In This Edition
FINAL SESSION WEEK House Bill 4398: Federal Funding Appropriations On our final day in session, the Michigan Legislature voted to provide $841 million in federal relief funds in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. These dollars will be allocated to initiatives to build a stronger Michigan, including:
Governor Whitmer signed this legislation into law on December 20th providing much-needed relief for our state, but we’re not done yet. Our legislature is still sitting on millions of federal funds that would provide even more relief for Michiganders and, in the new year, it’s critical we address these unspent dollars as soon as possible. Senate Bill 85: $1.4 Billion in economic incentives and business relief As the Democratic Vice-Chair of the Senate Economic and Small Business Committee, I understand the weight my vote holds on policy like Senate Bill 85. Over my three years in the legislature, I have been vocal in my opposition to our state’s traditional approach to economic development. I am a firm believer that we need to rethink our approach, we are a state full of talent, and we need to focus on how to keep that talent here. We are not able to incentive our way to sustainable economic development — it requires a holistic approach to policies that will not only keep younger people here but attract talent through investing in communities, and infrastructure. While I do believe we need to approach our economic development strategy from a larger picture point of view, I do understand there is an immediate need for assistance while we work towards a solution for the long-term problems. Senate Bill 85 aims to help create jobs now. This is a first step, not a final solution. This legislation sets up a tool for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to assist companies that either want to come to or expand their business in our state. Here are some things this bill would do:
See more of my thoughts on the legislation here. Read more about my thoughts in this Crains Detroit article. House Bills 4282-4285: This package would make candidate filing fees nonrefundable and direct the fees to the local unit of government’s general fund, to be used only for the purchase and maintenance of voting equipment.
The House Fiscal analysis estimated that Oakland and Wayne counties would receive between $2,100 to $12,000 in additional General Fund revenue every two years, which would be used to purchase and maintain voting equipment. (The estimate was based on filing fee figures from 2016 and 2020). END OF YEAR RECAP As we wrap up the year, there’s much to look forward to in 2022, in the meantime, my team and I have crunched some numbers and put together a look back at 2021. Coffee Hours Over the last year, our office has hosted more than 50 virtual Meet Up with Mallory events.
This year, we have been fortunate enough to be joined by special guests, including:
Last week, on our final coffee hour of the year, we broke down the numbers in our e-news, you can watch our final installment of the year here. Floor Speeches Being in the minority party in the Michigan Senate, the agenda and bills that come before us are often out of our control. Sometimes these
bills are on a policy that my colleagues and I fundamentally disagree on. Other times, it is a way for me to directly speak to my constituents. This year I spoke on the Senate floor 21 times, some of my speeches are linked below:
Precinct Potlucks Over the summer, my staff and I held our first round of Precinct Potlucks. These potlucks were hosted by your neighbors and gave us the opportunity to connect and speak with constituents in a more casual setting. In these conversations, we were able to talk more in-depth about the Michigan Independent Redistricting Commission, Michigan’s Auto No-Fault Law, Electric Vehicle Infrastructure, Health Care Accessibility, and much more. |
To learn more about these events, and to stay tuned for any future Precinct Potlucks, you can visit my website and subscribe to my e-newsletter here.
On the Doors During the summer and into the fall, my team and I were out in the community hitting doors and dropping off a few of our mailers. Over five months, our team delivered our mailers to more than 4,000 doors. |
All our mail pieces are also available online on my website: LEGISLATIVE REVIEW In 2021 alone, I have introduced 18 pieces of legislation, focusing on a variety of different policies. To learn more about these bills, and bills I have introduced over my past three years in office, you can visit this link here. To see any legislation I have co-sponsored, click here. Here are some of the highlights:
IN THE NEWS
As always, it is an honor to serve you as your state senator. To stay tuned to what I’m working on in 2022, sign up for my e-news, visit my website, or watch my coffee hours.
Sincerely,
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