Dear Neighbor,
Recently, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gave her final State of the State address in front of a joint session of the Michigan Legislature. During her speech, she laid out her plans for 2026 while reflecting on the progress we’ve accomplished together over the last few years despite the rising economic uncertainty and escalating political division we’re seeing at the national level.
The governor also emphasized priorities I share including making life more affordable for Michiganders, investing in our students and schools, and lowering the cost of housing so more folks have the ability to build and raise their family here in Michigan. As both the legislative and budget seasons kick into high gear, these are the issues I’ll be focused on.
As always, please feel free to reach out to share your thoughts or seek assistance with any challenges you may be facing with state departments — we are here to serve you. You can reach my office by emailing SenKHertel@senate.michigan.gov, calling our Lansing office at (517) 373-7315, or calling our district office at (586) 252-2157.
Sincerely,
Kevin Hertel
State Senator
District 12
- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered her final State of the State address recently, outlining priorities for her last year in office, while also reflecting on the great progress we’ve made together over the last several years. Read more below.
- With storm season here, make sure you’re prepared for future severe weather events. Find more information below.
- Join me for an upcoming documentary screening and panel discussion about our efforts to take on Big Tech and protect kids online. The event will take place March 23rd at 6:00 p.m. in Grosse Pointe Farms. RSVP here.
Education, Housing, and Health Care: What We’ve Done and What We’re Doing on the Top Issues Facing Michigan
Late last month, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered her final State of the State address where she outlined priorities for her last year in office, while also reflecting on the great progress we’ve made together over the last several years. From delivering a historic $1 billion tax cut for working families, guaranteeing all Michiganders a no-cost path towards a college degree or skills certificate, and making transformational investments in housing to lower the cost of purchasing a new home — we’ve been busy delivering results for Michigan communities.
But as the governor noted in her speech, our work is not done yet! There’s still more for us to do, particularly around the issues of education, housing, and health care. Below, read more about the work we’ve done and are continuing to do in these key areas.
Supporting Michigan Students
Investing in education is about ensuring every child has the resources they need to thrive. That’s why I’ve been focused on advancing legislation to ensure parents and teachers have access to every tool possible to support their young learners. Over the past few years, we’ve passed legislation to:
- Require schools to screen students for characteristics of dyslexia and provide evidence-based interventions to improve literacy rates.
- Unlock over $600 million in flexible funding for school districts across Michigan to invest in school safety, mental health, teacher salaries, and more.
- Provide breakfast and lunch for all public-school students at no-cost to families.
- Secure important cost savings for teachers by eliminating their required contribution to the Michigan Other Post-Employment Benefits fund.
- Address the growing issue of cell phone use in schools and protect kids’ uninterrupted learning environment by banning cell phones during instruction in Michigan’s K-12 public schools.
- Ensure students and teachers have access to clean drinking water in school.
- Support local schools bolster their Career and Technical Education programming, increase the amount of Pre-K slots they can provide, and improve their infrastructure.
Looking ahead, we still have more work to do to improve our literacy rates. Today’s economy demands that every person possess stronger reading, writing, and critical thinking skills than ever before. But right now, Michigan ranks 44th for 4th grade reading.
While we’ve made investments in literacy coaches, dyslexia screening, and early childhood education, this issue is not something that can be solved in one budget cycle. To ensure every young Michigander can read will require long-term investments in their education and their future. It means making our schools, our teachers, and our students a main priority year after year. As we begin to negotiate our 2027 state budget, I will continue to ensure we’re making the strategic, sustained investments necessary to support evidence-based literacy programs and give every child the tools they need to become confident, capable readers.
Making Housing More Affordable
Affordable housing is in too short supply across Michigan, with high interest rates and home prices creating challenging conditions for both buyers and sellers. Last year, just 1 in 5 homes were sold to first-time homebuyers. And the median age of a first-time homebuyer? 40 years old. That’s an all-time high.
Due to these high costs of housing, families looking to purchase their first home or stay in their home often forgo food, health care, or other necessities to save up or avoid eviction. This is simply unacceptable. Every hardworking Michigander deserves to have a roof over their head, a warm bed to sleep in, and the chance to build their future here in Michigan.
Over the past few years, I worked to secure $10 million for a housing development project in Mount Clemens to revitalize the old Victory Inn and provide new housing opportunities for working class families.
That’s why, over the last few budget cycles, the Michigan Legislature has made significant investments to lower housing costs by creating new and refurbished housing, while also providing funds for local and regional housing projects and down payment assistance grants. One of those projects is right here in our community! Working alongside Rep. Denise Mentzer, we secured $10 million to construct over 100 new housing units in downtown Mount Clemens. And on top of that, we’ve funded statewide grant programs to help veterans and families in need access housing.
On the policy side, the governor signed into law my Senate Bill 23, which will help spur the construction of more affordable housing by increasing the number of buildable lots on parcels of land. As we look towards building even more homes, finding additional ways to get rid of burdensome bureaucratic red tape and streamline zoning will be priorites of mine.
Expanding Access to Quality Health Care
As Chair of the Senate Health Policy Committee, expanding access to affordable, quality health care has been a top priority of mine. In my first year in the Michigan Senate, I led the effort to codify the most popular provisions of the Affordable Care Act into state law. What does this mean for you? Insurers can’t charge more for preexisting conditions. Young people can stay on their parents’ insurance until they turn 26. And there are no more surprise medical bills and no caps on annual or lifetime care.
We’ve also strengthened our home health care system, repealed the drug industry’s immunity, expanded vaccine access, secured protections for living organ donors, and more. But despite all of these wins we’ve championed, we’re also facing more obstacles than ever before. At the federal level, the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” blew a billion-dollar hole in our state budget while threatening to kick hundreds of thousands of Michiganders off Medicaid. Washington Republicans also let critical ACA tax credits expire, which is now jacking up health care costs to the point where families are forced to forego insurance altogether.
While we continue to push back against these devastating cuts, here in Michigan there’s a few solutions we can work on implementing to make sure you can see your doctor without breaking the bank, including capping interest rates on medical debt and requiring hospitals to set up financial assistance programs for patients. Just this week, my Senate colleagues and I advanced legislation that would achieve just that.
Building Partnerships and Getting Things Done
During my time in the Michigan Senate, there are few working relationships I value more than the ones I share with local leaders across our lakeshore district.
From working with Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller to bring back $100 million dollars to protect Lake St. Clair to partnering with Mayor Rocky Gillis to secure over $1.5 million in state funding for projects near and dear to the Algonac community, we’ve been able to deliver real results for our region. Relationships like these are proof that when state and local leaders put politics aside, roll up our sleeves, and focus on what truly matters, we can create a whole lot of good for our community.
It was a pleasure being able to welcome these local leaders and others to the Capitol for the governor’s State of the State address and discuss ways we can build on this progress.
Severe Weather Resources & Tips
In response to recent severe weather across the state, our first responders and local officials are working hard to ensure there is a quick delivery of resources to the affected areas. To ensure you’re prepared for future severe weather events, please review the following safety tips:
General Storm Safety Tips
- Prepare a kit of emergency supplies for your family and pets.
- Create a family emergency plan.
- For college students, create a campus emergency plan.
- For guides and checklists, visit Plan Ahead.
Thunderstorms & Lightning Safety Tips
- To prepare, cut down or trim trees that may be in danger of falling on your home.
- Consider purchasing surge protectors or a lightning protection system to protect your home, appliances, and electronic devices.
- When thunder roars, go indoors! Move into a building or car with a roof.
- Avoid running water and using electronic devices connected to an electrical outlet.
- Do not drive through flooded roadways. Just six inches of fast-moving water can knock you down, and one foot of moving water can sweep your vehicle away.
- Watch for fallen power lines and trees. Report them immediately.
- For more information, visit Thunderstorms & Lightning.
To Report Downed Power Lines
- DTE: outage.dteenergy.com/report-down-line
- Consumers Energy: consumersenergy.com/outages-and-safety/report-an-issue
“I Voted” Sticker Contest Returns!
The Michigan Dept. of State is now accepting entries from Michigan students and residents for the nationally recognized “I Voted” sticker contest for the upcoming 2026 elections. Last cycle, one of the sticker designs chosen was from Grosse Pointe’s own Jane Hynous, a student at Brownell Middle School!
The contest is open to elementary and middle school students, high schoolers, and general entry is open for residents of all ages. Submissions are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 1, 2026. The official entry form and other guidelines can be found here.
It is one of my top goals as your State Senator to have myself and my office be as accessible to you as possible. To share your thoughts on legislation or seek assistance with an issue, please join me at one of our upcoming district events:
Kids Over Clicks: Documentary Screening & Panel Discussion
WHEN: Monday, March 23rd from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Grosse Pointe Central Library, 10 Kercheval Ave., Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236
As we rapidly accelerate into the age of digital and AI advancements, our youth are bearing the brunt of the harmful consequences. And the documentary, “Can’t Look Away: The Case Against Social Media” captures exactly how Big Tech is deliberately designing its digital platforms to keep our kids scrolling nonstop, profiting off minors’ social media addiction and private online data.
Join me for a screening of this documentary and a panel discussion with subject matter experts to talk about the Kids Over Clicks legislation we’ve introduced to take on Big Tech and give parents the tools they need to protect their kids online.
RSVP here.
Community Office Hours with Team Hertel
Weekly Office Hours in St. Clair Shores
WHEN: Every Thursday from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. and by appointment.
WHERE: District Office, 22424 Greater Mack Ave., Saint Clair Shores, MI 48080
New Baltimore Office Hours
WHEN: Tuesday, March 17, from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
WHERE: MacDonald Public Library, 36480 Main St., New Baltimore, MI 48047
Mount Clemens Office Hours
WHEN: Tuesday, April 7, from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
WHERE: Mount Clemens Public Library, 150 Cass Ave., Mount Clemens, MI 48043
Harper Woods Office Hours
WHEN: Tuesday, April 14, from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
WHERE: Harper Woods Public Library, 19601 Harper Ave., Harper Woods, MI 48225
Please note that these office hours are hosted by staff.
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 email me at SenKHertel@senate.michigan.gov. You can also call our Lansing Office at (517) 373-7315 or our District Office at (586) 252-2157.
Keep Up to Date
Our bi-weekly newsletters are full of updates on what Team Hertel has been working on both in Lansing and District 12 to deliver results for Michiganders. To keep up to date with what we’ve been up to — sign up here to receive my bi-weekly newsletter, or access previous editions online here.
For more frequent updates, I also encourage you to follow our team on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and BlueSky.