- Legislative Update: On Wednesday, the Michigan Senate passed legislation to make the Legislature and governor’s office subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
- Legislative Update: The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has officially been around 50 years this week. The EITC is a tax break that helps low- to moderate-income workers by reducing the taxes they owe or giving them a refund based on their income and family size. If you qualify, don’t forget to claim it this tax season.
- In the District: Our team went to the Berkley High School MLK Jr. Day event, where students and their parents had the opportunity to participate in activities honoring the legacy of Dr. King.
- In the District: The City of Berkley’s Dept. of Public Works (DPW) has been working since last weekend to repair multiple water main breaks across the city. If you notice discolored water, run the cold tap from the lowest faucet until it clears. Repairs have been completed at Wakefield and Catalpa and on Tyler (Oxford to Cambridge). Ongoing repairs include Harvard (Henley to Mortenson) and 12 Mile and Cumberland. These breaks are often caused by temperature changes, especially in the winter season.
- Constituent Services: This week, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order to pause federal grant funding, which affects some state programs, nonprofit organizations, and others. Following the Federal Funding Freeze, our office has been in communication with federal elected officials. The President’s order to stop funding was temporarily halted by a federal judge in light of a filed complaint and was ultimately rescinded Wednesday afternoon.
Updates from the First Month of the New Session
In the past few weeks, in addition to introducing legislation to lower prescription drug costs and strengthen protections for workers, the Senate:
- Voted to expand the state’s Freedom of Information Act, which will include the Michigan Legislature and governor. This legislation, Senate Bills 1 and 2, will move over into the House for consideration due to its passage in the Senate on Wednesday.
- Reintroduced bills to improve accountability and tackle racial and ethnical disparities in Michigan’s maternal health care system. Below are a handful of those bills:
- Senate Bill 29 (Sen. Erika Geiss): Requires the Dept. of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to include studies and reports on biased or unjust perinatal care, including but not limited to instances of obstetric violence or racism, on their website. The bill also codifies the use and duties of the Maternal Mortality Review Team.
- Senate Bill 30 (Sen. Erika Geiss): Creates the Biased and Unjust Care Reporting Act and directs DHHS to create a tool for patients to self-report experiences of obstetric racism.
- Senate Bill 31 (Sen. Mary Cavanagh): Requires hospitals to provide the Dept. of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) with evidence that they have policies in place to support patient protections and ensure that patients can bring their doula, spouse, or companion with them during labor.
- Senate Bill 32 (Sen. Mary Cavanagh): Upon request from DHHS, the Dept. of Insurance and Financial Services will collect information on medical malpractice insurers’ policies related to perinatal care services.
- Senate Bill 33 (Sen. Sarah Anthony): Ensures pregnancy status does not affect the right for a designated patient advocate to make life-sustaining treatment decisions.
You can find the full list of bills above at “Reintroduced Bills”.
Legislative Holdup on Worker Relief…and Senate Action to Restore It!
In the previous legislative term during the lame duck period, the entire House Republican Caucus had walked out, along with one member of the Democratic Caucus in the House, preventing the House from achieving a quorum and grinding all business to a halt. When Republicans took control of the state House following the November election, there were still nine outstanding bills that had yet to be presented to the governor. The new Speaker of the House chose not to present these bills, something the Constitution does not give the authority to the Legislature to do.
Here’s a few things that could happen because of these bills not reaching the governor’s desk:
- Teachers would have to pay upwards of $9000+ in additional healthcare premiums
- Corrections officers would not be permitted to join the Michigan State Police’s pension program
- The protection of financial assets from excessive collection efforts would not take effect
To watch my full personalized explanation of this matter, you can view it here.
My Senate colleagues and I are doing what we can to get these bills enacted and deliver the relief they provide for my constituents and people across the state.
Last week, I voted in support of a resolution to empower the Senate Majority Leader to pursue legal action, if necessary, to have these urgent bills signed into law. And this week, the Senate Labor Committee heard testimony from workers — including a teacher from Oakland County — on several of these bills that would boost retirement benefits for state corrections and conservation officers as well as lower health care costs for firefighters, teachers, and other public sector employees.
Throughout this legislative term, the Senate is committed to building on previous successes and delivering real, lasting benefits for your family.
Michigan House of Representatives Votes on Sick Leave and Minimum Wage Legislation
In 2018, Michigan voters approved ballot initiative language to raise the minimum wage and expand paid sick leave. However, rather than send that initiative to the ballot for voters to decide, the GOP-led Legislature adopted the initiative into legislation that they later amended, drastically undercutting the intent of the ballot initiative. Last summer, a court ruled that the Legislature did not have the authority to amend the initiative, and instead only had two options: adopt the initiative into law as written OR send the initiative to the ballot for voters to decide. The Supreme Court thus ordered the original initiatives to take effect on Feb. 21, 2025. In response, on Jan. 23, 2025, the Michigan House passed bills (House Bills 4001 and 4002) to largely block these increases. Some lawmakers criticized the move, arguing it would hurt low-income workers, but efforts to amend the bills were unsuccessful.
Our office has heard from numerous small business owners and workers — including servers and bartenders — advocating for a compromise that would protect tip credit and ensure administration of paid sick leave is manageable. We’ve also heard from issue advocacy groups decrying the House legislation and advocating to protect earned paid sick leave and higher wages for workers. Therefore, the Senate has proposed an alternative set of bills to address these concerns.
In the Michigan Senate, Sens. Kevin Hertel (D-St. Clair Shores), Sam Singh (D-East Lansing), and Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton) introduced a bill package (Senate Bills 6-8 and 15) that would:
- Accelerate the increase of Michigan’s minimum wage to $15/hour by 2027, shortening the original timeline where the increase would not take full effect until 2028.
- Protect and improve the tipped credit, having it remain at 38% for the remainder of 2025, then gradually increasing and capping it at 60% over 10 years.
- Guarantee access to paid sick time for workers by requiring larger businesses to provide a minimum of 72 hours of paid sick time to full-time employees, while expanding more flexible requirements to small businesses with fewer than 25 employees.
- Enhance wage transparency for workers.
- Allow workers to file anonymous complaints against employers.
- Strengthen civil and criminal penalties for wage theft.
- Prohibit employers from misclassifying workers as “independent contractors,” which allows them to pay a wage lower than the legal minimum.
Senate Bills 6 and 7 now head to the Senate Committee on Labor for their consideration, with Senate Bills 8 and 15 slated to be taken up by the Senate Regulatory Affairs Committee.
The Federal Funding Freeze
President Trump’s attempt to freeze federal grants could delay funding for key state programs in Michigan, such as healthcare, education, childcare programs like Head Start, and housing. This freeze didn’t affect direct assistance programs like Social Security, but created uncertainty for other services, which sent me and other Michigan officials scrambling to figure out what the impact would be for the state, which receives billions of dollars in federal funding. On Tuesday, a federal judge ordered a temporary halt to the president’s order until February 3rd following a complaint that was filed by the National Council of Nonprofits, the American Public Health Association, the Main Street Alliance and SAGE. They argued the funding freeze targets grant recipients based on their opinions on issues like climate change or diversity, equity and inclusion.
The governor’s administration is finalizing the state’s budget proposal, which is usually presented to lawmakers in early February. Since a large part of Michigan’s budget relies on federal funding for programs like Medicaid, school programs, and food assistance, any disruptions in these federal payments could significantly impact the budget plans. Attorney General Dana Nessel alongside 21 other states sued the President’s administration over the federal grant freeze.
On Wednesday in the Michigan Senate, some Senators spoke on the floor to voice their concerns towards the federal funding freeze. Sen. Jeff Irwin notably stated “This reckless and illegal order will do real harm to our people in our state. Indeed, it already is.”, followed by Sen. Sarah Anthony’s speech on the floor, stating “Now, whether or not these freezes are temporary or permanent, whether or not the federal government can legally hold your Medicaid payments, Head Start classrooms or Meals on Wheels deliveries hostage, or whether or not Donald Trump will finally wake up and understand the impact these actions have on you [residents] is yet to be determined.”
Midday on Wednesday after these speeches, the Trump administration seemingly walked back the executive order that aimed to freeze federal grant funding but only continued to cause confusion. Monday’s legal hearing should hopefully provide more clarity. If you were affected by this freeze and you still have questions or concerns, please reach out to our office at (517) 373-2523 or email us at SenMMcMorrow@senate.michigan.gov and we can connect you with your U.S. Senator.
EITC: Lowering Costs for Michiganders for 50 Years
For 50 years now, the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has been instrumental in lifting families out of poverty, reducing racial disparities, and providing critical support to small businesses and local economies.
Especially at a time when so many Michiganders are facing challenges affording the essentials, from gas to groceries, I’m proud to have worked with my Senate colleagues to pass policy that helps offset these prices and even allow some folks to save or pay off debts. I’m referring to when we quintupled Michigan’s match of the federal EITC from 6% to 30%, securing the largest increase to the credit in state history.
This expansion helps 700,000 Michigan residents struggling to make ends meet save an average of $750 more per year, resulting in $3,150 in total savings with the federal and state EITCs combined. Here in the 8th district, over 20,000 families benefit, boosting incomes of working folks from $165 to over $800 on average. Our small businesses reap the benefits too, with over $16.7 million now being returned to our local economy.
But — Michiganders must make sure to claim the credit if they are eligible! To determine eligibility and find tax preparation resources, you can click here.
Know Your Rights With ICE
This past Monday, federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported over 1,100 arrests and detained over 850 people. Fox 2 Detroit covered the impact of agents in our area and shared information for the public to know and understand their rights when interacting with ICE agents:
- Do not open the door unless ICE has a warrant.
- Remain silent and ask for an attorney.
- Document and record the encounter with your phone.
- Don’t sign anything without talking to an attorney.
- Report the incident and then make a plan.
- Prepare in advance with a trusted contact and know your rights.
- Remain calm.
- Tell the truth.
Play It Nice and Safe Around Ice This Winter
With cold temperatures becoming more consistent throughout the state, more people are enjoying ice fishing, skating, hockey, and other outdoor adventures. The Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources urges everyone to have fun but always use caution when venturing onto or near ice.
Ice is often unstable around river mouths and near lake and river currents. Reservoirs with changing water levels also require great caution. Frozen bodies of water should be checked very carefully before braving the ice. While there is no perfectly reliable method to determine if ice is safe, you can use a spud, needle bar or auger to test the thickness and quality of ice.
Additional ice safety tips include:
- If there’s ice on the lake but water around the shoreline, take extra caution.
- If you are visiting a new area, ask locals at bait shops, restaurants, or stores about ice conditions, but always check conditions for yourself before going onto the ice.
- If you’re walking on the ice, wear a pair of ice cleats to help with traction.
- Wear bright colors to increase your visibility. White clothing and gear are difficult to see.
- Use the buddy system and tell someone who is staying on shore where you will be and when you plan to return.
- If you’re operating a snowmobile or off-road vehicle, ride in a staggered line. This makes it easier to maneuver in case a rider ahead of you breaks through the ice.
For more information, visit Michigan.gov/IceSafety. For snowmobile safety tips, go to Michigan.gov/RideRight.
A Day On, And Not A Day Off
The communities of Berkley, Royal Oak, and Clawson continued their tradition of “A Day On, Not A Day Off” to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Last Monday’s event over at Berkley High School offered students and their parents a hands-on way to connect with Dr. King’s message. The event featured interactive activities such as blanket-making, and arts and crafts projects focused on equality and service. These activities weren’t just creative, they encouraged students to think about how we are all connected, and how they can make an impact in their own communities.
Birmingham Community Resource Officer Completes Disney Run Challenge
Congratulations to Birmingham Community Resource Officer Gina Moody on completing an incredible physical challenge. Officer Moody finished the Disney Dopey Challenge which happens during the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend and includes a 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and a marathon. She now has a medal for each race, as well as a medal for completing the Goofy Challenge (half-marathon and marathon) and a medal for the Dopey Challenge (all four races). Six medals in total! It will be hard for anyone to outrun Officer Moody!
Royal Oak High School Teacher Selected for Research Program
Congratulations also to Don Drife for receiving the Dr. Joseph S. Morrison Award, the Metro Detroit Youth Clubs for earning the Spirit of Royal Oak Award, and Bob Muller, recipient of the Thomas F. Wurdock Award!
Royal Oak High School science teacher and coach David Barnett began an exciting journey to Helsinki, Finland this month as part of the prestigious Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Research Program! This opportunity allows Mr. Barnett to conduct research, collaborate with educators, and further develop innovative approaches to teaching and learning. One aspect he will explore is the connection between environmental education and student mental health. We look forward to hearing more details upon his return in the spring.
Follow him on Instagram @mr.barnett_in_finland.
Thank you for staying connected with us through our biweekly e-newsletter. We’re committed to keeping you informed on our work in Lansing and the progress we’re making in our district. Whether it’s legislative updates or community initiatives, we want to ensure you’re engaged and aware of the ways we’re advocating for you.
Your input is vital, and we encourage you to reach out with any questions, concerns, or ideas that you may have. Our office is here to assist you with any state-related matters, and we value your feedback. Feel free to contact us at (517) 373-2523 or by email at SenMMcMorrow@senate.michigan.gov. We look forward to continuing our work together to make positive changes in our community.