Dear Neighbor,
Spring may just be starting, but my team and I have been working nonstop to advance important legislation and advocate for our shared values. We have introduced several bills that are aimed at protecting workers, educating our students, fixing our juvenile justice system, and promoting civic engagement. I am also very proud that another bill of mine, Senate Bill 445, has been signed into law. It will immensely help our friends and neighbors who have been struggling with the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA).
As always, thank you for the opportunity you all have given me to serve this district and our community. As always, my office is open, and I am available to answer any questions you may have.
With gratitude,
Jeff Irwin
State Senator
18th District
Email: SenJIrwin@senate.michigan.gov
Phone: (517) 373-2406
Click here to review the PDF version of newsletter
Mortgage, Rental, & Utility Assistance
The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) has the Michigan homeowners Assistance Fund (MIHAF) and the COVID Emergency Rental Assistance (CERA) available as resources for homeowners and renters in need of assistance paying their mortgages, rent, and utilities.
MIHAF
Visit Michigan.gov/MIHAF for full program details and more information on how to apply.
Who Is Eligible?
• Homeowners with household incomes less than 150% of Area Median Income (AMI).
• Homeowners who own and occupy the property as their primary residence.
• Homeowners must have and explain a financial hardship directly related to COVID-19
on or after Jan. 21, 2020.
Up to $25,000 Grant Per Household Available
Eligible households can receive a grant worth up to $25,000 to help them pay:
• Delinquent mortgage/housing expenses, including property tax and insurance escrow shortages.
• Delinquent land contract payments, mobile home consumer loan payments, or mobile home park lot payments.
• Delinquent property taxes.
• Delinquent condominium/homeowners’ association fees.
• Delinquent homeowner’s insurance.
• Delinquent utilities, gas, electric, water, and/or sewer.
• Delinquent internet broadband services.
CERA
Visit Michigan.gov/CERA for full program details and more information on how to apply.
Who is Eligible?
CERA serves renter households that have incomes less than 80% of Area Median Income (AMI) who meet the following conditions:
• Individual(s) in the household has qualified for unemployment benefits or has experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or has experienced other financial hardship due directly or indirectly to the coronavirus outbreak; and,
• Individual(s) in the household can demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability by being past due on rent.
Utility Assistance
Households eligible for CERA can also receive utility assistance for tenant-supplied electricity, home heating (any type of fuel), water, sewer, and trash (if billed along with another utility).
Internet Assistance
Through CERA, a fl at $300 internet stipend is available for households that have home internet and include a recent internet bill/statement in their application. The $300 payment will be made to either the internet service provider or the tenant.
Legislative Update
TEACHING OUR HISTORY OF INDIAN BOARDING SCHOOLS
SENATE BILL 876
Michigan’s Indian boarding schools were created to destroy tribal culture and erase Native languages. These schools forcibly removed children and trained them to reject and participate in the destruction of their own communities. Michigan’s dark history of violence against tribal communities should be taught in our schools, especially the story of Indian boarding schools. That is why my colleague and I introduced Senate Bill 876, to ensure that our history is taught and so our children can learn from previous generations.
ENDING JUVENILE LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE
SENATE BILL 848-851
A bipartisan group of my colleagues and I introduced legislation to abolish juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) in Michigan. Following the 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Miller v. Alabama, which held that sentencing juveniles to mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole is unconstitutional, 25 other states and the District of Columbia have already banned JLWOP or have no one serving life without parole who was sentenced as a minor. Our legislation brings Michigan into alignment with the Supreme Court ruling and reverses one of the worst “Tough on Crime” policies that helped create a school-to-prison pipeline. We should not turn our backs on juvenile offenders and throw away the key. Instead, our laws should ensure that Michigan’s juvenile justice system provides a chance for rehabilitation, reintegration, and redemption.
HOLDING PHARMACEUTICAL DRUG MAKERS ACCOUNTABLE
SENATE BILLS 961
Michigan is the only state that grants immunity to drug manufacturers. Our product liability laws are so strict that it makes it nearly impossible for Michigan residents to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable when they are harmed or killed by pharmaceutical drugs. Drug companies have done incalculable damage to our state by pushing hyper-addictive opioids on people, despite knowing how addictive and dangerous these drugs are. That is why I introduced Senate Bill 961 that will rescind the law shielding pharmaceutical companies from accountability when distributing a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This legislation will allow consumers to hold pharmaceutical companies responsible when their products harm them and will improve the safety of pharmaceuticals.
ENSURING ACCESS TO QUALITY COMPLEX REHABILITATION TECHNOLOGY
SENATE BILLS 499-500
I am proud that the Senate passed Senate Bills 499-500. This is a bipartisan bill package that will ensure access to quality and necessary rehabilitation technology, like wheelchairs, in the Medicaid program for people with complex medical needs and allow state departments to prescribe the powers and duties for that technology. This will improve the way these individuals access this critical technology and any supportive services.
Update on Unemployment Insurance Agency Benefits
Together we will end the ongoing disputes over UIA paperwork
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed my legislation, Senate Bill 445, into law! This is great news for thousands of people across Michigan who have been struggling with the Unemployment Insurance Agency. Together with the flexibility that Gov. Whitmer secured from the U.S. Department of Labor, we are on track to end the ongoing disputes over UIA paperwork.
In early 2020, Congress passed the CARES Act creating the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. This program was intended to help all full- and part-time workers who were unemployed during the pandemic. When applying for and certifying for these federal unemployment benefits, some workers answered “no” when asked if they were “able and available for full-time work.” They may have said no if they were a part-time worker, or if they were taking care of children or a loved one, or if they are immunocompromised and unable to work full-time. This disqualified these people from collecting PUA benefits. Other workers answered “yes” when asked if they were “able and available for full-time work” and collected PUA benefits, but later the UIA determined they were not eligible for PUA benefits, and they received notices informing them that they needed to pay back the benefits they collected.
Senate Bill 445 turns off the “able and available” requirement for federal claims fi led during the pandemic. Part-time workers and those who, at the time, could not work full-time will not have to pay back the benefi ts they received or will be able to collect the benefits they were wrongfully denied. This also means that the UIA will be able to focus on actual fraud.
If you were denied unemployment benefits or have received an intentional misrepresentation notice and/or overpayment letter from the UIA specifically because of the “able and available” requirement, please contact my office at SenatorIrwin.com/unemployment or (517) 373-2406.