State Rep. Ann Bollin, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, today called out Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson for spreading misinformation about the House-passed budget and its impact on Michigan residents.

Bollin said Benson’s claims that the budget will cause hours-long delays at Secretary of State branches are misleading and disingenuous.

The majority of the cuts target phantom employees — 186 positions that are completely unfilled and exist only on paper. In total, the House budget eliminates 240 positions in the Department of State. Of the remainder, 49 are new roles Benson created over the past five years, and just five are unclassified administrative posts that do not serve the public at local branches.

“Secretary Benson is trying to scare Michigan families into believing routine services like license renewals and title transfers will grind to a halt, when in reality the cuts won’t touch the people who actually serve residents,” said Bollin, R-Brighton Township.

Bollin said Benson’s rhetoric about hours-long waits at branch offices doesn’t hold water.

“If cutting five political appointees — the people who help Benson push her radical agenda and plaster her face on billboards — truly leads to hours-long waits across Michigan, then she’s either a terrible administrator, or she’s causing these delays on purpose,” Bollin said.

Bollin emphasized that House Republicans crafted the budget responsibly, cutting waste and focusing resources where they matter most.

“Families are stretched thin. They expect us to live within our means and direct their tax dollars to priorities that make life better in Michigan, not to fund ads for a Secretary of State who is staging a gubernatorial campaign,” Bollin said. “This budget reins in wasteful spending and ensures taxpayer money is used for essential services that people depend on every day.”