State Senator John Proos has less than a month left of being a Michigan lawmaker as term limits will prevent him from continuing to serve when the year ends. WSJM News caught up with him to ask about highlights of his 14 years in office, both as a state representative and senator. Proos tells us he’s proud of his 2009 cottage kitchen legislation, designed to help start-up food producers.
“We were able to get Governor Granholm to agree and we were able to get the Legislature to pass to her desk the opportunity for those small, entrepreneurial business to not have to use a commercial kitchen if and until they got to the point that they had enough gross revenue or gross sales that would give them the opportunity to then become a viable business,” Proos said.
Another accomplishment Proos cites is Erin’s Law, which allows schools to adopt a curriculum on sexual abuse, train school personnel on abuse, and adopt policies for informing parents on the warning signs of abuse. He’s also proud of his work to reform the corrections system.
“Any time that you can see a change in the direction of crime in a community, you’re going to see a vibrant and growing community,” Proos said.
Proos says it’s been an honor to represent southwest Michigan in Lansing. As for what’s next, he doesn’t know yet, but says he wants to serve the community. He plans to stay in southwest Michigan.
