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Friends, It’s an honor serving you as your state senator in Lansing. I’m working diligently to ensure our issues as a community are addressed, and I always welcome and encourage your input. Featured in this newsletter:
You are central to my goal as a legislator! As always, if I can be of any assistance to you or your family, please call my office at (517) 373-2417, or email me at SenRBayer@senate.michigan.gov. |
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Rosemary Bayer
SEPTEMBER IS LIFE INSURANCE AND ANNUITY AWARENESS MONTH September is Life Insurance and Annuity Awareness Month, and the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) is available to answer questions pertaining to this vitally important coverage. Purchasing life insurance can help provide peace of mind that your loved ones will have the financial resources they need to pay daily bills, cover end-of-life expenses, or pay medical bills if tragedy strikes. Life insurance may also be a key component of a family’s strategy for long-term financial or retirement planning, paying for college, and building generational wealth. Recent studies show that approximately 65% of Americans do not buy life insurance simply because they don’t understand how to buy a policy and are unsure what type of coverage they need. To help make this process easier, DIFS helps Michiganders with life insurance or annuity concerns by:
In addition to providing direct information and assistance to consumers, DIFS administers the Life Insurance and Annuity Search Service (LIAS) to help those who cannot find information about their deceased loved one’s life insurance policies or annuity contracts. So far this year, the LIAS program has assisted 86 consumers recover more than $3 million. For more information on LIAS, call 877-999-6442 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., visit Michigan.gov/LIAS or email DIFS-LIAS@michigan.gov. A national resource is also available from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners at EApps.NAIC.org/Life-Policy-Locator.
KIDS’ CLEAN WATER CALENDAR CONTEST For the past 17 years, the Water Resources Commissioner (WRC) has held an annual calendar contest open to fourth and fifth grade students within Oakland County. This program is a great way to educate our youth and teach them how to get involved in discovering ways that they can help to prevent pollution of our freshwater resources. Entries for the 2023 calendar contest will be accepted from September through Oct. 7, 2022, and winners will be notified in mid-November. The 2023 contest rules are available here. Prizes include:
For more information, please contact Jacy Garrison at 248-858-5264 or email calendarcontest@oakgov.com.
OAKLAND COUNTY HEALTH DIVISION OFFERS NEW COVID-19 BOOSTER AND FLU SHOTS Oakland County Health Division is offering the new COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccine and flu shots for county residents beginning Sept. 8, 2022. Individuals 12 years and older are eligible for the new booster two months following the completion of their COVID-19 vaccine primary series or booster. The updated COVID-19 vaccine boosters include components of the original virus strain and the Omicron variant. This is called a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine. The updated COVID-19 vaccine boosters are designed to give you broad protection against COVID-19, including better protection against the Omicron variant. Appointments are recommended and walk-ins accepted at:
You may register for an appointment online or contact Nurse on Call at 800-848-5533 to make an appointment. Community vaccination clinics will take place on:
STATEWIDE HOUSING PARTNERSHIP ESTABLISHED TO LOWER HOUSING COSTS On Wednesday, Sept. 7, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order establishing the Statewide Housing Partnership within the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). Housing that meets peoples’ needs is critical to attract new businesses and support existing employers, and it is the foundation of better educational, economic, and social outcomes. Michigan faces a 160,000-unit attainable housing shortage, leading to higher prices for all and housing instability for low-income Michiganders. The pandemic has also complicated matters. Before it started, 48% of renters and 18% of homeowners paid too much for housing (more than 30% of their income) — and that ratio only worsened after the pandemic. In addition, Michigan’s housing stock is aging — 47% of all housing units in the state were built before 1970. In response to this growing issue, the Statewide Housing Partnership group will include leaders from state, local, and tribal governments; advocates from nonprofit and community organizations; and representatives from the business advocacy world and finance industry. They will develop a strategy to implement Michigan’s Statewide Housing Plan and ensure that every Michigander has access to affordable housing that meets their needs. Additionally, the Michigan Strategic Fund has approved $83.8 million in grant funding across 22 statewide affordable housing and community development projects through the Revitalization and Placemaking Program.
GOVERNOR SIGNS EXECUTIVE DIRECTIVE TO CREATE JOBS, STRENGTHEN ECONOMY On Wednesday, Sept. 7, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive directive to create jobs in Michigan by taking advantage of the resources in the newly passed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). This directive will ensure state departments and agencies harness every available tax credit and other opportunities in the IRA to build on Michigan’s manufacturing strengths, advance its energy and mobility leadership, and empower workers to succeed. Over the last three years, Michigan has received multiple awards for its manufacturing capabilities and was recently named the #1 state in the nation for energy sector job growth. The IRA will build upon this momentum, helping Michigan build and retool factories to manufacture electric vehicles, batteries, solar panels, and much more. The executive directive will deploy every available resource from the IRA to create good-paying jobs for Michiganders and make Michigan competitive for investment over other states.
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