Letter — Andy Schor, City of Lansing, on House Bill 5031 (February 17, 2026)

Summary

This is a letter dated February 17, 2026, addressed to Hon. Mike Hoadley, Chair of the Michigan House Economic Competitiveness Committee, expressing strong support for House Bill 5031. The letter says HB 5031 updates the Recodified Tax Increment Financing Act to expand and clarify the tools available to local development financing authorities, and allows existing SmartZones to extend for an additional 15 years. It describes the Lansing Regional SmartZone and venture capital deals between 2019 and 2023. The letter closes with the name Andy Schor, Mayor.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Full text

February 17, 2026

Hon. Mike Hoadley, Chair
Michigan House Economic Competitiveness Committee
Anderson House Office Building
124 North Capitol Avenue
Lansing, MI 48933

Dear Chairman Hoadley and Members of the Committee:

I am writing to express strong support for House Bill 5031. This legislation represents a pivotal step forward in
strengthening Michigan’s ability to:
     Attract high technology businesses.
     Retain innovative-driven employers, and
     Leverage private equity and venture capital.

HB 5031 updates the Recodified Tax Increment Financing Act to expand and clarify the tools available to local
development financing authorities. It allows existing SmartZones to extend their tax capture for an additional 15
years.

The Lansing Regional SmartZone, which primarily represents the City of Lansing and a partner municipality, has
already witnessed growth in innovation that resulted in a high number of venture capital deals between 2019 and
2023.1 The passage of this bill ensures the continuation of this momentum.

The bill also includes clear definitions and appropriate safeguards to ensure that tax increment capture remains
tied to meaningful, measurable public benefit and local accountability.

I urge your support for HB 5031, encourage its passage, and welcome the opportunity to discuss how the bill can
support economic development in our area.

Thank you for your leadership and consideration.

Sincerely,



Andy Schor
Mayor



1
    Venture Capital, State of the Lansing Region 2025, Benchmarking Report, pg. 39-40


File and source

File

2026-02-19_testimony_hb-5031-andy-schor-city-of-lansing_62948.pdf

Size

407,961 bytes

SHA-256

41bf5773085bdaf02a9c6c6d357120f7fdb8fb915f9d435dc70a2392fca065cb

Our copy

2026-02-19_testimony_hb-5031-andy-schor-city-of-lansing_62948.pdf

Original

No public link identified.