18th District Update

Dear Neighbor,

Happy New Year!

As the new year has started, I want to make sure you’re informed about state and local issues affecting our community. 

To that end, in the edition below, you can find information about:

• Legislative Updates
• State of the State Address 
• COVID-19 Resources
• Free, At-Home Rapid COVID Tests
• Vaccine Information
• Booster Shots
• Testing
• Energy Bill Assistance and Shut-off Protection
• Washtenaw County Warming Centers
• Emergency Rent and Utility Resources
• Registration for My Upcoming Coffee Hour

As always, you can reach my office at (517) 373-2406 or by replying to this email.  

Jeff Irwin
State Senator
18th District

LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

Putting an End to Corporate Handouts and Lowering Our Energy Bills – Senate Bill 822
Natural gas utility companies, like DTE and Consumers Energy, can charge us for gas they lose and we never use. This is called “Lost and Unaccounted For” (LAUF) gas. This LAUF gas can be caused by pipeline leaks, variations in temperature and meter reading timings, third-party damage, meter tampering, and/or when repairs and replacements are done to natural gas pipelines. From April 2020 to March 2021, Consumers Energy had 4,896,517 million cubic feet (Mcf) of LAUF gas and charged customers $11,618,033 to make up for that LAUF gas. During that same period, DTE Energy had 4,801,397 Mcf of LAUF gas and charged customers $13,536,098 to make up for that LAUF gas. That’s why I introduced Senate Bill 822 to prohibit gas utility companies from charging us for LAUF gas and lower our energy bills.

Expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) – Senate Bill 790

The EITC has long enjoyed broad support because it lifts families out of poverty by rewarding work. It incentivizes lower income working people to maintain their jobs by effectively boosting their wages and providing them with a tax break. Unfortunately, a major oversight of the EITC is that 18- to 24-year-olds without a qualifying child are excluded. 

In 2019, the Michigan League for Public Policy and Kids Count reported that just under a quarter of that age group were in poverty. That is 217,457 18- to 24-year-old Michiganders. Expanding our state’s EITC will undoubtedly lift many of them out of poverty and make our state stronger economically by putting more money into their pockets for rent, car repairs, and basic necessities. That’s why I introduced Senate Bill 790, to make sure we are not leaving behind essential workers and ensure they have the money to build a life in our great state.

Oversight Hearing on Unemployment “Fraud”
Have you received a letter from the UIA saying that you “intentionally misrepresented” your claim?

In the Joint Oversight Committee, we heard testimony about an extremely flawed report showing that there was $2.6 billion in fraudulent claims to the UIA. But some legislators and media outlets are saying there was $8.5 billion in unemployment fraud. That’s not accurate.

The audit showed that the UIA still has $5.7 billion in claims that people simply didn’t provide sufficient documentation because they didn’t know what paperwork they needed, or the agency changed the paperwork they needed. That’s not fraud by any definition I use. Instead, that number shows that hundreds of thousands of Michiganders, like you, who were genuinely out of work and needed assistance, are still wrangling with a broken agency. 

What some are calling “fraud” and “criminal activity” was real people, with real jobs, just trying to do the right thing and get help during a pandemic. We were all unaware of the hoops people would have to jump through, nor did we know that after people no longer needed assistance that they would still need to constantly check in with the UIA and re-verify their identity and documentation.

You are not criminals. I’m fighting for every single one of my constituents, and all the people of Michigan, who applied for help and are now subject to errors and abuse from the agency.

If you’ve received an overpayment letter or are still facing difficulties with your unemployment, please reach out to my office using this form at SenatorIrwin.com/unemployment.

Supplemental Budget
Before the holiday break, we used a combination of federal and state funds to pass a $1 billion supplemental budget bill, a $1 billion economic development fund, and invest $3.3 billion in upgrading our water infrastructure. While some of our most critical needs were not funded, I am continuing to fight for our shared values — such as workforce housing, affordable health care and mental health programs — that our state needs. 

Statewide Investments:
With federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act and state revenues, we were able to invest in many critical needs in our education system, our hospitals, and our small businesses.

These investments include:

• $410 million in tax and fee relief for business owners hurt by pandemic restrictions
• $150 million for COVID school testing to keep kids safe and learning in-person
• $140 million for rental assistance to help Michiganders stay in their homes
• $36.3 million to help communities tackle lead, fund water distribution, inspections, and blood testing
• $14.1 million for a Nursing Home Strike Teams grant to help older Michiganders stay safe in nursing homes
• $10 million to support teacher recruitment, training, development, and retention
• $7.5 million for mental health assistance
• $6.9 million for Michigan State Police to help them continue protecting public safety

Water Infrastructure Investments:

Tapping into federal COVID-19 relief funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, the Senate passed Senate Bill 565 on Dec. 2, 2021, which provides $3.3 billion to rebuild and invest in our water infrastructure. The infrastructure upgrades that will come with this will greatly reduce flooding and make our state more resilient to a changing climate. Additionally, this bill will put that funding right into our economy and put thousands of people to work building these long-term improvements. 

This bill provides for several important and longstanding needs including:

• $1 billion for lead line replacement 
• $650 million for dam removal and repair, prioritizing risk reduction
• $400 million for drinking water systems 
• $235 million for clean water infrastructure 
• $200 million in wastewater grants to address combined sewer overflows and illicit connections
• $100 million to address PFAS remediation at sites without a responsible party
• $85 million to install filtered drinking water fountains at schools

EMERGENCY RENT AND UTILITY RESOURCES 

Need help with rent, utilities, and/or internet bills? Apply for help today at Michigan.gov/CERA. 

You can also access the CERA online application, links to paper applications, and new user guides to walk tenants and landlords through the application process at Washtenaw.org.

UPCOMING COFFEE HOUR ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 22nd AT 11AM 

Please join me at my upcoming virtual coffee hour on Saturday, January 22nd at 11:00 a.m. on Zoom or Facebook Live.   

Please use this form to RSVP to the coffee hour and to receive information and the Zoom access code about how to join the meeting, which you can also watch on my Facebook page. Since it is this week, don’t forget to click “Going” on the Facebook event to get a reminder the day before and day of.   

If you are unable to access the form or have any problems with the link, please contact my office at (517) 373-2406 or by responding to this email.