In the News
Kalamazoo Gazette: Michigan Sen. Gary Peters shows strong support for proposed missile defense system
by Alex Mitchell
BATTLE CREEK, MI -- U.S. Sen. Gary Peters toured Fort Custer Wednesday to show support for a proposed missile defense system that could be constructed at the military base. Fort Custer, a 7,500-acre training base for the U.S. Army Reserves and other branches of the military that straddles Calhoun and Kalamazoo counties, is one of four locations currently undergoing an environmental impact study that will be used to partially determine the area best suited for the project. Peters said he strong… Continue Reading
03.31.15
Grand Rapids Press: U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga promote rebuilt parts for federal fleet
by Jim Harger
KENTWOOD, MI - Taxpayers will save money and Michigan companies that rebuild automotive and truck parts will benefit from legislation sponsored by a bipartisan team of U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich. and U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland. "Encouraging the federal government to use less expensive remanufactured auto parts when repairing their vehicles helps save taxpayers money and supports remanufacturing suppliers in Michigan and across the country," said Peters, who appeared at North America … Continue Reading
03.31.15
MiBiz: Federal legislation could spur growth of remanufactured parts, local jobs
by John Wiegand
KENTWOOD - Advocates for a bill pending in Congress say that using remanufactured parts to repair and maintain federal vehicle fleets would not only help save taxpayer money, but also act to spur job creation at local companies. For North American Fuel Systems Remanufacturing LLC in Kentwood, the bill to encourage the federal procurement of more remanufactured parts could help fuel demand for the engine components it refurbishes for the heavy-truck industry, said Adam Knobeloch, the company's v… Continue Reading
03.30.15
Detroit News: Peters seeks pilot program on human trafficking
by Chad Livengood
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters is scheduled to visit Wayne State University's medical school Monday to push for legislation helping health care professionals better identify patients who are victims of human trafficking. Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, has introduced a bill creating a pilot program for a medical school to develop best practices for identifying and preventing the spread of human trafficking - what the U.S. Department of Homeland Security calls "modern-day form of slavery involving the ill… Continue Reading
03.30.15
The Hill: Fully fund the A-10 fleet, say Michigan senators
by Martin Matishak
Michigan Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D) and Gary Peters (D) are urging senior appropriators to fully fund the Air Force's A-10 "Warthog" fleet and scrap the service's plan to move some of the aircraft into backup status. "Given the United States' current military engagements in the Middle East fighting against [the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria], and protecting NATO countries in Eastern Europe, the aircraft program must be continued until a suitable alternative is in place," the pair said in a let… Continue Reading
03.27.15
Detroit News: Senate OKs Peters’ measure on customs plazas fund
Washington - The U.S. Senate late Thursday approved a budget amendment by Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, that creates a reserve fund for future spending authorization at customs plazas and ports of entry. The measure is non-binding and does not represent an approval for funding. The amendment did not specify a dollar amount for the fund or from where the money would come. It creates a reserve fund in the federal budget that won't increase the federal deficit. The fund may be used for… Continue Reading
03.26.15
Detroit News: Peters seeks funding for customs plazas in Michigan
by Melissa Nann Burke
Washington - As Congress sets its spending priorities this week, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, is seeking a budget reserve for future spending authorization at customs plazas and ports of entry. If approved, the amendment would create a deficit-neutral reserve fund in the federal budget that may be used for construction or increased staffing at ports of entry, such as the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron - which is awaiting an expanded customs plaza - and the new U.S.-Canada cros… Continue Reading
03.19.15
Houghton Daily Mining Gazette: Peters unveils bills to address wasteful spending, deficit
by Garrett Neese
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Gary Peters announced two bills aimed at cutting wasteful spending and reducing the deficit Tuesday, both co-sponsored by a Republican senator. The first bill would require Congress to hold Congressional hearings on duplicative and wasteful government spending and create a formal review process. The second bill would require Congress to debate and vote on deficit reduction recommendations in the president's budget. Peters, D-Bloomfield Hills, contrasted his approach to d… Continue Reading
03.17.15
Detroit Free Press: Peters proposes deficit-cutting bills
by Todd Spangler
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Gary Peters is joining with a Republican colleague to propose two pieces of legislation he says could cut wasteful spending and reduce the nation's deficit. The first piece of legislation would require congressional hearings on the Government Accountability Office's annual report on recommendations for reducing duplicative programs. The second would require Congress to hold an up or down vote on annual deficit reduction recommendations from the White House. "We need to c… Continue Reading
03.17.15
Detroit News: Sen. Peters proposes bills to cut government waste
by David Shepardson
Washington - Sens. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, and Cory Gardner, R-Colorado, unveiled bills Tuesday aimed at cutting waste and eliminating duplicate federal programs from the $2 trillion annual U.S. budget. One proposal, called the COST Savings Resolution, would require congressional committees to hold oversight hearings on the Government Accountability Office's annual report on ways to reduce overlap and duplication in the federal government. The bill directs Congress to take into acc… Continue Reading
03.17.15
WBUP: Peters introduces bills to reduce government spending
WASHINGTON D.C. - U.S. Senator Gary Peters introduced a pair of bills today that would reduce government spending. Peters, along with Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO), have come up with a pair of bills that would reduce the cost of some government agencies that overlap responsibilities. Peters says that these bills would go along way in making the government as efficient as possible and reduce the nation's debt at the same time. "An example of that is catfish inspection," said U.S. Senator Gary Peter… Continue Reading
03.07.15
Macomb Daily: Senator helps celebrate 100th anniversary of Naval Reserves at Selfridge
by Maryanne MacLeod
Celebrating a century of service by Naval Reservists was the order of the day at Selfridge Air National Guard Base Saturday afternoon. Dignitaries from throughout metro Detroit, including keynote speaker U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, joined current reservists, veterans and their families to recognize the special sacrifices made by citizen sailors at the base. Since Sept. 11, 2001, more than 70,000 naval reservists have answered the call to active duty; 31 of those were killed in action. Naval reservi… Continue Reading
03.07.15
WWJ: Senator Peters On Hand As Selfridge Air National Guard Base Celebrates 100 Years
HARRISON TOWNSHIP (WWJ) - Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township celebrated an important milestone Saturday - its centennial anniversary. U.S. Senator Gary Peters spoke at the U.S. Navy Reserve ceremony Saturday afternoon. "I certainly just wanted to honor the incredible traditions that exist in the U.S. Navy Reserve and its 100 year anniversary," Peters said. "You're basically dealing with citizen sailors, folks who have families and careers in the States and yet are called up… Continue Reading
03.05.15
Detroit News: Peters, Ernst push for military tax credit extension
by David Shepardson and Melissa Nann Burke
Washington - Two senators unveiled legislation to extend a tax credit for small businesses that provide differential pay for military reservists and National Guard members called to serve on active duty. U.S. Sens. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, introduced the Military Reserve Small Business Jobs Act of 2015 to extend the tax credit for five years - which would would help 824,000 reservists and their families while on active duty. Peters is a former lieutenant comma… Continue Reading
03.05.15
MLive: Sen. Gary Peters introduces tax credit bill for small businesses that make up pay for active military reservists
by Fritz Klug
LANSING, MI -- U.S. Sen. Gary Peters introduced a bill on Wednesday that would give tax credits to small businesses that make up the difference in pay for employees who are active duty members of the National Guard. The credits would be given to small businesses with less than 50 employees who make up the difference in pay for active reservists who make less in the military then they do at their regular job. "When they are called up to the military service...[reservists are] also making a fina… Continue Reading
03.05.15
Michigan Radio: Sen. Gary Peters on bipartisanship and the two bills he is co-sponsoring
by STATESIDE STAFF
When he was elected to the U.S. Senate, Gary Peters promised to approach his job in a spirit of bipartisan cooperation. He says that's exactly what's behind the first two bills he has introduced in the Senate. The first is the Federal Vehicle Repair Cost Savings Act, which Peters co-sponsored with Oklahoma Republican Senator James Lankford. "What this bill does is it reduces the repair cost for the fleet of vehicles that the federal government maintains," Peters says. He estimates that the fe… Continue Reading
03.04.15
Oakland Press: Legislation would continue tax credits for employers supplementing reservists’ pay
by Charles Crumm
Small businesses would get a tax credit for making up the difference in how much they pay compared to the military for their employees called to active duty as military reservists. U.S. Sen. Gary Peters announced bipartisan legislation with Iowa Republican Joni Ernst in a conference call Wednesday. Peters, a Democrat and Michigan's newest addition to the U.S. Senate, said the employer tax credits would run for five years, if the legislation makes it into law. He said it's an extension of prio… Continue Reading
03.04.15
Detroit Free Press: Legislation for reservist pay proposed
by Todd Spangler
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., is sponsoring legislation to extend a tax credit for small businesses that provide differential pay to active-duty military reservists and National Guard members. Originally enacted in 2008, the measure provides a tax credit worth 20% of a small businesses' cost of making up the balance of an employee's salary when he or she is called to active duty. The legislation would extend the credit for five years. Peters, a former Navy Reserve officer, is sp… Continue Reading
02.28.15
Detroit Free Press: Levin's advice to Peters: build relationships
by Carol Cain
Gary Peters is in a league of his own. As the only Democrat in the nation to win an open U.S. Senate seat in November, Peters, 56, who served as a U.S. representative representing suburban Detroit, has been immersed in the transition to the Senate. Peters has also just crisscrossed the state on a economic listening tour that included stops in Traverse City, Flint, Grand Rapids and Detroit to find out what's on constituents' minds. I had a chance to catch up with him to pose some questions on … Continue Reading
02.26.15
Detroit News: 12 senators push for crackdown on campus assaults
by David Shepardson
Washington - A bipartisan group of 12 U.S. senators introduced legislation Thursday that would do more to protect students from sexual assault and require colleges and universities to do more to investigate allegations. The Campus Accountability and Safety Act "would flip the current incentives of a broken system to provide real accountability and transparency from higher education institutions. The legislation would professionalize the response to and reporting of sexual assaults that occur on… Continue Reading
