STATE HOUSE / DISTRICT 20 / DEMOCRAT

NOAH ARBIT

Noah Arbit of West Broomfield has a bachelor degree from Wayne State in Comparison Politics and Jewish Studies. He has been a state Representative since 2023 and is the founder of the Michigan Jewish Caucus and a member of the West Bloomfield Diversity Task Force.

Government transparency

Michigan is one of only two states where the state legislature and administration are not subject to Freedom of Information Act requests. Although Governor Whitmer has promised in 2018 to extend the FOIA to cover her office and the legislature and the senate passed legislation in 2025, the House has still left these bills in the House Government Operations. Committee with no movement. Do you support extending the Freedom of Information Act to cover the legislative and administrative branches of state government?

Yes.

Data Center Farms

Large scale data centers have become an important issue in Michigan. Should the state be providing incentives to attractive large scale data centers? What regulations should be enacted to protect residents from possible increased electric rates and impact on water sources in the state? Lastly, there have been concerns that the state could intervene in the local approval process along the lines of what has been done on alternative energy projects in the state. Would you support the state taking more control of the local approval process?

I support repealing the tax incentives for data centers, and I co-sponsored HBs 6135-6142, bills that would place stringent guardrails on data center development to protect our environment, workers, and local communities. I support keeping data center siting in the hands of local elected officials. While there are important use cases for AI, we are not resilient enough to assimilate those benefits without also succumbing to the worst externalities of AI. Outsourcing critical thinking and artistic endeavors to algorithms will impoverish humanity. Any massive construction project will bring jobs. But are we willing to support the total AI-ification of our economy? We weren’t ready for how social media upended news, culture, elections, social trust, and we’re not ready for how AI will turbocharge those phenomena. Slowing down is vital.

Economic incentive policy

There has been ongoing debate in both parties in Lansing about past and current administrations’ economic development policies for attracting new business to the state. What is your position on the current economic development efforts?

I believe the Whitmer Administration’s approach to economic development has been a failure, and relied too much on giving billions in taxpayer dollars to large corporations. Instead of paying companies to set up shop in Michigan, we should incentivize them by enacting policies that makes Michigan more competitive. That means: dramatically improving K-12 public education, expanding affordable childcare, investing in arts and cultural amenities in communities big and small, continuing our workforce development and training programs, and enacting a state-backed paid family leave policy. Michigan isn’t economically competitive because our state isn’t family-friendly, worker-friendly, or business-friendly enough. Those three goals must be part of a comprehensive agenda to compel not only innovative companies, but also the most talented and innovative entrepreneurs, to make Michigan home.

New taxes to offset Medicaid cuts

Michigan is facing major cuts to federal funds for Medicaid, thanks to the 2025 adoption of President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill. To counteract these cuts, Governor Whitmer had proposed increased taxes on tobacco and vape products and new taxes on digital advertising, which were ignored by legislators in recent budget sessions. Would you support similar tax proposals in the future? Why or why not?

Sure, I would support those excise taxes, but I also think they are a bandaid. Michigan lawmakers should take a comprehensive review of our tax policy, and assess where we are taxing too much, and where we are taxing too little. What is clear to me as a legislator is that Michigan does not take in enough revenue to fund the quality of public services – such as health care, education, and roads – that the public demands. But, I would like to see the state become a far more efficient deliverer of those public services before going to taxpayers and asking for more money in taxes. I feel very confident that a future Governor Benson will work hard to reform executive branch departments and make them more efficient. The people of Michigan deserve a government ruthlessly and relentlessly focused on efficient use of taxpayer dollars.

Financial disclosure

Voters approved financial disclosure for all state office holders and candidates. Are you satisfied with the regulations developed by lawmakers or are there changes you think need to be made? Explain.

I am generally satisfied by the level of disclosure required. While some fine-tuning of the law can be made, I believe the ultimate goal is to ferret out any potential conflicts of interest on the part of legislators, and I think the law reasonably accomplishes that.

Validity of voting returns

Did you accept the returns of the presidential election in 2020? Yes or no.

Yes, and anyone who doesn’t is in a cult, not a political party.

Top three-five issues

What are the top three-five issues you want to address if you are ultimately elected?

My big three are combating hate and extremism, reforming Michigan’s mental health system, and strengthening consumer protection laws. After the attack on Temple Israel, I got to work on legislation to form an office of hate crime and political violence prevention within state government. I also have two awesome consumer protection bills; one bans surveillance pricing, which is a practice whereby companies use your personal data to charge you a higher price for the same item when shopping online. I also introduced the Click-to-Cancel Act, which compels companies to allow you to easily cancel online subscription services you no longer use. In my first term, I served as Vice Chair of the Behavioral Health Committee, and I am working on legislation and funding to ensure more kids, seniors, and everyone-in-between has access to mental health care.

Why vote for you

Why should a November voter select you over another candidate?

Our country is under authoritarian assault, and West Bloomfield, Commerce, and the Lakes deserve a passionate, relentless leader who fights, not folds. A leader who takes on special interests and moves heaven and earth to fix the failures that hold us back. That’s the kind of leader I have been – and always will be. Over the past four years, I’ve been relentless and effective, authoring four bills signed into law, including my landmark Michigan Hate Crime Act, and cutting-edge legislation to protect our elections from AI-generated misinformation. I’m running to ban predatory surveillance pricing, to fix Michigan’s broken mental health system, to protect our environment and workers from rapacious AI companies, to combat hate and extremism, and to renew the promise of public education. I’ll always speak truth to power and stand up for my constituents – because I owe my fidelity to two things: my own conscience and the people I was elected to serve.

*Republican opponent did not respond to several requests.