When he was elected to the U.S. Senate, Gary Peters promised to approach his job in a spirit of bipartisan cooperation. He says that's exactly what's behind the first two bills he has introduced in the Senate.
The first is the Federal Vehicle Repair Cost Savings Act, which Peters co-sponsored with Oklahoma Republican Senator James Lankford.
"What this bill does is it reduces the repair cost for the fleet of vehicles that the federal government maintains," Peters says.
He estimates that the federal government spends nearly $1 billion on vehicle maintenance every year.
The bill encourages the use of remanufactured parts for repairs. Peters says using these parts are less expensive, in part because they use less energy to produce. He says using these parts would also be beneficial to Michigan with its large remanufacturing industry.
So far the bill has been successful, having passed out of the Senate committee this week with a unanimous vote. The bill will now be moving onto the Senate floor.