MIRS Names Woolford As '25 Legislative Freshman Of The Year

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 12/08/2025) Rep. Jason Woolford (R-Howell), chair of the House Oversight Subcommittee on State and Local Assistance Programs, has been named legislative Freshman of the Year on the MIRS Monday podcast. The first-time legislator used his committee post to explore ways to better shield state food assistance from fraud.

"Freshman of the Year" is part of MIRS' "Best Of" series, recognizing those legislators and political leaders throughout the state who were particularly effective and impactful while displaying a high level of activity. The naming of "Freshman of the Year" takes place biennially, and has been named since 2011.

"I am truly honored to be named the Freshman of the Year by MIRS," said Woolford. "When I took office, I made it my mission to crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse in Michigan's government. From the White House to the State House, we have been working to ensure waste, fraud, and abuse are eliminated at every level of government.

"That mission gained national attention when a video of my oversight hearing revealing major flaws in the MDHHS website went viral after being shared by the U.S. Department of Justice. The video showed how benefits could be obtained with minimal verification, highlighting the urgent need for reform. I'm proud of what we have accomplished so far, and I want to thank Speaker Matt Hall for trusting me with the responsibility of chairing the Oversight Subcommittee on State and Local Assistance Programs."

As chair of the subcommittee, Woolford has led efforts to review spending and oversight practices within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). His team uncovered a 9.4 percent error rate in the state's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), representing millions of taxpayer dollars at risk for fraud or misuse. The review also found that the department's online application systems required minimal verification, leaving room for abuse of assistance programs.

In the August 2024 primary elections, Woolford unseated incumbent Rep. Bob Bezotte, a Howell Republican, in the conservative 50th House district by 476 votes.

Professionally, Woolford was in the U.S. Marines in the early '90s, and in October 2010, was appointed president of Mission Cry – Christian Resources International, a nonprofit distributing free Bibles and Christian teaching tools globally.

The MIRS team faced some challenges in determining a Freshman of the Year. First off, there were significantly fewer first-time legislators to choose from, a byproduct of term limits reform voters adopted in 2022. State representatives following the 2022 elections can serve 12 years total across both chambers, instead of no more than six years in the House and eight years in the Senate.

The freshman class in the House has shrunk from 55 in 2023 and 18 in 2021 to 12 this year. There are also fewer bills that have been signed into law to use in deciding a Freshman of the Year.

So far, 35 bills have been signed into law for 2025. Previously, the Governor made 321 bills Public Acts by Dec. 19, 2023 and 168 in 2021 while the Legislature was under Republican control.

In April and September, Woolford called on personnel with DHHS to testify to his committee, where he pressed them on verifying applicants for Bridge cards. The plastic cards are used by federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries to purchase groceries with assistance.

Because of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) that President Donald Trump signed over the summer, the state could face $320 million to $481 million in federal SNAP funding cuts if it does not improve its error rate in administering the program.

MIRS Editor Kyle Melinn said Woolford really took his subcommittee chair role "diving in head first."

"The department talked about its $16 million website and how it's very easy, and it's a great thing and a great tool for people to use," Melinn said. "Instead of getting combative or just kind of taking everything at face value, the Representative decided that he was going to try and apply for benefits for a mythical person using the address of the Governor's residence."

Bypassing the request to put down a Social Security number and some other questions, Melinn explained Woolford made it to the end of the application process, one button away from officially applying for a Bridge card. Woolford raised the point that, "For a $16 million website, you think you would have stopped things before it got to this point," Melinn illustrated.

In the budget deal for Fiscal Year 2026, DHHS must spend $16 million on adopting chip card technology for all Bridge cards by the start of next year.

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy, the free market and limited government think-tank, has highlighted how, from 2022 through 2024, the error rate of SNAP payments has gone from 13 percent, 10.72 percent to 9.53 percent.

Meanwhile, the average error rate for the Great Lakes region – containing Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin and Michigan – has moved from 8.72 percent, 8.28 percent to 8.85 percent last year.

In early September, the House voted bipartisan for Woolford's HB 4746 , making the switch from magnetic strips to chipped cards, which was done after the DHHS and private sector consultants advised Woolford against putting recipients' photos and signatures on Bridge cards.

"I think Jason Woolford has been someone definitely worth watching since summer (2024) in his Republican primary. He took out an incumbent," said MIRS Monday podcast host Samantha Shriber. "(He's) someone who's kind of developing a name for himself on his own inside of conservative grassroots circles, and then on top of that too … he's not just a conservative no-voter for the point of being a conservative no-voter."

Shriber added that House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) made it clear that oversight was going to be the chamber's "big bread and butter ingredient this year," with Woolford being a significant player as the House debuted an oversight committee with six subcommittee panels.

Woolford is also leading calls right now to require applicants across Michigan's public assistance programs to submit proof of identity, income and residency ahead of benefits' approval. Additionally, he wants to lower the eligibility age to seek a Michigan Concealed Pistol License from 21 to 18 years old, and as a father of three, he's been a vocal opponent to permitting biological males to compete in girls' sports if they're transgender.

Other individuals nominated to be MIRS' legislative Freshman of the Year were Rep. Steve Frisbie (R-Battle Creek) for his highly productive office operations and Rep. Matt Longjohn (D-Portage), who's taken the title of the Legislature's sole physician to speak on healthcare issues. Honorable mentions were given to Reps. Parker Fairbairn (R-Harbor Springs) and Tonya Myers Phillips (D-Detroit).

Previous MIRS Freshman Legislators of the Year include:

- Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou (D-East Lansing), 2023

- Rep. Timothy Beson (R-Bay City), 2021

- Former Rep. Graham Filler, 2019

- Then-Rep. Thomas Albert (R-Lowell), 2017

- Former Rep. Gary Glenn (R-Midland), 2015

- Rep. Tim Kelly (R-Saginaw), 2013

- Former Rep. Al Pscholka (R-Stevensville), 2011