsidies for Child Care to Support our Young Families.
PBMs: prescription rebates, discounts to manage & lower costs.
I support pre-apprenticeship programs and strengthening our curriculum to promote critical thinking skills and a focus on the trades as professional, viable and sustainable career paths.

We must plan for how technological advances will impact our younger generations and set a firm foundation for them to prosper in the future. I will hold large companies and tech firms accountable with stringent transparency safeguards and reporting standards. Under my leadership, we will not allow large corporations to circumvent our justice system and jeopardize our future for their profit. We will create economic development opportunities based on long term planning, future-forward industries, investing in our people and communities and providing the infrastructure to support changing systems.

Under Governor Whitmer, innovative and promising economic plans have started and show great results.

I will continue to build on their success while remembering:
• Michigan has many resources to build on such as excellent universities, a history and base of technological expertise and hard-working Michiganders.
• The Make in Michigan MIIMCF should be used to attract manufacturing investments in EV production, semiconductor production, defense and aerospace industries.
• I will employ targeted tax relief for seniors and working families. This could take the form of rolling back the retirement tax and expanding the Working Families Tax Credit.

All programs must be ruthlessly examined and re-examined for effectiveness and financial stewardship. I will support:

• RX Kids, providing direct financial support to expecting mothers and families during a child's first year when it demonstrates measurable improvements in maternal and infant health.
• The MI Tri-Share Child Care Program, making childcare more affordable by sharing costs among employers, employees, and the state, while helping parents remain in the workforce.
• The Great Start Readiness Program, expanding access to high-quality early childhood education with a proven track record of preparing children for long-term success.
• Programs that demonstrably reduce financial burdens, improve health outcomes, and strengthen working and underserved families, while remaining accountable for measurable results and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.

• The Building Blocks Agenda, a comprehensive approach to strengthening early childhood development and supporting families, including targeted tax relief for households with young children, while ensuring every component delivers measurable results and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.