Dear Neighbor,
As the leaves continue to fall, our legislative schedule is ramping up. In Lansing, our team has been hard at work delivering solutions to the everyday issues facing families across our state. In recent weeks, we have advanced legislation to protect consumers from price gouging, improve literacy rates among students, increase access to quality health care, and more.
As the Senate continues to work through a robust agenda, I hope to provide you with a legislative update, as well as share some helpful resources and provide information on upcoming events we have planned.
If you or someone you know would like to provide any feedback about what’s happening in Lansing, or needs assistance of any sort, please feel free to reach out to my office. You can contact me by sending an email to senwbrinks@senate.michigan.gov or calling (517) 373-1801.
Sincerely,
Winnie Brinks
Senate Majority Leader
29th District
- Legislation to improve literacy, protect home care workers’ rights, expand access to healthcare in rural communities, and more signed into law.
- As October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, please know that if you or someone you love is experiencing domestic violence, help is available — you can reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or utilize additional resources here.
Slate of Legislation Championed by Senate Democrats Signed into Law
From increasing access to vital health services and putting more money back in Michiganders’ pockets to protecting our natural resources and celebrating our state’s automotive legacy — my colleagues and I have been busy working to pass legislation to build a stronger, more prosperous future for our state.
Last week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a slate of these bills into law, including legislation to:
- Strengthen Michigan’s home health care system by allowing individual home help caregivers to unionize. More specifically, these bills will support workforce development, expand training, and restore bargaining rights for 35,000 home care workers in Michigan.
- Improve health outcomes in rural communities by ensuring rural hospitals are equipped with the resources necessary to provide quality care services. Read more here.
- Lower costs for Michiganders by extending families’ access to cash assistance from the Family Independence Program (FIP) from 48 months to 60 months, helping put money back into the pockets of hard-working Michiganders so they can care for their children.
- Preserve Michigan’s unmatched natural resources by providing supplemental funding for outdoor recreation opportunities.
- Support breastfeeding moms and their babies by strengthening protections against discrimination for individuals who are currently breastfeeding.
- Bolster treatment services for addiction by providing $4 million more per year in funding towards expanding Michigan’s gaming and gambling prevention programming.
- Expand access to health care by repurposing Medicaid funding to allow low-income Michiganders access to a broader range of care centers.
- Celebrate Michigan’s proud automotive history by providing historical vehicle owners the opportunity to obtain personalized license plates.
Read more about these bills and more here.
Senate Democrats Push for Stronger Consumer Protections in Michigan
Michigan Senate Democrats are taking action to protect consumers and build a safer, fairer state. Last week, the Senate Finance, Insurance, and Consumer Protection Committee heard testimony on a series of bills aimed at strengthening consumer protections — from cracking down on price gouging to securing your personal data to better protecting our seniors.
Led by Sens. Rosemary Bayer, Sam Singh, Jeremy Moss, and Mary Cavanagh, the bills hold businesses accountable for unfair and predatory practices. These efforts are part of a larger push by Senate Democrats to ensure Michigan families are protected and businesses play by the rules.
Learn more about what Senate Democrats are doing to protect Michigan consumers here.
Bipartisan Bills to Implement Dyslexia Screening, Improve Literacy Signed into Law
Affecting up to one in five children in each classroom, dyslexia is a language-based learning disability that can impact the ability to read, write, spell, and pronounce words. Data suggests that students with dyslexia who receive high-quality, phonics-based instruction early on can go on to become successful readers.
That’s why Sens. Jeff Irwin and Dayna Polehanki have fought for the better part of a decade to implement comprehensive dyslexia screening for Michigan students. Senate Bills 567 and 568, which passed out of the Michigan Senate in September with nearly unanimous support, will require schools to screen students for characteristics of dyslexia and provide evidence-based interventions to help students achieve literacy. And last week, this bipartisan legislation was officially signed into law by Gov. Whitmer!
Learn more about these bills here.
Supplemental Budget to Bolster School Safety and Mental Health Signed into Law
Building up the future of our state begins with investing in our students. From providing funding for new textbooks and classroom supplies to paying our teachers a wage they deserve — my colleagues and I have been working to ensure our youngest Michiganders have the resources they need to learn, grow, and succeed. A critical component of ensuring Michigan students thrive both inside and outside of the classroom is their physical and mental well-being.
Expanding on our 2025 State Budget, Senate Democrats passed a budget supplemental in September to allocate an additional $125 million to bolster school safety and mental health supports. Whether it be more school resource officers, counselors, therapists, or infrastructure upgrades, these flexible dollars provide school districts with the ability to make lasting improvements to ensure classrooms are safe, supportive environments that are properly equipped to meet the needs of every student.
Last week, Gov. Whitmer signed this budget into law, helping keep our kids safer and make our communities stronger. Read more here.
Michigan Children and Families Summit
I had the privilege of joining the Steelcase Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation at their Children and Families summit, which included a bipartisan panel of elected officials discussing how policy can support Michigan families and communities — from childcare to economic security to community greenspace. Together, we’ll continue working to make our state the best place to put down roots and raise a family.
Lee Middle-High School Awarded Model 21st Century School Library Recognition
Harry Coffill from Lee Middle High recently received a legislative tribute from Team Brinks and Rep. John Fitzgerald in recognition of his hard work to help the school’s libraries achieve the amazing goal of receiving the Model 21st Century School Library for 2024. We love a chance to celebrate the incredible work of our local educators and this amazing milestone in Godfrey Lee Public Schools’ history!
WellHouse Breaks Ground
Exciting moment in Grand Rapids! Community housing nonprofit Well House has broken ground on an exciting housing project: three buildings that will bring multiple units of truly affordable housing for our community’s lowest income residents. Rent is capped at $350 a month for individuals and $650 for families. I was proud to help secure a state budget investment to help make this project possible, and I can’t wait for the ribbon cutting to celebrate its completion.
Michigan College Month — Free College Applications!
As part of the American College Application Campaign, October is Michigan College Month! During this month, many Michigan colleges and universities waive their application fee in an effort to provide every graduating high school senior the opportunity to apply to college and for financial aid. The Michigan College Access Network created a list of participating colleges.
Find more information, additional institutions waiving their fee for Michigan College Month 2024, and downloadable fee waivers here.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Domestic violence is a crisis facing women and families across Michigan and the United States. On a typical day, more than 20,000 phone calls are placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide. Here in Michigan, an average of one in three families are impacted by domestic violence every year.
The issue of domestic violence is also deeply interconnected with gun violence, as more abusers are choosing firearms as their weapon of choice. That’s why my colleagues and I voted last year to advance legislation to keep weapons out of the hands of convicted abusers. Click here to read more about how Senate Bills 471 and 528 are helping to enhance protections for survivors of domestic violence.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please visit the Michigan State Police webpage on domestic violence here for more information or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. Additional resources can be found here.
Contact Us
The Office of Senate Majority Leader Brinks values input from all Michiganders but prioritizes District 29 constituent concerns. If you have questions or concerns but are not a resident of District 29, contact your local State Senator. Click here to find who represents you in the Senate.
Comment on Legislation: You can stay updated on legislative advancements through my e-newsletters or by clicking here. Given the high volume of messages my office receives daily, please note that it may take time for your inquiry to receive a response.
If You Need Help: If you have a problem dealing with any department of state government, such as accessing unemployment benefits, my office is available to help resolve it. While we usually cannot assist with local or federal issues, we will always do our best to help direct you to the appropriate person or organization for help.
You may always feel free to call my office at (517) 373-1801 or email me at SenWBrinks@senate.michigan.gov.
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