Year in Review

Climate Resiliency and Job Creation
Too many Michiganders have lost furnaces, water heaters, cars, and cherished mementos due to basement flooding, dam breaks, and intense storms. Last year, my team and I knocked on doors to check in with some of our residents on how they were doing after the flood and connect them to relief resources. I led the creation of a set of Democratic, bold, commonsense policies to ensure Michigan becomes climate-resilient with the hopes that when our children grow up, they won’t have to deal with the devastating impacts of these severe weather events. Our bills include:
• Creating jobs that employ Michigan residents in climate resiliency projects like rain gardens, tree planting, and bioswales;
• Creating a state weatherization program to help low-income residents improve the energy efficiency and resiliency of their homes against climate change;
• Increasing the amount of federal, low-income home energy assistance block grants that can be spent on weatherization;
• Creating a Green Infrastructure Permit Program for our state highways and roads;
• Ensure that residents are notified in the event of an environmental disaster;
• and more.

Housing Justice
For years, Michigan residents have been suffering due to inflating rents and eviction notices, and while we found some relief during the pandemic with the short-lived eviction moratorium and COVID Emergency Rental Assistance Program, there is still so much more work that needs to be done to deliver housing justice for our communities. It’s time we stand up for residents with low incomes, for seniors, and for those with disabilities, and permit local governments to create housing policies and programs that fit the needs of their communities.

Most notably, legislation by myself and one of my Democratic colleagues would allow local governments to create programs to limit rent to no more than 50% of a tenant’s income if they have a disability or are over the age of 70, and if they have lived in an apartment building for five or more years. I also worked with my colleagues on legislation to ensure that the Area Median Income (AMI) used in a city with high poverty rates is more truly reflective of the city’s median income, and legislation to create a needs assessment for older residents who may be displaced from housing, in order to get them the help they need. The bills are Senate Bills 715-719.

Domestic Violence
I am proud to again lead a bipartisan package of bills designed to protect women, children, and survivors of domestic violence. Senate Bills 678-679 and House Bills 5371-5372 prohibit abusers convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence crimes from possessing fi rearms for eight years. These bills would bring Michigan into partial alignment with federal protections and allow state and local prosecutors to enforce misdemeanor domestic crime prohibitions.

Survivors of domestic violence endure unimaginable pain and betrayal. These bills will help ensure they are protected from further harm perpetrated by their abusers. Convicted abusers should not have access to deadly weapons given what we know about domestic violence and how things can escalate. This legislation is a commonsense, bipartisan solution to protection survivors in our state.

Port Infrastructure Improvement
I serve much of the Detroit Riverfront and know that Michigan’s location near the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway is a competitive advantage in the manufacturing and agricultural industries. We can better utilize this strength to boost our local economies while simultaneously protecting our waterways and the neighborhoods closest to our ports. We can create jobs and economic opportunity through a strengthened maritime industry while also protecting this precious resource our residents enjoy for recreation and
living.

In 2017, 59.2 million tons of goods were moved through Michigan’s waterways, valued at $3.23 billion. The economic activity generated by commercial ports was $4.16 million, supporting 25,910 jobs and raising $763 million in federal, state, and local tax revenue.

Yet, despite the significant impact ports have on Michigan’s economy, most transportation funding is dedicated to highway and rail.

I recently spearheaded bipartisan legislation — Senate Bills 743-746 — to create a dedicated maritime office within the Michigan Department of Transportation to provide technical assistance and administer a state-level port grant assistance program. The grant assistance program would allow for funding to increase port capacity, repair aging infrastructure, and keep Michigan competitive with other Great Lakes states. The bills require each port to develop a five-year environmental impact transparency plan to mitigate adverse impacts and protect our natural resources.

• Successfully advocated for the badly needed repair of railroad crossings in Delray near the Gordie Howe International Bridge plaza.

• Worked alongside Detroit Councilmember Castañeda-Lòpez and residents to successfully defeat a proposal that would have given the Detroit International Bridge Company public park land to build a second private bridge, without public health and quality of life protections for the surrounding neighborhoods and without knowing whether the second span would be a replacement or twin span.

• Worked with residents on Beniteau Street, closest to the Stellantis facility in Detroit, who have been experiencing nausea, headaches, and respiratory issues, to advocate for comprehensive home repair and voluntary relocation efforts in the wake of three EGLE air quality violation notices this fall.

• Advocated for tenants in multiple high-rise apartment buildings for solutions regarding fi re safety and elevator maintenance; we also worked alongside residents who experienced elevator outages for multiple months.