By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
The Holland Harbor will receive more than $20 million of funding toward dredging and other operations and maintenance work under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers work plan this fiscal year, according to U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland.
The congressman last week announced the Army Corps work plan for Lake Michigan communities that includes $20,338,000 in funding for Holland, as well as additional funds for the harbors of Saugatuck, South Haven and St. Joseph.
“Our harbors and rivers are an enormous source of economic activity for communities across Michigan,” Huizenga said in a news release. “This funding will help ensure that Holland, Saugatuck, St. Joe, and South Haven, as well as portions of the Kalamazoo River are properly dredged, and communities along the Lakeshore are able to reach their full economic potential.”
The funding for Holland Harbor will go toward operations and maintenance work, as well as funding for dredging, assessments, critical structure safety maintenance, repairs to North revetment, dredged disposal area maintenance, and engineering and design for dredged material placement site weir repair, Huizenga said.
Meanwhile, the Saugatuck Harbor and Kalamazoo River will receive $385,000 to perform operations and maintenance work, as well as funding for assessments and sediment sampling.
South Haven Harbor will receive $1,740,000 to perform operations and maintenance work as well as funding for dredging and assessments.
The harbor in St. Joseph will receive $3,309,000 to perform operations and maintenance work as well as funding for dredging, assessments, sediment sampling, beach nourishment monitoring and placement of sand.
Other communities that are included in the Army Corps work plan for this year include Grand Haven ($13,638,000), Muskegon ($4,372,000), Pentwater ($2,218,000), Ludington ($2,078,000) and New Buffalo ($1,475,000), Huizenga said.
Huizenga has been a bipartisan leader in holding the federal government accountable to lakeshore communities for its promises regarding harbor dredging. He has also led bipartisan efforts to fully restore and continually fund the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund.
In 2020, Huizenga helped increase the percentage of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund dollars that go to the Great Lakes. The funding for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund is paid by shippers utilizing ports on the Great Lakes and along our nation’s coasts.
Zeeland Record
The Holland Harbor will receive more than $20 million of funding toward dredging and other operations and maintenance work under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers work plan this fiscal year, according to U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland.
The congressman last week announced the Army Corps work plan for Lake Michigan communities that includes $20,338,000 in funding for Holland, as well as additional funds for the harbors of Saugatuck, South Haven and St. Joseph.
“Our harbors and rivers are an enormous source of economic activity for communities across Michigan,” Huizenga said in a news release. “This funding will help ensure that Holland, Saugatuck, St. Joe, and South Haven, as well as portions of the Kalamazoo River are properly dredged, and communities along the Lakeshore are able to reach their full economic potential.”
The funding for Holland Harbor will go toward operations and maintenance work, as well as funding for dredging, assessments, critical structure safety maintenance, repairs to North revetment, dredged disposal area maintenance, and engineering and design for dredged material placement site weir repair, Huizenga said.
Meanwhile, the Saugatuck Harbor and Kalamazoo River will receive $385,000 to perform operations and maintenance work, as well as funding for assessments and sediment sampling.
South Haven Harbor will receive $1,740,000 to perform operations and maintenance work as well as funding for dredging and assessments.
The harbor in St. Joseph will receive $3,309,000 to perform operations and maintenance work as well as funding for dredging, assessments, sediment sampling, beach nourishment monitoring and placement of sand.
Other communities that are included in the Army Corps work plan for this year include Grand Haven ($13,638,000), Muskegon ($4,372,000), Pentwater ($2,218,000), Ludington ($2,078,000) and New Buffalo ($1,475,000), Huizenga said.
Huizenga has been a bipartisan leader in holding the federal government accountable to lakeshore communities for its promises regarding harbor dredging. He has also led bipartisan efforts to fully restore and continually fund the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund.
In 2020, Huizenga helped increase the percentage of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund dollars that go to the Great Lakes. The funding for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund is paid by shippers utilizing ports on the Great Lakes and along our nation’s coasts.
Victory Introduces Water Safety Instruction Bill
State Sen. Roger Victory has introduced legislation to help save kids from drowning by requiring water safety instruction in Michigan schools.
“In honor of National Water Safety Month, I am sponsoring legislation to help save lives. More than 90 people drowned in the Great Lakes last year, and more than half of those happened in Lake Michigan,” said Victory, R-Hudsonville. “Water safety education and swim training have proven to be effective in giving young people the knowledge and skills needed to protect themselves and others from drowning.”
An average of more than 4,000 people die from drowning in the U.S. each year. In the U.S., drowning is the leading cause of death for children from age 1 to 4 and the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths among children ages 5 to 14.
According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, there have been at least 1,331 Great Lakes drownings since 2010. That includes roughly 91 drownings in all the Great Lakes in 2024 and 51 in Lake Michigan alone.
Senate Bill 295 would require water safety instruction for every public school student. The material would be seamlessly integrated into existing courses such as health, physical education or other related subjects as determined by the Michigan Department of Education in consultation with water safety experts.
The bill does not require swimming lessons but would ensure schools provide students with age-appropriate education and understanding of water safety practices and safe swimming conditions.
“In honor of National Water Safety Month, I am sponsoring legislation to help save lives. More than 90 people drowned in the Great Lakes last year, and more than half of those happened in Lake Michigan,” said Victory, R-Hudsonville. “Water safety education and swim training have proven to be effective in giving young people the knowledge and skills needed to protect themselves and others from drowning.”
An average of more than 4,000 people die from drowning in the U.S. each year. In the U.S., drowning is the leading cause of death for children from age 1 to 4 and the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths among children ages 5 to 14.
According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, there have been at least 1,331 Great Lakes drownings since 2010. That includes roughly 91 drownings in all the Great Lakes in 2024 and 51 in Lake Michigan alone.
Senate Bill 295 would require water safety instruction for every public school student. The material would be seamlessly integrated into existing courses such as health, physical education or other related subjects as determined by the Michigan Department of Education in consultation with water safety experts.
The bill does not require swimming lessons but would ensure schools provide students with age-appropriate education and understanding of water safety practices and safe swimming conditions.
Report: Michigan Food Stamp Fraud Spikes Nearly Fourfold
By Scott McClallen
Michigan Capitol Confidential
Payments caused by fraud in Michigan’s food stamp program jumped by 387 percent from fiscal year 2023 to 2024, according to documents obtained by a records request.
The increase comes at a time when Michigan officials still haven’t switched to safer, more secure cards with embedded microchips.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services approved 592 of 651 requests in fiscal year 2023 to replace stolen benefits, for a total of $181,778.
About 800,000 Michigan households with low incomes purchase food through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps. Money from the program is loaded onto state-issued Bridge cards, which recipients can use at approved vendors such as grocery stores. If a criminal rather than the intended recipient uses those funds, the state health and human services department will replace the lost benefits.
The state approved 1,664 of the 1,926 requests filed for replacement benefits during the 2024 fiscal year, for a total of $884,947. The number of claims submitted increased by 196 percent from the previous year, and the number of claims approved went up by 181 percent.
The SNAP program is overseen by the federal government but run by state health departments.
In November 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture urged Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the state health department to stop using cards with magnetic strips and instead use chipped cards. Michigan has not yet made the switch. In June 2024, criminals stole $250,000 from Michigan families through the SNAP program, Michigan Capitol Confidential reported in April.
Making the change from magnetic-strip cards to chipped cards would incur about $16.3 million in one-time costs, according to an April 3, 2025, pitch Fidelity National Information Services made to the state, which CapCon obtained through a records request. Ongoing expenses would likely run to $2.7 million a year, the company said.
The federal government would pay half the cost of moving to chipped cards, leaving Michigan with a bill of $8.15 million, according to a state health department proposal CapCon obtained through a records request.
Most of that cost would fall in four areas: $9.9 million for mass mailings for new cards, $3.3 million for system and technology changes, $1.4 million for notification letters and $1.8 million for customer service costs.
Over one weekend in 2025, Michigan reported a loss of over $75,000 in electronic benefit transfers that took place at several out-of-state retailers. The transfers involved card-cloning and skimming fraud scheme, state documents say. For fiscal year 2023, the Michigan Office of Inspector General conservatively estimates a yearly loss of roughly $3 million in electronic benefit transfers.
Switching from magnetic strips to chipped cards is essential to secure the food program’s integrity, Haywood Talcove, chief executive officer of LexisNexis Special Services Inc., told CapCon in an email. His company sells fraud prevention software and services to unemployment programs in 20 states, as well as to major U.S. banks.
“This conversion presents a unique and timely opportunity to identify and remove criminal groups exploiting the system through stolen and synthetic identities,” Talcove wrote. “Before issuing cards en masse to the 1.5 million recipients, we must validate each address, confirm residency, and verify identity. This step alone could flush out a significant portion of fraud in the program. I estimate 20 percent!”
Michigan could benefit if it moves to chipped cards and other states do not, Talcove said. “As more states move to chip technology, there will be a migration of fraud to those that don’t,” he wrote. “Acting now allows us to stay ahead of that curve.”
The state health department hasn’t responded to multiple requests for comment about why it hasn’t updated its card system to protect food benefits for Michigan’s most vulnerable people.
State residents often don’t know their food stamps have been stolen until they’re checking out at a store and their card is declined.
Low-income families have suffered more than $846,856 in stolen benefits so far in fiscal year 2025, CapCon reported in April. In 2023, Michigan charged three Detroiters in a $4 million scheme involving food stamp fraud.
There are at least 10 different ways to commit food stamp fraud: selling benefits to retailers, selling benefits to individuals, reselling food or drinks bought with SNAP benefits, card skimming, phishing, falsifying eligibility information, making multiple applications, retailer application fraud, state agency fraud, and government worker theft, according to the Cato Institute.
Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.
Michigan Capitol Confidential
Payments caused by fraud in Michigan’s food stamp program jumped by 387 percent from fiscal year 2023 to 2024, according to documents obtained by a records request.
The increase comes at a time when Michigan officials still haven’t switched to safer, more secure cards with embedded microchips.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services approved 592 of 651 requests in fiscal year 2023 to replace stolen benefits, for a total of $181,778.
About 800,000 Michigan households with low incomes purchase food through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps. Money from the program is loaded onto state-issued Bridge cards, which recipients can use at approved vendors such as grocery stores. If a criminal rather than the intended recipient uses those funds, the state health and human services department will replace the lost benefits.
The state approved 1,664 of the 1,926 requests filed for replacement benefits during the 2024 fiscal year, for a total of $884,947. The number of claims submitted increased by 196 percent from the previous year, and the number of claims approved went up by 181 percent.
The SNAP program is overseen by the federal government but run by state health departments.
In November 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture urged Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the state health department to stop using cards with magnetic strips and instead use chipped cards. Michigan has not yet made the switch. In June 2024, criminals stole $250,000 from Michigan families through the SNAP program, Michigan Capitol Confidential reported in April.
Making the change from magnetic-strip cards to chipped cards would incur about $16.3 million in one-time costs, according to an April 3, 2025, pitch Fidelity National Information Services made to the state, which CapCon obtained through a records request. Ongoing expenses would likely run to $2.7 million a year, the company said.
The federal government would pay half the cost of moving to chipped cards, leaving Michigan with a bill of $8.15 million, according to a state health department proposal CapCon obtained through a records request.
Most of that cost would fall in four areas: $9.9 million for mass mailings for new cards, $3.3 million for system and technology changes, $1.4 million for notification letters and $1.8 million for customer service costs.
Over one weekend in 2025, Michigan reported a loss of over $75,000 in electronic benefit transfers that took place at several out-of-state retailers. The transfers involved card-cloning and skimming fraud scheme, state documents say. For fiscal year 2023, the Michigan Office of Inspector General conservatively estimates a yearly loss of roughly $3 million in electronic benefit transfers.
Switching from magnetic strips to chipped cards is essential to secure the food program’s integrity, Haywood Talcove, chief executive officer of LexisNexis Special Services Inc., told CapCon in an email. His company sells fraud prevention software and services to unemployment programs in 20 states, as well as to major U.S. banks.
“This conversion presents a unique and timely opportunity to identify and remove criminal groups exploiting the system through stolen and synthetic identities,” Talcove wrote. “Before issuing cards en masse to the 1.5 million recipients, we must validate each address, confirm residency, and verify identity. This step alone could flush out a significant portion of fraud in the program. I estimate 20 percent!”
Michigan could benefit if it moves to chipped cards and other states do not, Talcove said. “As more states move to chip technology, there will be a migration of fraud to those that don’t,” he wrote. “Acting now allows us to stay ahead of that curve.”
The state health department hasn’t responded to multiple requests for comment about why it hasn’t updated its card system to protect food benefits for Michigan’s most vulnerable people.
State residents often don’t know their food stamps have been stolen until they’re checking out at a store and their card is declined.
Low-income families have suffered more than $846,856 in stolen benefits so far in fiscal year 2025, CapCon reported in April. In 2023, Michigan charged three Detroiters in a $4 million scheme involving food stamp fraud.
There are at least 10 different ways to commit food stamp fraud: selling benefits to retailers, selling benefits to individuals, reselling food or drinks bought with SNAP benefits, card skimming, phishing, falsifying eligibility information, making multiple applications, retailer application fraud, state agency fraud, and government worker theft, according to the Cato Institute.
Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.
