Dear Neighbor,
As we come to the end of a productive legislative year at the Capitol, it is so important to reflect on progress made and victories won for the people of Michigan.
In our first 100 days alone, the Senate Majority for the People passed legislation to affirm the rights of all Michigan residents, help lower costs, support working families and seniors, and amplify voters’ voices. Then, in the summer, our caucus crafted a sensible and people-focused budget to serve the interests of all Michiganders, and we have continued to tackle major improvements to promote clean energy and protect reproductive healthcare.
In this mailer, you’ll learn about all this work and more — as well as some of our ongoing work. Our plan so far has been simple, yet effective: Engage stakeholders and continue to bring forth tangible change in the state of Michigan.
If you ever need assistance navigating changes in our state government, or would like to share your feedback and suggestions, please feel free to contact my office via email at SenRBayer@senate.michigan.gov or by phone at (517) 373-2417. We are here to assist you!
In Service,
Rosemary Bayer
State Senator
District 13
Expanding the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act
Protects Michiganders from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.
Restoring Workers’ Rights
Protects workers, grows the middle class and creates jobs earning up to $1,600 more than in states without strong worker protections.
Establishing Prevailing Wage
Raises wages for working people, helping them support their families and improving their quality of life.
Repealing the Retirement Tax
Lowering MI Costs phases out the unfair and unpopular retirement tax, puts an average of $1,000 back in the pockets of 500,000 households.
Expanding the Working Families Tax Credit
Increases the Working Families Tax Credit to 30% of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit.
Child Marriage Bills
Bans the archaic practice of child marriage in Michigan. This important and long overdue legislation establishes 18 years old as the minimum age of consent for marriage and prohibits judges from issuing a marriage certificate for individuals under the updated marriageable age.
Reproductive Health Act
The Michigan Legislature passed the “Reproductive Health Act” on October 26, 2023. This package will repeal politically motivated, medically unnecessary restrictions on abortion that criminalize doctors providing medical care, increase out-of-pocket health care costs and impose needless regulations on health centers.
It’s important that women can maintain their bodily autonomy, especially after the overturning of Roe v Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court. I will continue to work hard to ensure that laws protecting abortion and other forms of reproductive health care remain in place and support Michigan’s daughters, mothers and sisters in the best possible way.
Auto No-Fault
Senate Bills 530, 531 and 575 — which passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support — reform Michigan’s auto insurance system to lower rates for every Michigan driver, protect insurance coverage options and strengthen consumer protections.
Clean Energy Future Plan
This year, the Michigan Senate Democrats finalized our Clean Energy Future plan — Senate Bills 271, 273, 277, 502 and 519. The bills set long-awaited clean energy and renewable energy standards, increase energy efficiency targets, expand the role of the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) and create a new Community and Worker Economic Transition Office.
Gun Violence Prevention Reforms to Save Lives
New gun safety laws keep firearms out of the wrong hands, preventing gun violence and saving lives.
Over the past five years, I have worked with my colleagues and stakeholders to institute commonsense firearm safety laws that close dangerous loopholes in state law. Within this legislative package, I am proud to have sponsored Senate Bill 79, which works with Senate Bills 80-82, to create child access protection laws to keep legal firearms safely and securely stored and out of the hands of children and teens.
Separately, the Legislature also passed laws instituting universal background checks and extreme risk protection orders. After countless years of hard work, I am thrilled to see these measures finally in place!
My legislative colleagues and I have been championing the fight for voters’ rights across Michigan. Just this year, a package of bipartisan legislation expanding voting rights was signed intolaw. The bills implement Ballot Proposal 22-2, also known as ‘Prop 2,’ which was passed overwhelmingly by Michiganders in November 2022. The new laws make it easier to vote in a secure way, ensuring Michiganders can make their voices heard inevery election.
The newly enacted measures include:
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Providing at least 9 days of early in-person voting
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Allowing voters a one-time registration for a mailed absentee ballot in all future elections
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Prepaid postage for all absentee ballots
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Expanding acceptable IDs for voting to include US passport, tribal ID, military ID or student ID
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One ballot drop box per every 15,000 residents
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Updating the state’s ballot-tracking system for opt-in text or email alerts on ballot status, and allow for mistakes to becorrected
Additional legislation further expanded voting rights by:
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Repealing the ban on providing paid or discounted rides to polling places
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Allowing pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds
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Automatically registering previously incarcerated individuals upon release
My colleagues and I came together to pass a historic state budget for Fiscal Year 2024, which went into effect on October 1. Totaling $81.7 billion, our budget is full of transformative, innovative and equitable investments that will improve the lives of Michiganders and our state’s future.
Putting Michigan residents first, this budget delivers on kitchen-table issues — uplifting families struggling to make ends meet by expanding access to affordable housing and nutritious food; providing students with the resources needed to achieve their full potential inside and outside of the classroom; making investments to ensure workers receive fair pay and have access to job training programs; fixing roads, dams and bridges across the state; improving water quality and protecting our state’s natural resources; and so much more. I was also proud to help secure nearly $14.5 million in funding for several important projects here in District 13.
Education
As the Chair of the Michigan Department of Education budget, I am proud to see critical investments being made into our schools and community.
Providing a 5% increase in per-pupil funding for a total of $9,608 per pupil — the highest level in history — to support our kids as the future of our state. Up 22% from when I first took office in 2019.
Guaranteeing Michigan’s 1.4 million public school children free nutritious meals during the 2023-24 school year, thanks to a $160 million allocation in the state’s School Aid budget.
Securing $328 million to improve student mental health, and allowable expenses, including the hiring or contracting of support staff for student mental health needs.
Infrastructure
Investing $416 million to fund the repair of local roads and infrastructure and $80 million to replace or rehabilitate crumbling bridges.
Doubling support to conservation districts to protect and improve our air, land and water.
Investing a total of $100 million in the state’s Housing and Community Development Program and Revitalization and Placemaking Grants — which prioritize projects offering veterans, seniors, people with disabilities and working families safe, affordable places to call home.
Local Government
Providing $2.9 million to support minority-owned food and agriculture industries. Providing $240 million to provide safety professionals and first responders with the
resources they need to keep our families and communities safe.
Implementing gun violence prevention policies and funding programs and services to tackle root causes of crime and reduce recidivism.
Providing a 5% increase in revenue sharing to help local leaders improve quality of life for residents and keep communities safe — totaling $17.6 million for counties and nearly $19.6 million for cities, villages and townships.
Events like our monthly Coffee Hours — which are held across the district and throughout every community — are one of my favorite ways to connect with you, the residents of District 13, and to hear what priorities matter most to you.
Hosting events like my Senior Summit is another great way for me to connect with constituents while offering helpful information and beneficial resources.
These events have been so great in allowing me to meet and get to know many of the people within our new district. Here’s a look back at all the events I’ve done with the residents of District 13 this year.
Protecting Our Water
As the Great Lakes State, water is a significant part of our state’s identity, and is just one of the reasons why it’s crucial we do what we can to protect our Great Lakes, rivers, streams and other bodies of water across Michigan. This is why I’ve put forward legislation to enhance the management and protection of this invaluable resource. I sponsored Senate Bill 593, which is designed to help municipalities better prepare for flood events and improve their stormwater runoff management.
I am also proud to have been a part of the water affordability package by sponsoring SB 550, which would create a statewide water affordability fund to ensure all Michiganders have access to safe drinking water and are protected from shutoffs.
Affordable Housing
Throughout my time in the Michigan Legislature, I have fought hard to address the housing crisis and worked to reduce homelessness and poverty. Ensuring fairness in the landlord-tenant relationship is crucial in this fight, and that is why I introduced Senate Bill 661 to establish limits on the extra fees landlords can charge tenants.
Additionally, I introduced Senate Bill 206, which aims to extend protections under the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, prohibiting income-based discrimination and making
it illegal for landlords to reject tenants solely due to their use of housing vouchers or subsidies.
Data Privacy
Protecting our privacy is a basic right, and Michiganders shouldn’t be left in the dark about how their data is collected and used. That is why I introduced Senate Bill 659, which aims to establish clear privacy rights for consumers and ensure transparency from organizations in handling personal data.