By Alexa Kramer, SBAM Director of Government Operations
SBAM, in partnership with the Michigan Education Association, Michigan Association for Justice, Business Leaders for Michigan, and the Michigan Health and Hospital Association, hosted a weekend-long event for newly elected legislators. This event, called Building Bridges, first launched in 2016.
Building Bridges is hosted after an election and before the new elected lawmakers take office and the main purpose of the event is in the name – to build bridges. These individuals have come off the heels of an election and the event is cultivated in a way to highlight the importance of relationship building across the aisle in order to get good policy accomplished on behalf of Michiganders.
This year’s event was hosted in Kalamazoo at the Radisson Plaza. Newly-elected legislators heard panels from outgoing leadership and outgoing legislators on what to expect. They had an opportunity to delve into a personality assessment that helped establish new connections. They also heard from a panel of the most recent freshmen legislators on their tips and advice to be an effective first-termer. Throughout the event were fun activities that allowed for networking with each other and the partner organizations. The closing panel was a discussion with Senate Majority Leader-elect Winnie Brinks, Speaker-elect Joe Tate, and Minority Leader-elect Matt Hall.
SBAM is a proud partner of this event that highlights bipartisanship, relationship building, and comradery. We thank the newly elected lawmakers who spent the time with us during the weekend building bridges.