Dear Friends,
It has been such a great year to serve as your state senator. One of the biggest legislative achievements was re-introducing legislation to “raise the age” in our criminal justice system in Michigan. The governor then signed that into law, giving youths convicted of nonviolent offenses a more level playing field and a better chance at becoming successful by treating those younger than 18 years of age as the juveniles they are.
I also secured $6.7 million for Henry Ford College updates and $1.25 million for the Dearborn Consolidated Dispatch Center.
In district, we visited more than 4,000 homes and hosted a town hall to discuss the revolutionary changes we made to our auto insurance system. I also hosted 82 constituents from Dearborn, Detroit and Melvindale in Lansing to tour our 4 beautiful Capitol Building, watch a Senate session, eat lunch, and hear from different state department representatives about the work we do every day on behalf of residents in the 3rd Senate District. I really enjoyed getting to spend time with everyone!
This year, I was honored to be appointed to the governor’s Jail and Pre-Trial
Incarceration Task Force to continue the necessary work of reforming our criminal justice system beyond “Raise the Age.” We have more work to do in 2020 — I hope you’ll be in touch!
Working for you,
Sylvia Santana
State Senator
3rd District
State Senator Sylvia Santana
SenatorSantana.com
Email: SenSSantana@senate.michigan.gov
Toll-free: (855) DIST003 or (855) 347-8003
2019 BY THE NUMBERS
4,000 + Homes Visited
17 Coffee Hours Hosted
4 Town Halls
4 Senior Luncheons
2 Community Days at the Capitol
MICHIGAN RAISED THE AGE:
HERE’S WHAT THAT MEANS
You’ve probably read a lot about “raise the age” in this newsletter, and I’m proud to have been the lead democrat in finally getting that legislation signed into law. It’s something I first started when I was in the state House, because I believe all our youth deserve the opportunity to mature, develop, right their wrongs, and have a fair shot at a successful future that’s not marred by juvenile decisions.
Currently, 17-year-olds are not allowed to vote, serve in the military, buy lottery tickets or open a line of credit. So why does Michigan law allow these children to be thrown into prison with hardened criminals? By changing the law, we give our children the opportunity to leave the system with a greater ability to be successful and productive citizens. Ever since the 1980s and era of “tough on crime,” youth of color — especially African American men — have been disproportionately jailed and imprisoned.
Incarcerating young people, especially those with nonviolent offenses, in the same prison as adults is harmful, expensive and ineffective when trying to make our communities safer. It’s about time we made progress on this issue!
TAKING ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Domestic violence is a very serious issue that knows no bounds. It is imperative we work together to create an environment in our state where survivors are given the protections and resources they deserve as they work to rebuild their lives. I’m joining colleagues in the House and Senate to do just that, so Michigan can be a leader in the fight to hold abusers accountable and expand the rights, and protections, of survivors.
Join me for coffee
I always enjoy the opportunity to hear directly from residents, like you, regarding the issues you care about! My favorite way to do that is to host coffee hours throughout the 3rd District.
Check my website for upcoming dates and times, sign up for my e-newsletter at SenatorSantana.com, or call my office at (517) 373-0990 to learn about a future coffee hour near you!
BILL INTRODUCTIONS
Introducing legislation is one of the most important ways I can be of direct service to our community and its unique circumstances or problems. Below is a brief — but not exhaustive — list of legislation I’ve introduced or been a part of on the issues most relevant to the people of our district.
Senate Bill 41
Require teachers to have mental health training as part of continuing education and professional development.
Referred to the Senate Education and Career Readiness Committee
Senate Bill 115
Requires Michigan Corporations to place women on their executive boards.
Referred to the Senate Economic and Small Business Development Committee
Senate Bill 235
Allows communities to charge a tax on certain entertainment tickets to help pay for first responder retirements.
Referred to the Senate Finance Committee
Senate Bills 262 & 265
Reform state law regarding the convictions of people imprisoned over non- violent, marijuana-related offenses.
Referred to the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee
Senate Bill 310
Require all stores to accept cash as a payment option.
Referred to the Senate Regulatory Reform Committee
Senate Bill 333
Ensure worker protections by requiring employers to post a notice of resources, including a website and phone number, to report concerns of possible employment discrimination.
Referred to the Senate Government Operations Committee
Senate Bill 485
Expand the Whistleblowers’ Protections Act.
Referred to the Senate Government Operations Committee
Senate Resolution 88
A resolution to memorialize the Congress of the United States to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.
Referred to the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee
Bills signed
INTO LAW
Senate Bill 441 and 445
(Public Act 71 and 75 of 2019): Continues the collection of licensing fees for engineers, real estate brokers and other professions and certain substance use disorder programs for another four years.
Senate Bill 102
(Public Act 97 of 2019)
Created a “Raise the Age” Fund for state funding used to transition into a criminal justice system that prohibits juveniles from being tried as adults for nonviolent crimes.
Senate Resolution 14
Honored the life and service of Congressman John Dingell, Jr.
Senate Resolution 35
Designated April 2019 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Senate Resolution 80
Urged the U.S. Congress to increase funding for sickle cell disease research.
Community Events
PROGRESS: Insurance Town Hall
Auto insurance Town Hall with Rep Abdullah Hammoud. We met to discuss changes in the auto insurance law with the passage of Senate Bill 1 and how the changes would impact consumers. My amendment to Senate Bill 1 now prevents insurance companies from setting rates based on gender.
UNITY: Supporting Our Community
I am proud to stand with the community and electrical workers to ensure the work being done at AK Steel was environmentally better and completed to standard by local union electrical workers. As a result of our work, IBEW and AK Steel came to an agreement to hire local union laborers for the project.
UNDERSTANDING: Listening is Key
In October, 82 constituents from Dearborn, Detroit and Melvindale joined me in Lansing. They toured the Capitol Building, watched a Senate session, ate lunch and heard from different state department representatives. I really enjoyed getting to spend time with everyone!
Delivering for the District
The Wait is Over:
A NEW, CONSOLIDATED DISPATCH CENTER
More than two years ago, the Dearborn Police Chief brought to my attention the need for a consolidated dispatch center. Since then, I’ve advocated for state funds for the consolidation of the services in Dearborn and neighboring communities, even bringing the chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee into town to see firsthand the complexity of coordinating services across Wayne County and the desperate need for this.
I’m proud to say that, this year, I secured the $1.25 million necessary for the new and improved Dearborn Consolidated Dispatch Center! It is so important we keep public safety a priority, and I’m proud to bring this back to the good people of Dearborn, Melvindale, Garden City, Inkster, Wayne and Westland, because our constituents deserve to get the emergency help they need in the most efficient manner possible.
