For Rep. Leon Drolet, R-Clinton Township, former president Ronald Reagan has important ties to Michigan.
Drolet said Reagan's connections include accepting the republican nomination for president at the 1980 Republican National Convention held in Detroit and the Democratic and Republican supporters he had in Macomb County during his terms.
"His popularity knew no party," Drolet said.
That's why Drolet introduced legislation last July to create a statue or bust of Reagan in Michigan. Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed the two bills into law last month.
One created a commission to oversee the project, and the other created a fund in the Department of Treasury.
The memorial will be located on the Capitol Mall and will be paid for by private donations.
Reagan died of pneumonia related to Alzheimer's disease in June.
"Whatever Reagan touched he changed significantly, including the world," Drolet said. "Most importantly he helped to accelerate the collapse of communism, which resulted in millions of people across the world seeing the (Berlin Wall) fall and experience freedom again."
The statue or bust will be paid for by private funds because that's the way Reagan would have wanted it, Drolet said.
"Reagan was a 'no big government spending' kind of guy," Drolet said. "He would have insisted on it being built using private funds."
A fund was created by the bills, which will look to raise money to pay for the statue, and Drolet said there isn't a set timeline for when the memorial will be built.
In the House, the commission bill passed 84 to 20, and in the Senate it passed 24 to 13.
There are some legislators, however, who don't think the connection between Reagan and Michigan is strong enough to warrant his own memorial.
"There are lots of good presidents, and I don't think the legislature should be picking and choosing one or another," said Sen. Gilda Jacobs, D-Huntington Woods. "It seemed more like a political move as opposed to something that would have benefited the whole state, and I don't think we should be in that business."
Sen. Virg Bernero, D-Lansing, said he didn't vote either way on the issue because he didn't have an opinion on whether there should be a Reagan monument.
"I just couldn't manage to muster an opinion, frankly, I didn't care," Bernero said. "And that almost never happens.
"I had respect for (Reagan) and respect for the office and respect that he was one of our presidents, and I hate to dance on somebody's grave, but he wasn't one of our native sons."
Bernero said it might be a good idea to establish some guidelines on whether a monument should be made of someone.
"You should be a Michigan native and have strong ties to Michigan," Bernero said. "I just couldn't see any ties to Reagan."
