Senate District 13 Update

Aug 18, 2021 | Email

Mallory McMorrow

August 18, 2021

In This Edition

MICHIGAN COVID-19 UPDATE

This weekend, Michigan passed a grim milestone of 20,000 lives lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. These are mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, best friends, and siblings — people who are loved. This is a harsh reality that we are still very much in this pandemic. Cases are rising as the Delta variant of COVID-19 enters our communities. While there are the concerning breakthrough cases of individuals who are vaccinated testing positive, of the positive cases we’ve seen over the past few months, between 98 and 99% of those cases are of unvaccinated individuals.

What we know about the Delta COVID-19 variant is that it is more contagious than the other COVID-19 strains and those who are unvaccinated are at a higher risk of infection. A recent study in the United Kingdom also showed that children and adults under age 50 are 2.5 times more likely to become infected by the Delta COVID-19 strain.

What we also know is  the COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective. Between Jan. 1st and July 21st, 393,631 individuals tested positive for COVID-19. Of those, 384,929 were individuals who were not fully vaccinated. Roughly 95% of all COVID-19 hospitalizations during that time were also of those who were unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated. Vaccines work.

If you or a loved one are interested in getting vaccinated, please do! We know that getting vaccinated is the only way we can put this pandemic behind us, and focus on rebuilding our communities and economy. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine is completely free. To book an appointment, visit www.vaccines.gov to find a COVID-19 vaccine near you. Get vaccinated, wear a mask, and stay home if you feel sick. We can do this.

MDHHS GUIDELINES

As fall grows nearer, schools are getting ready to welcome back students. In order for us to have a safe return to in-person learning, MDHHS recently released Recommendations for Safer School Operations during COVID-19. In this guidance, MDHHS recommends all schools adopt policies to:

  • Promote vaccination for eligible students, staff, and families.
  • Require universal masking for all students, staff, and visitors — regardless of community transmission rate or vaccination status.
  • Implement layered prevention measures.  

STORM UPDATES

Late last week, our community saw severe storms that led residents to experience power outages and other damages. 

The frequency and severity of these outages over the years is part of a necessary, larger conversation. While these storms were particularly damaging because of high winds, it brings up the same frustrations that I’ve shared with many of you since taking office: Power reliability is a problem — and in high heat, it’s downright dangerous.

I’ve pushed this conversation in the Senate Energy & Technology Committee and with DTE. We need to modernize our infrastructure to withstand more frequent extreme weather — these storms aren’t going away. While burying the lines is significantly more costly, residents are spending their own money (in no small amounts) — being forced to buy generators, stay in hotels, or invest in other solutions — to make up for poor service, and this should not be happening. This latest round of storms is just another example of the necessary investments and changes we need to make.

This week, Attorney General Dana Nessel called on DTE and Consumers to issue credits for power outages. To obtain an outage credit, you will need to file a form online with your utility provider. These forms are linked below:

Additionally, Attorney General Dana Nessel wants to learn more about the impact the latest outages had on Michigan residents. If you are interested in providing feedback on your experience, please complete the form linked here. Those with both residential and business accounts are encouraged to fill the form out twice.

If you are experiencing any hardships due to the storm or outages, we have provided some additional resources below:

In response to recent storms and extended power outages throughout our district, I joined my colleagues from the State House and State Senate in writing a letter to DTE’s CEO, asking some questions that we’ve heard from constituents.

These storms have been hard on our community, and I want to thank all of the DTE workers – especially on the ground who worked around the clock to get power restored safely.

This isn’t the first time storms like these have hit our community hard, and if we don’t act quickly, it surely won’t be the last. It’s time to plan for our new climate reality to be more prepared for extreme weather. Click here to read the entire letter.

PRECINCT POTLUCKS

Over the summer, my staff and I have been able to connect directly with constituents over snacks to say hello, take questions, and reconnect at two more Precinct Potlucks! Precinct Potlucks are small gatherings hosted by your neighbors to give you the opportunity to get to know me and our office better, and for me to hear directly from you what matters and what burning questions you’ve got in mind.
We’ll be popping up all over the district at Precinct Potlucks throughout the summer and into the fall, so keep an eye out for a flyer on your doorstep for when we’re headed to your neighborhood. 

Return to work
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OUR NEWEST LEGISLATIVE MAILER

Our most recent mailers have hit the doors! While unfortunately our budget does not allow us to send one to each of our constituents, as we would like to, we do have a digital copy! In our Mid-Year Legislative Update, we touch on:

  • The State Budget, including details on the process, the timeline, and other helpful resources.
  • Our Virtual Coffee Hours, held every week there is session on our social media channels on Friday at 1 p.m.
  • Michigan’s Independent Citizen Redistricting Commission, including a definition of gerrymandering, how commissioners are chosen, and the adjusted timeline for the new, redrawn maps which has been altered due to COVID-19.
  • Local elections and where to find information about what’s on your ballot.

IN THE DISTRICT

This past Friday, State Rep. Mark Tisdel and I presented Hart Middle School with a tribute in honor of being recognized as a National School of Character! To earn the title of a National School of Character, schools and districts must create an environment that inspires students to understand and care about their set of core values. This allows students to grow in their studies, relationships, eventual workplaces, and as citizens of our community. Hart Middle School planned, implemented, evaluated, and sustained the standards represented in Character.org’s requirements and principles framework for schools and was one of 47 schools nationwide to receive this certification.

I am so proud to have this national distinction right here in our community. Congratulations to Hart Middle School and to Rochester Community Schools for helping the next generation grow up with empathy, compassion, and strong character.  

Photo of Sen McMorrow with the award

COFFEE HOURS

While cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19 are on the rise, our office will continue to host our virtual coffee hours. While we are disappointed that the return of in-person coffee hours will continue to be postponed, we will still host our virtual coffee hours on our social media and YouTube channels! Our next virtual coffee hour will be this Friday, Aug. 20th at 1 p.m. You can watch it live here. Can’t make it? No worries, all live coffee hours are uploaded and replayed the following Saturday and you can use this form here to submit a question!

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Mallory McMorrow
State Senator
13th District