Dear Neighbor,
As we continue the work of this 102nd legislative session of the Michigan Senate, I am excited to share what we’ve been working on to improve lives in Michigan.
In the Senate, I’ve been working on legislation to improve literacy education and to protect cancer patients by requiring insurance agencies to cover gene therapies like they are required to cover other cancer drugs. Additionally, Senate Democrats passed legislation to protect people from predatory lending practices and to create clear rules for surrogacy to protect children and families.
By the time you get this letter in your mailbox, the Legislature will be working on approving the FY’ 25 budget. My goal every budget season is to ensure our budget prioritizes public education, rebuilding our mental health system, direct care workers who serve seniors and the disabled, clean water, and affordable housing,
Thank you for allowing me to represent you and our district in the Senate. If you have any questions, ideas, or comments, please reach out to my office.
Sincerely,
Jeff Irwin
State Senator
District 15
Improving Literacy
Last October, I introduced legislation with Sen. Dayna Polehanki to improve literacy in our state by weaving the science of reading into our early literacy instruction. Our legislation will help identify children who show characteristics of dyslexia or struggle with decoding the language. Our legislation also provides for evidence- based interventions to help kids get back on track to achieve expert literacy.
My bill, SB 567, ensures that the reading assessments already given to K-3rd grade students effectively screen for characteristics of dyslexia and ensure that those students get evidence-based support early on.
Sen. Polehanki’s bill, SB 568, would set standards for teacher preparation and professional development programs to make sure that teachers get the tools to help students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties.
I am happy to report that in February, the Senate Education Committee took testimony and voted the bills out of committee, and in March, we voted both bills out of the Senate. SB 567 passed 37-1, and SB 568 passed 38-0. The bills now head to the House Committee on Education. With as many as 1 in 5 kids experiencing difficulties with decoding, this legislation has the potential to help many people learn to read.
Genetic Therapy for Cancer Patients
Senate Bill 738
Senate Bill 738 would clarify the scope of Michigan’s cancer treatment coverage law. This bill explicitly includes genetic therapy and immunotherapy, such as chimeric antigen receptors T-cells (CAR-T) in the drugs insurers must cover. Michigan law already requires insurers to cover Food and Drug Administration (FDA)- approved anti-cancer drugs, but at least one major insurer has denied coverage for CAR-T, arguing that genetic therapy was not a drug. My bill closes that loophole and protects more patients from being denied this potentially lifesaving treatment.
Surrogacy Protections in Michigan
House Bills 5207-5215
Recently Senate Democrats voted out a package of nine bills to protect children and families in Michigan. Currently, Michigan is the only state with a criminal ban on surrogacy contracts. The main bill in the package, HB 5207, would enact the “Assisted Reproduction and Surrogacy Parentage Act” to establish standards for assisted reproduction, including surrogacy contracts, and to repeal the Surrogate Parenting Act, which prohibits surrogate parentage contracts for compensation. HBs 5208-5215 would make complementary changes to other laws regarding the determination of parentage. I was happy to vote yes on this package of bills to protect Michigan families. The bills were signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on April 1.
Payday Lending Reform
Senate Bill 632
The Senate voted out SB 632, a bill to cap payday loan interest rates at 36% APR. This bill will limit payday lenders from charging exorbitant rates, which currently average 370% APR. Predatory lending practices target the most vulnerable citizens in Michigan and I believe we should have a limit, such as this one, to restrict the ability of lenders to prey on low-incomecommunities. I was proud to cosponsor the bill and vote YES on the Senate floor. The bill now heads to the House of Representatives.
Last fall in the School Aid supplemental budget, the Legislature approved a $42.2 million dollar appropriation to Ypsilanti Community Schools (YCS). This was a huge win for education in Ypsilanti, YCS and, especially the residents in the former Willow Run District. This state appropriation for YCS came out of a total state appropriation that granted support to a number of older, urban districts across Michigan. In total, $114 million was approved statewide with YCS garnering the largest share of this investment. Inkster, Muskegon Heights, Benton Harbor, and Pontiac are the other communities that saw relief in the state budget for school debt.
This $42.2M was structured to accomplish three goals: eliminate the operating debt that was pulling $2 million per year out of the classroom and making it harder for YCS to attract and retain good educators; reduce taxes for former Willow Run property owners; and, provide additional support to YCS to invest in programs or facilities that will help students succeed.
First, the governor and Legislature completely retired the operating debt. This debt diverted money that should have been going to educate kids into the pockets of investors in the form of interest. Paying this debt off ensures that our educational dollars are spent on education, not interest payments.
One of my main goals with this investment was to lower taxes for former Willow Run properties by ending the structural unfairness that former Willow Run residents are facing. Ever since the merger, residents in the former Ypsilanti and Willow Run districts have been paying off debt from before the merger. This is in addition to other millages passed to support schools and the standard State Education Tax of 6 mills. This meant that residents in YCS were paying two very different rates for old debt (13 mills in the former Willow Run district versus 7 mills in the former Ypsilanti district) even though they’re in the same new district. By paying off $19,360,100 of this debt from Willow Run from before the merger, the Treasury Department informed me that taxes in the former Willow Run district will go down by 6 mills.
Finally, in an attempt to maximize our opportunity to gain support for Ypsilanti, I asked for additional investments to address the longstanding disinvestment in communities like ours. In the end, Rep Jimmie Wilson and I were able to secure an additional $17.3 million for the district. The YCS School Board will invest these dollars in programs or facilities that promote student success, and I am excited to see what improvements are made based on this historic opportunity. In total, YCS holds over $100 million in debt of various kinds. This investment from Lansing will reduce that amount by around 25% and invest in critical programs to improve education.
Some other legislators didn’t approve of using state money to help these districts that have suffered from years of disinvestment. Nonetheless, Rep. Wilson and I successfully garnered state support to improve YCS, lower taxes for former Willow Run property owners, and put more money into the classroom rather than interest payments. I cannot stress enough what a huge win this is for the Ypsilanti area. I am excited about how this historic investment will put more money into the classroom, reduce taxes, and make long-term investments in the quality of education in Ypsilanti.
