- Upcoming Events: Please join Sen. McMorrow TOMORROW, Saturday, May 16, at her Lower Costs, Higher Wages Town Hall with Rep. Regina Weiss in Ferndale. More details below.
- Legislative Update: This week, Michigan Senate Dems announced their agenda to tackle the affordability crisis facing residents statewide, including plans to lower household costs, tackle auto insurance rates, combat rising energy bills, and take on the high costs of health care. Learn more below.
- District Update: May is Foster Care Awareness Month, an important time to recognize and remember the 10,000 kids in Michigan who are currently in need of supportive, stable homes. If you’ve ever considered fostering, or are looking for other ways to support Michigan’s foster kids, learn more below about how you or someone you know could make a difference in a child’s life.
- Good News from the District: Royal Oak recently celebrated V-E Day and raised the new military flags at the Michigan World War II Legacy Memorial. A B-24 bomber panel was also dedicated, which completes the Rosie the Riveter bronze statue.
TOMORROW: Lower Costs, Higher Wages Town Hall 5/16
Join State Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Rep. Regina Weiss for a Lower Costs, Higher Wages Town Hall on Saturday, May 16, to talk about real solutions that help people make ends meet and build a stronger future.
WHEN: Tomorrow, Saturday, May 16; Doors open at 12:30 p.m. for refreshments and resources and program will begin at 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: Tri-County Educational Center (TCEC), 21131 Garden Ln., Ferndale, MI 48220
We’ll discuss:
✔ Universal free Pre-K and how to enroll
✔ Rx Kids – what it is and how it works
✔ Tuition support and education affordability programs
✔ Job training and apprenticeship opportunities
This town hall is about putting resources within reach — so you leave knowing what support is available and how to access it.
Come with questions. Leave with answers.
Making Life More Affordable for Michiganders
From the gas pump and grocery store to your ever-increasing utility bills — it feels harder and harder to catch a break these days. The affordability crisis facing our state isn’t just top of mind for Sen. McMorrow and her Senate Democratic colleagues. It’s at the top of their priority list.
Unveiled this week, Senate Dems’ A Michigan You Can Afford Agenda aims to deliver the financial relief Michiganders like you need and deserve by working to lower household costs, tackle auto insurance rates, combat rising energy bills, and take on the high costs of healthcare. This comprehensive approach, fully outlined here, includes:
- Cutting auto insurance rates by 10%.
- Putting a stop to constant and excessive utility rate increases.
- Making free breakfast and lunch permanent for every school kid.
- Banning private equity firms from buying up housing, ensuring Michigan homes go to Michigan families.
- Capping interest and late fees on medical debt and banning it from appearing on credit reports. (Learn more about ways we’re ensuring access to affordable healthcare below.)
- Giving families a tax break on back-to-school supplies.
Alongside the 2027 state budget proposal Senate Democrats recently passed, Sen. McMorrow and her colleagues are working around the clock to lower costs for you and your loved ones, helping you to breathe a little easier and have more peace of mind. Read more here.
Michigan Senate Acts Unanimously to Strengthen Communities Statewide
Clean drinking water. Safe roads. Responsive police and fire crews. Reliable trash service. While often overlooked, these are the essential services provided by cities, counties, and other local units of government that you count on for your day-to-day needs. But as the state revenue that flows into these communities fluctuates from year to year, so too does the quality and consistency of these services.
That’s why, just last month, every single Michigan Senator voted to address this issue, passing long-awaited legislation to establish a new Revenue Sharing Trust Fund. This new fund would be a gamechanger for Michigan cities, villages, townships, and counties, ensuring a sustainable source of revenue for local governments to better plan and provide quality resources and services for their residents. Sen. McMorrow was proud to vote “yes” on this bill and deliver the solutions that communities statewide have been asking for. Learn more here.
Senate Democrats Tackle Rising Healthcare Costs
While Washington Republicans continue to raise insurance costs and strip Americans of their coverage, Sen. McMorrow and her Senate Democratic colleagues are working to ensure people here in Michigan can access the healthcare they deserve. Announced at the end of April, Senate Dems’ Healthcare You Can Afford agenda aims to expand access to affordable healthcare by:
- Creating a state-based healthcare exchange, lowering premiums, and giving Michiganders more options and more control over their health insurance.
- Increasing options for small businesses to shop for better, more affordable health insurance for their employees through association health plans.
- Holding Big Pharma accountable by capping the price of essential drugs through a Prescription Drug Affordability Board and prohibiting drug manufacturers from denying access to low-cost medications.
- Capping interest and late fees on medical debt and banning it from appearing on credit reports.
- Tackling the crisis in rural healthcare head-on, ensuring hospital doors in rural communities stay open
Learn more here.
Recognizing Foster Care Awareness Month
In Michigan, there are approximately 10,000 children in foster care in need of supportive, stable homes. The Michigan Dept. of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has shared that there
is a particular need for families who can support teenagers, sibling groups, and youth with developmental needs. To recognize Foster Care Awareness Month this May, MDHHS has highlighted ways that you or someone you know could make a difference in a child’s life:
- Become a Foster Parent: Learn what fostering involves and explore the steps to become a licensed foster parent.
- Meet the Faces of Foster Care: Read true stories from foster parents, kinship caregivers, advocates, and others who are making a difference in the lives of youth and families experiencing foster care.
- Volunteer or Donate: Find local volunteer opportunities and donation pathways that support children and youth in foster care across Michigan.
Foster children, just like all kids, deserve a fair shot at a good life. One way the Michigan Senate has been working to support foster children is by passing a bill to ban the state’s current practice of seizing the income from a child in foster care as reimbursement for their care. The children’s funds would be managed for their own benefit, providing a path to stability, housing, and the education or training necessary to be successful when they exit foster care. Passed with the full support of the Michigan Senate for the second year in a row, this bipartisan legislation continues to remain stalled by House Republicans, blocking meaningful support for Michigan’s foster children.
Supporting Michigan Moms on Mother’s Day & Beyond
Happy belated Mother’s Day to Michigan’s hardworking moms, grandmothers, and all who serve as loving maternal figures across the state. Moms hold our families and entire communities together with patience, resilience, and care — and they deserve to have that same support poured back into them. Senate Democrats are investing in the health, well-being, and economic security of Michigan moms by:
- Expanding Rx Kids to communities all over the state, providing expectant and new moms with no-strings-attached cash assistance to reduce poverty, tackle food insecurity, and improve maternal and infant health. Check if Rx Kids is available in your community here;
- Passing their Momnibus bill package to improve integrity and accountability in Michigan’s maternal health care system;
- Championing legislation to address the child care crisis from both the supply and demand sides;
- Tackling the gender wage gap by passing legislation to ban employers from requiring applicants to disclose their past pay or credit history, practices that disproportionately harm women and people of color; and
- Quintupling the state’s match of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to help working moms and families save an average of $890 every year.
Rosie the Riveter
Royal Oak recently celebrated Victory in Europe Day and raised the new military flags at the Michigan World War II Legacy Memorial. A B-24 bomber panel was also dedicated, which completes the Rosie the Riveter bronze statue that was unveiled on Veteran’s Day in November.
Oak Park Elevate Phase 2 Community Open House
Oak Park’s Community Center is taking shape and will serve as the new home of the Oak Park Recreation Department, right next to the new Bandshell and Event Hub.
Save the date for an open house where community members will have the opportunity to talk with project planners and engineers, provide feedback, and ask any questions.
WHEN: Monday, May 18 at 4:30 p.m. — before the Oak Park City Council meeting
WHERE: Oak Park City Hall lobby, 14000 Oak Park Blvd., Oak Park, MI 48237
Paul Robeson Malcolm X Academy Groundbreaking
Recently, the official groundbreaking took place for the Paul Robeson Malcolm X Academy (PRMXA) new school building. Located in the Martin Park community on Linwood and Grove Streets, PRMXA is set to receive a brand-new school campus by the fall of 2027.
The grounds were formerly home to the historic Hally Magnet Middle School. The campus will feature a 71,000 square ft. state of the art school and is part of the board-approved $700 million investment in school infrastructure through the Detroit Public Schools Community District Facilities Master Plan.
Thank you for staying connected with Sen. McMorrow’s office through the biweekly e-newsletter. We’re committed to keeping you informed on our work in Lansing and the progress we’re making in the 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.
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. You can also fill out a contact form on our website, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we’re able.