Tenure
In her 2006 election to the Michigan House,Bauer defeated first runner-up Jerry Hollister,the son of former Lansing Mayor David Hollister,by nearly six percentage points in the Democratic primary,garnering 32.83% of the vote. Bauer coasted to victory in the general election by receiving 74% of the vote,defeating Republican businessman Harilaos I. Sorovigas.
As a member of the Michigan House of Representatives,Bauer introduced and co-sponsored a number of important bills. Perhaps one of the best known of these is HB 4341,which boasts 33 co-sponsors and would disallow all businesses and restaurants in Michigan from permitting smoking in their establishments. [1] [2] This bill,which provides no exemptions for certain businesses,has been referred to the House Regulatory Reform Committee;due to her efforts and coalition-building,Bauer's colleague,Representative Lee Gonzales,was able to successfully introduce a similar bill on February 19,2009,which was identical except that it allowed exemptions for Detroit casinos,existing cigar bars,tobacco specialty retail stores,work vehicles and home offices. Bauer was a co-sponsor for this bill,and after months of complex negotiations,was able to see it passed with a bipartisan 73–31 majority. [3] [4] Free from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke,Michigan is now the 38th smoke-free state in the nation.
Bauer sponsored HB 4851 in 2009,would prohibit employers from paying a person less than an amount understood to be of "comparable worth," making doing so a civil rights law violation. [5] [6]
Committee and caucus membership
Bauer was a member of the House Appropriations Committee. She also served on three subcommittees in the House. She was the chair of the Higher Education Subcommittee,vice-chair of the Community Colleges Subcommittee,and a member of the Economic Development Subcommittee. She was appointed by House Speaker Andy Dillon to serve on the Capitol Committee.
Bauer served as chair of the Capital Caucus,co-chair of the Michigan Legislative Women's Caucus,and co-chair of the Local Government Caucus. As a testament to her skills as a legislator and a leader,all of these caucuses are bipartisan as well as bicameral. She is also a member of several other caucuses,including the Urban Caucus,the Children's Caucus,the Tourism Caucus,the Arts Caucus,and the Fire Caucus.
