LANSING – State Representative Terry Brown (D-Pigeon) and State Senator Jim Barcia (D-Bay City) today announced that they have started a bipartisan Rural Caucus to identify and promote issues specific to the nearly 2 million residents who live in rural Michigan.
"Michigan's rural areas have many assets, and they also face many challenges that we want to raise awareness of," said Brown, who represents Huron and Tuscola counties. "The goal of the Rural Caucus is to share information with Michigan's lawmakers about the issues that affect residents of rural communities. By having productive discussions, we can all work together to find positive solutions."
In the House, Brown will co-chair the caucus with Representative Dick Ball (R-Laingsburg); Barcia's co-chair is Senator Jason Allen (R-Traverse City). The Caucus will bring in expert speakers to provide briefings on the particular impact that issues such as economic development, education, transportation, agriculture, health care, and natural resource protection have on rural areas.
Fifty-seven of Michigan's 83 counties are classified as rural.
"Residents in rural areas tend to have limited access to health care, higher poverty and unemployment rates, and disadvantages when it comes to technology," Barcia said. "Members of the Rural Caucus want to make sure that Michigan's rural communities receive the attention and resources they need. We know our colleagues are open to learning more about these issues, and we look forward to producing benefits for our entire state."