<\/p>\n
The Mackinac Policy Conference<\/a> concluded with a series of addresses from prominent state politicians and a debate from Senate candidates. Speaker Mike Rodgers (R) \u2014 former U.S. Rep. and current Senate candidate \u2014 began by discussing current challenges affecting the state, including affordability<\/a> and education<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n In Michigan, the median age of a first-time home buyer has increased<\/a> by seven years since 2021, going from 33 to 40 years old. Rodgers said he believes buying a home is the largest investment one can make in personal wealth, and homeowners who purchase homes later in life lose out on personal equity. He proposed credit providers begin factoring rent payments into credit score calculations.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re gonna make sure that your rent payments count for your credit score so that when you go into the bank, you don\u2019t get the highest interest rate, you get the best interest rate,\u201d Rodgers said. \u201cRight now, that doesn\u2019t count. You pay rent for seven or eight or nine or 10 years, doesn\u2019t come toward your credit score. I think that\u2019s wrong.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Ultimately, Rodgers said the biggest issue impacting both Michigan and the United States is educational challenges, specifically literacy rates<\/a>. He cited Michigan\u2019s third grade reading law<\/a> \u2014 which mandated holding back kids unable to read at the end of third grade \u2014 and criticized its repeal<\/a>. Rodgers said he believes lower literacy rates lead to a higher probability<\/a> of needing welfare assistance or being incarcerated.\u00a0<\/p>\n