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Hello Neighbors, When I first heard what the Myers family went through, I knew we needed to act. Tammy and Jordan Myers, who live in the 29th District, gained national attention when their twins, born weeks early via a gestational surrogate, were forced to go through the formal adoption process — including home visits and evaluations — because of Michigan’s outdated laws surrounding surrogacy. Having babies in the NICU is stressful enough — no family should have to go through this because of a legal loophole. It is well past time our laws reflect the advances in assisted reproductive technology that allow Michiganders to have the freedom of fulfilling their dreams of becoming parents and growing their families through surrogacy. That’s why my colleague, Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr., and I have introduced Senate Bills 1177-1180, which would require Michigan Courts to recognize gestational surrogacy contracts and provide a method for parents’ names to be added to their newborn’s birth certificates. Our laws should prevent suffering, not cause it. I’m proud to help Michigan move forward and ensure no family goes through what the Myers did in order to pursue their dreams of parenthood. Sincerely,
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Winnie Brinks
In This Issue:
DISTRICT NEWS The Source Opens New Office
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I had so much fun celebrating a ribbon cutting for my former workplace, The Source Grand Rapids, where incredible work continues to be done for people facing barriers to employment. This new location in Wyoming is going to benefit so many people, and I’m thrilled to celebrate this milestone. In Lansing, I’m always leaning on what I learned as a caseworker, and I’m always cheering on the great work that this dedicated staff continues to do. Congratulations!
César Chávez Gala |
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My colleagues and I were so grateful for all the planning from The Committee to Honor César E. Chávez so our community could enjoy the Annual Hispanic Scholarship and Community Awards! I had the honor of presenting the Golden Citizen Award to Angelica Velázquez Estrada, una “Abuela al Rescate” (Grandma to the Rescue), for her incredible community building work.
Clark Retirement Community Q&A
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It was good to gather recently with the residents of Clark Retirement Community to discuss what matters most to them right now, including supporting the care economy, taxes, transportation, and investments in our local community. I always love to hear from engaged and thoughtful residents like them and work hard to address the concerns that they have.
HELPFUL INFORMATION Scholarships, Stipends Now Available for New Teachers The scholarships were created and funded in the bipartisan education budget that Gov. Whitmer signed earlier this year, which also included the highest state per-student investment in Michigan history and record investments in school infrastructure, mental health, and school safety. The MI Future Educator Fellowship offers aspiring teachers a scholarship to eliminate or lower the cost of tuition while they train to be educators. Awards cover the cost of tuition and fees up to $10,000 and are renewable for up to three years. Students that receive the award commit to teaching in Michigan classrooms for at least three years after graduation. The MI Future Educator Stipend provides compensation for full-time student teachers. Starting Fall 2022, student teachers can earn $9,600 while they complete their final semester(s) of teacher preparation. For more information or help applying for the fellowship or stipend, visit Michigan.gov/MIStudentAid or contact MI Student Aid at mistudentaid@michigan.gov, 1-888-447-2687 or @mistudentaid on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. MI Parent Survey to Give Parents Greater Say on Education On Wednesday, Oct. 26, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer continued her work on the Michigan Parents’ Council by launching the state’s first MI Parent Survey. The survey is intended to continue the governor’s work to bring the parent perspective into education policy decisions and help Michigan kids learn in person as we get students back on track for long-term success. All Michigan parents of pre-K through 12th grade students are invited to add their voice to the conversation around what is working well and what future investments may be needed in their schools. The survey takes approximately six minutes to complete and is available in English, Spanish and Arabic. The survey is part of the work of the Michigan Parents’ Council, which Governor Whitmer created to represent the parent perspective and ensure that parents have an empowered seat at the table in state budget and policymaking decisions. The Council has convened roundtables across Michigan to collect parent ideas and feedback, and the new survey is another opportunity for parents to make their voices heard. Following the completion of the roundtables and survey, the Council will host a virtual meeting on Thursday, November 3 open to parents statewide. Parents may complete the survey online through Monday, Oct. 31. Treasury: Fraudsters Using Fake Letters in Collections Scam Michigan taxpayers with past-due tax debts should be aware of an aggressive scam making the rounds through the U.S. Postal Service, according to the Michigan Department of Treasury. In the scheme, taxpayers receive a letter about an overdue tax bill that requests individuals to immediately contact a toll-free number to resolve an outstanding state tax debt. The letter aggressively threatens to seize a taxpayer’s property — including bank accounts, wages, business assets, cars, real estate, refunds and cash — if the debt is not settled. The piece of correspondence appears credible to the taxpayer because it uses specific personal facts pulled directly from publicly available information. The scammer’s letter attempts to lure the taxpayer into a situation where they could make a payment to a criminal. The state Treasury Department corresponds with taxpayers through official letters that use state of Michigan letterhead that embody both the names of the governor and state treasurer. These official letters are sent through the U.S. Postal Service, provide several options to resolve an outstanding debt and outline taxpayer rights. Taxpayers who receive a letter from a scammer or have questions about their state debts should callTreasury’s Collections Service Center at 517-636-5265. A customer service representative can log the scam, verify outstanding state debts and provide flexible payment options. Voters Should Hand-deliver Absentee Ballots to Clerk’s Office With less than two weeks until Election Day on Nov. 8, voters who already have an absentee ballot should hand-deliver it as soon as possible to their clerk’s office or ballot drop box to avoid postal delays. Voters can find their clerk’s office and ballot drop box locations at Michigan.gov/Vote. At the same site, they can track their absentee ballot to ensure it was received. All absentee ballot return envelopes must be signed by the voter with a signature matching the signature the clerk has with their voter registration. Ballots must be received by clerks by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted. Eligible Michiganders who still need to register to vote must now do so in person at their clerk’s office, as online and mail registration is not permitted within 14 days of an election. Those registering in person may request, complete and submit an absentee ballot in the same visit to their clerk’s office. Citizens can also vote in person at their polling place on Election Day, Nov. 8. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Election Day. Additional information about absentee and in-person voting in Michigan is available at Michigan.gov/Vote. Online Application for Student Debt Relief Now Open On Monday, Oct. 17, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that millions of working- and middle-class borrowers can apply for student debt relief right NOW at studentaid.gov/debtrelief to apply. The application takes less than 5 minutes. It’s available in English and Spanish on desktop and mobile devices. And you don’t need to log in with an FSA ID or to upload any documents to apply. The Administration’s plan will provide up to $10,000 in relief to borrowers with federal student loans and up to $20,000 in relief to borrowers who were Pell Grant recipients. Borrowers who earned less than $125,000 as an individual or $250,000 as a household in 2020 or 2021 are eligible for relief. Beware of Scammers on Federal Student Loan Debt Forgiveness Program Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is reminding Michiganders to be on the lookout for scammers now that the U.S. Department of Education has made the application for student loan debt relief available. AG Nessel encourages residents to follow these tips to avoid scams seeking to take advantage of borrowers’ eagerness to obtain debt relief:
Those who wish to make a report about potential scams can do so with the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection team by filing a complaint online or by calling 877-765-8388.
CONTACT US Here are a few reasons to contact my office: Comment on Legislation: If you want to express your opinion about legislation or learn more, my office can answer your questions and keep me informed of your comments. Your opinion matters! To keep you and my staff healthy and safe, we are working remotely until further notice. Please call our office at (517) 373-1801 or send me an email at SenWBrinks@senate.michigan.gov, as you normally would, and we will do our best to avoid any interruption of service. |
