SBAM honors Rep. Proos and others with Advocate Awards at annual meeting

Rep. John Proos (R-St. Joseph) was honored as the Small Business Association of Michigan’s (SBAM) Legislator of the Year at the organization annual meeting June 24 in East Lansing.

Also honored at the SBAM annual meeting were Nancy Kaffer, reporter for Crain’s Detroit Business, as Communicator of the Year; and Jennifer Turner, Vice-President of St. Regis Culvert in Charlotte, as volunteer Advocate of the Year.

The SBAM Legislator of the Year award is presented to the state or federal lawmaker who has shown the most support for small business. Criteria include legislation introduced, votes cast and leadership ability as demonstrated by the person’s ability to build consensus to resolve small business issues.

As Chair of the House Republican Strategic Task Force on Jobs, Proos was the primary author of the “Michigan Jobs Plan,” which called for among other things repealing the MBT surcharge, eliminating the personal property tax and promoting economic gardening. He also introduced a bill to create the Office of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Services, which would assist start-up and growing businesses; co-sponsored bill that would increase the officer compensation threshold in the MBT’s Alternative Profits Tax; co-sponsored a bill that would give tax-free status to new businesses that haven’t yet become profitable; and as a key House Appropriations member led House Republican efforts to balance the budget without raising taxes.