New State Budget Strengthens Social Safety Net
I was proud to vote “yes” on the state budget last week, which includes critically needed boosts for childcare, higher education, high water infrastructure, assistance with water bills, homeowner assistance, bridge repairs, and much more. I am proud of our work to secure $250K for outreach regarding discrimination/hate incidents, $150K for de-escalation training center at WSU, $2M for the MI Hispanic Collaborative, $1.5M for home repair programs, a program for young women, and other critical grants.
The budget also includes funding to reduce health disparities, set up the reformed expungement system, provide a $2/hr wage increase for direct care workers, extend Medicaid coverage for new moms, increase local revenue sharing, pilot a program to help families get their homes repaired/eligible for weatherization programs, increase the fund to compensate our exonerees who were wrongfully imprisoned, set up a teacher recruitment program, and support rapid remediation of environmentally hazardous sites, including those that contain the dangerous chemical PFAS.
Here’s an update on two sets of bills I am co-sponsoring to protect the mentally ill and survivors of domestic violence:
Jail Diversion Grant
Together with Senator Rick Outman and numerous organizations, we introduced bills to support community crisis/co-response systems and jail diversion programs across Michigan.
We know that far too many people with mental illness end up in jail or prison when they should be getting treatment. Imagine having trained mental health professionals come on the scene to respond to mental health/behavioral health crises, in tandem with or in place of law enforcement when appropriate. This is being done in some cities and can make an even bigger difference if we pass these bills and appropriate the funds to make it happen.
Domestic Violence
A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced bills to prohibit abusers convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence crimes from possessing firearms for eight years. These new bills will bring Michigan law into partial alignment with current federal protections, allowing state and local prosecutors to enforce misdemeanor domestic crime prohibitions. They will also ensure firearms stay out of the hands of convicted domestic abusers.This legislation is a common-sense, bipartisan solution to protecting survivors in our state.
Michigan Redistricting Process
The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, created by a citizens’ initiative in 2018 to end gerrymandering in our state, is responsible for drawing new boundaries for state and congressional legislative bodies. The commission will spend the coming days tweaking its collaborative maps and some individual submissions to bring them into compliance with several criteria, including partisan fairness.
Starting Tuesday, Oct. 12, multiple maps will be available for the second round of public hearings. Public hearings will be held at Detroit’s TCF Center on Wednesday, October 20th from 1-3:30 p.m. and from 5-8 p.m. I encourage everyone to take part in this important process which could change the shape of our politics for at least the next decade.
Those maps will be published Nov. 14, starting a 45- day clock for public comment. Commissioners are expected to adopt final maps on Dec. 30. For more information on the important redistricting process, see the links below.
