BERRIEN
COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY
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NITZ WATCH Roughly 20 PACS donated heavily to Neal Nitz's campaign, making up over 80% of all his contributions - and many of these "contributions" can be tied directly back to his voting record. Nitz's overall record is much more extensive than space allows. You can find more information on his voting record by visiting http://www.legislature.mi.gov. Scroll further down this page for his trash votes.
Amendment to HB 4569: To allow citizens to vote absentee without a reason.
health insurance for their employees.
to outsourcing of jobs.
Health to negotiate drug discounts with drug companies.
and study hours. adult foster care group homes.
NITZ should have voted NO; instead he voted YES
GOP Representative Nitz Puts the Garbage Lobby Before the Residents of Berrien County: Check the Record!
THE RECORD: Nitz Trash Votes Note the number of times Nitz voted in a minority of 2 to 8 votes against a bill.
February 13, 2003 Nitz Opposed HR 10 (Roll Call 4) (Passed 102-2) A Republican sponsored resolution to memorialize the Congress of the United States to enact legislation to authorize States to enact laws prohibiting or limiting the receipt and disposal of municipal solid waste generated out-of-state. This was basically a cry for help from Congress, a resolution calling on Congress to take action on out-of-state waste; Nitz opposed this simple request for help - his own party's resolution (only one of two legislators to do so).
July 17, 2003 Nitz Opposed an amendment for SB 561. (Roll Call 491) (Failed 45-61) An amendment to increase from 7.0-cents to 7.5-cents per cubic yard the solid waste program administration fee surcharge imposed on incinerator ash that is disposed of in a landfill.
should foot the bill to pay for monitoring landfill sites (checking for contamination that the landfills might cause) rather than having landfill owners pay. Why would any legislator vote for his constituents to pay to monitor a dump site instead of the dump owner? Who is more important? To whom do you owe your allegiance, Mr. Nitz?... Your constituents or a multi-million dollar dump?
A Democratic amendment to further increase landfill operating license fees. Shifting the burden of cost from taxpayers to dump owners: Nitz voted NO.
Nitz Opposed SB 561. (Roll Call 493) (Passed 70 to 38) Democrat sponsored bill to increase from $1.04 million to $3.9 million the aggregate total surcharge imposed on owners or operators of landfills, to be used to maintain and enforce the state solid waste permit and license program. This bill is one of many authorizing fee increases totaling some $125.5 million which Gov. Jennifer Granholm proposed to close a gap between state spending and expected revenue in the Fiscal Year 2003- 2004 budget.
Nitz Opposed SB 561 (Roll Call 503) (Passed 74-32) To concur with Senate passed version of bill.
November 13, 2003 Nitz Opposed HB 4296 (Roll Call 661) (Passed 98-6) A Democratic bill to prohibit a person from knowingly disposing of a cathode ray tube, including a television or a computer monitor containing a cathode ray tube, in a landfill. The owner or operator of a landfill would also be prohibited from permitting the disposal of such items.
Nitz Supported HB 5235. (Roll Call 662) (Passed 104 to 0) Republican sponsored bill to require the Department of Environmental Quality to post on its website a list of materials prohibited from disposal in a landfill, and require solid waste haulers to annually notify their customers of the prohibited items.
Nitz Supported SB 506 (Roll Call 664) (Passed 101 to 2) Republican bill to impose a two-year moratorium on granting permits for new landfills in Michigan, except for those landfill expansions which are already in the works when the bill goes into effect. By 2005 the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) would have to recommend methods for securing reasonable and necessary regional and statewide disposal capacity.
Nitz Supported SB 557 (Roll Call 665) (Passed 97 to 7) Democratic bill to require the owner or operator of a landfill to file a report annually with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) on the remaining disposal capacity at the landfill, and require the department to report disposal capacity information to the Legislature [History, Amendments & Comments]
December 10, 2003 Nitz Supported HB 5234. (Roll Call 725) (Passed 105 to 1) Republican bill to prohibit the disposal in Michigan landfills of out-of-state solid waste or municipal incinerator ash unless it goes first to a transfer station, where items that do not comply with Michigan landfill standards would be sorted out and removed. Solid waste from states or a country with the same standards as Michigan would be exempt. [Vote Details and Comments]
Nitz Opposed SB 502 (Roll Call 723) (Passed 103 to 3) Republican sponsored bill to require the Department of Environmental Quality to compile a list of countries, states, provinces, and local jurisdictions that have and enforce solid waste standards as stringent as those in Michigan.
Nitz Opposed SB 502 (Roll Call 726) (Passed 103 to 3) (Bill reconsidered) Republican sponsored bill to require the Department of Environmental Quality to compile a list of countries, states, provinces, and local jurisdictions that have and enforce solid waste standards as stringent as those in Michigan.
February 5, 2004 Nitz Opposed SB 57 (Roll Call 15) (Passed 100-5) Republican bill that allows the DEQ director to issue and order for up to 60 days that restricts or prohibits the transportation or disposal of solid waste originating within or outside of the state if the director determines that such transportation or disposal poses a threat to the public health or safety, or the environment and that such a restriction is necessary to minimize or eliminate such a threat. The bill further provides for notice, public comment, and due process concerning such orders.
The next two bills ban the disposal of “returnable” beverage containers from being dumped in Michigan’s landfills. This was Michigan’s “weapon” to stop Canadian trash (unless Canada removed “returnable” beverage containers from their trash, they could not dump in Michigan). Nitz voted AGAINST both bills; with his vote, Nitz stated it is perfectly acceptable that his constituents, the taxpayers of Michigan, be prohibited from dumping “returnable” beverage containers, but it is just fine for other states and other countries to do so.
Democratic bill adds the definition of “beverage container” from the bottle deposit law to the solid waste portion of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. The definition actually only includes “returnable” beverage containers. (SB 498 then prohibits beverage containers from landfills).
Republican sponsored bill declares that optimizing recycling and reuse of materials is the principal objective of the state’s solid waste management plan; adds returnable beverage containers and whole tires above “de minimis” amounts to the list of items that are prohibited from landfills; and lists all other prohibited items in statute and administrative rule in one section of law. The bill also would now allow “de minimis” amounts of yard waste in landfills.
This Democratic amendment would have eliminated a loophole that allows a small amount (‘de minimus”) of beverage containers, whole tires, and yard waste to knowingly be disposed in landfills by requiring strict prohibition.
Nitz Opposed SB 499 (Roll Call 20) (Passed 95-10) Solid Waste Inspections: The Republican bill charges the DEQ, in conjunction with the State Police, to take action to prevent the illegal disposal of items and substances in landfills by:
· Ensuring that all disposal areas (landfills, incinerators, transfer facilities, and the like) are in full compliance with solid waste statutes and rules. · Providing for inspections of all disposal areas at least 4 times per year.
The bill also provides for the DEQ and the State Police to perform random inspections of waste being transported for disposal. Nitz voted AGAINST increased inspections.
Nitz Opposed SB 500 (Roll Call 22) (Passed 99-6) Democratic bill increases the civil fine for repeat violations of solid waste laws or regulations from a maximum of $10,000 per day to a maximum of $25,000 per day.
Nitz Opposed an amendment to SB 500 (Roll Call 21) (Failed 46-59) A Democratic substitute to restore the bill to the Senate-passed version to restore provisions for new state civil infractions with civil fines of up to $5,000 and $10,000, for repeat offenses of specific violations.
Nitz Opposed SB 715 (Roll Call 24) (Passed 100-4) Local Enforcement: Republican bill provides that county solid waste management plans may include an enforceable program and process to assure that prohibited items are not being disposed of in disposal areas. The bill also requires that counties and municipalities responsible for enforcing solid waste plans assist the DEQ and State Police in implementing and conducting the inspections provided in SB 499.
Nitz Supported an amendment to SB 715 (Roll Call 23) (Passed 60-45) The original bill required county solid waste management plans to include an enforceable program and process to assure that prohibited items are not being disposed of in disposal areas. This Republican amendment eliminated the requirement, and merely allowed counties to have an enforceable program.
Nitz Opposed HB 4098 (Roll Call 28) (Passed 97-7) Standards for Imported Waste: The bill prohibits landfills and incinerators from accepting out-of-state waste unless either:
· The country or state is included on a list prepared by the DEQ of jurisdictions that has a solid waste disposal regulatory system that is at least as stringent and protective of public health, safety, and welfare, and the environment, in terms of what waste is allowed in the waste stream, as is in existence in Michigan. · The solid waste consists of homogeneous materials that meet Michigan requirements for disposal.
This Democratic amendment was a substitute to bring the bill more in line with HB 5234 (Acciaviatti) (which already passed the House) and included a provision to allow out-of-state waste to be disposed of if it is certified as having prohibited items removed by a transfer facility or similar facility. Essentially this would have banned other states and countries from dumping “prohibited items” from Michigan landfills, such as used motor oil, car batteries, etc. Nitz voted against this bill. Nitz supported the right for Indiana, Illinois and Canadian residents to dump “prohibited items” in our landfills.
The bill prohibits the knowing disposal or acceptance of returnable beverage containers in landfills.
This amendment is a substitute that, consistent with SB 498 (Birkholz), would have additionally prohibited whole tires from landfill disposal, and would have applied all of these prohibitions to solid waste incinerators. The amendment also would have removed the “de minimus” exception from returnable beverage containers.
Imported Waste in Nitz’s House District 78
Forest Lawn Landfill – Three Oaks Illinois – 1,639,322 cubic yards Type II waste Indiana – 1,289,286 cubic yards Type II waste
Southeast Berrien County Landfill – Buchanan Illinois – 395 cubic yards Type II waste Indiana – 376,633 cubic yards Type II waste
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NITZ
TRASH WATCH
Nitz voted against the
taxpayers and for the landfill owners; by his vote, he said taxpayers 
Nitz Opposed 
Nitz Opposed