Monroe Review

Rep. Joseph Bellino (R-Monroe) recently highlighted his accomplishments as he went into the battle for reelection, hoping to retain his seat in the House of Representatives. It has now been reported that Bellino will indeed hold onto his seat as Michigan's representative for the 17th District, according to The Monroe News.

Bellino spoke about being honored to serve Wayne and Monroe counties and took his role "very seriously."

"For the past two years, I’ve been fighting to improve the lives of people in our community and throughout all of Michigan," Bellino said, according to Michigan House Republicans. "One of the key highlights I personally fought for this term was to protect our children and adults alike by combating opioid prescription fraud, a crisis with devastating consequences that has been destroying lives for far too long."

Rep. Joseph Bellino | Michigan House Republicans

The legislation Bellino sponsored cut down on fraudulent prescriptions and focused on the opioid abuse problem. The legislation was signed into law and requires doctors to send prescriptions through a secure computer system, which prevents anyone other than a doctor from trying to submit prescriptions.

"As an addict in recovery myself, this is an issue I am extremely passionate about. As I’ve mentioned time and time again, the drug crisis continues to claim the lives of users across Michigan. If we want to see progress, we must hold doctors and bad actors accountable," Bellino said, according to Michigan House Republicans.

Appreciation and thanks were given to Bellino's colleagues and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in his written letter.

"Along with fighting the opioid crisis, my colleagues and I have been hard at work addressing the COVID-19 crisis. Just this month, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were at the Capitol for a late-night session, working to improve our state’s response and get us through the remainder of the COVID-19 pandemic safely," Bellino told Michigan House Republicans. "It’s been a busy two years, and I want to thank each and every one of you for your continued support and feedback. I know the past year especially has brought with it many difficulties, and I’m confident we will overcome this pandemic and come out even stronger on the other side."