Lansing Interview: Sen. Meekhof hails union, abortion laws Says health care policy needs attention because of state's aging population

By David Eggert Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Two years ago, Sen. Arlan Meekhof helped usher in Michigan's landmark law making union fees voluntary for workers, a feat he'd thought was probably impossible until at least 2015. Passing the "freedom-to-work" measure, though, ranks just second on the next state Senate majority leader's list of legislative highlights. He said he was most proud when the Senate approved his bill - signed into law in 2011 - prohibiting late-term abortions, which mirrored a federal ban. "As a person who was adopted, my pro-life stance has nothing to do with my politics. It's who I am," Meekhof told The Associated Press in an interview in his Capitol office. Meekhof, of West Olive near Holland, was elected by Republican senators last week to lead the GOP-dominated Senate for the next four years. He will replace term-limited Randy Richardville in January. Republicans also control the House and governorship. Meekhof, 54, said that like Richardville, he will set a business-friendly agenda. "We want to make sure that we put public policy out there that encourages growth," he said, citing Michigan's population loss over the last decade. "The way to do that is to make Michigan so attractive that they want to come back." Meekhof was mostly not forthcoming about legislation he would like to push until he can confer with fellow GOP senators. He said health care policy needs attention because of the state's aging population. He specifically mentioned overhauling Michigan's "antiquated" regulatory program that's designed to ensure that only needed health services are added. "Can we expect a 40-year-old policy to really cover the type of stuff we're talking about in health care that changes almost by the day?" he said. Meekhof, then Olive Township's part-time supervisor, won election to the House in 2007 and was promoted to the Senate in 2010 where he's the majority floor leader. During his career, he ran a company that supplied locks to the office furniture industry and worked in management at furniture maker Herman Miller. Meekhof's seat has the highest percentage of base Republican voters of any Senate district. He was ranked the third-most conservative senator in 2013 by Inside Michigan Politics and voted against expanding Medicaid in this session's big intraparty rift between Gov. Rick Snyder and GOP lawmakers. Just enough Republicans ultimately joined Democrats last year to expand the health insurance program for low-income adults. Meekhof said his beliefs and his constituents' values are aligned, but the public expects legislators to solve problems and he realizes as a leader "you may not get everything you want" when compromise is necessary. Some bills he successfully sponsored, such as the right-to-work law, have stood out. The legislation attracted mass protests from union members who said it was a partisan attack, but Meekhof countered that it will help Michigan land new jobs. Asked about pursuing other union-related measures, Meekhof said he wants to see the impact of the right-to-work law over a couple more years as more labor contracts expire. "If there's problems there, we'd look further. But this ... really does solve a lot of issues that we thought were important," he said. An outdoor enthusiast who likes to kayak along the Pigeon River to Lake Michigan, Meekhof is known to legally carry a concealed gun in the Capitol. He said his political heroes are former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich - for making complex issues easier to digest for regular people - and former President Ronald Reagan for his "gift" of effectively communicating with the American people. Richardville has said leading an extraordinarily large caucus isn't always easy - it led to temporary gridlock on Medicaid expansion and has been a factor in why Snyder's attempts to raise taxes to improve roads have stalled. Meekhof said it's "past time" to address road funding and he's hopeful a deal is reached yet this year. When he takes over, Republicans will have an even larger supermajority - 27-11 - than their current 26-12 advantage. "It's always good to have more Republicans," he said. Published: Thu, Nov 13, 2014