WHEN: Friday, June 14, from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: Hamtramck Public Library, 2360 Caniff St., Hamtramck, MI 48212
Playgrounds, Policies, and Progress
With the warmer temperatures and sunshine at our door, we are excited to connect with residents in outdoor spaces! Join us at the park and bring your kids in June for these Playgrounds, Policies, and Progress conversations about policies and progress, especially for our children and families. Childcare will be provided.
WHEN: Saturday, June 22, from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
WHERE: Shaw Park, 22001 Warner Ave., Warren, MI 48091
WHEN: Friday, June 28, from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
WHERE: Dueweke Park, 4975 Sheridan St., Detroit, MI 48214
In Recent News
EPA Awards Michigan With Historic Investment in Solar Energy for Low-Income Residents
Local and state leaders from the Michigan Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), Michigan Infrastructure Office (MIO), City of Detroit, community organizations and state legislators are celebrating a historic $156 million investment in solar energy by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the State of Michigan to accelerate the deployment of community and rooftop solar for thousands of low-income households across the state.
The initiative, known as the Michigan Solar for All (MISFA) program, aims to reduce utility costs for families, foster job creation, and strengthen Michigan’s advanced clean energy sector — all while moving the state toward its MI Healthy Climate Plan goals. The program is expected to make a substantial impact by providing low-income households across Michigan with access to affordable renewable energy and by enabling home repairs, reducing their energy bills by up to 20%.
To stay informed with MISFA updates, please sign up via the MI Solar for All Interest Form.
Legislative Updates
Advancing Protections for Judges
Earlier this month, I introduced Senate Bill 871,which establishes the Judicial Protection Act. This legislation was developed to address the deeply concerning uptick in threats against judges by protecting their personal identifying information from disclosure. The ready availability of judges’ personal information on the internet and the ease with which such information can be shared through social media puts judges at unique risk every time they issue a decision that may be controversial or unpopular.
In July 2020, a disgruntled former litigant searched for and found U.S District Court Judge Esther Salas’ personal information on the internet. He then went to Judge Salas’ home posing as a deliveryman, fatally shot her twenty-year-old son, Daniel, and critically wounded her husband. This shocking attack focused congressional attention on a disturbing trend: the uptick in threats and acts of violence targeting judicial officers across the United States.
Congress then passed, and President Biden signed into law, the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act in December 2022. The bill prohibits federal agencies and private businesses from publicly posting personal information of federal judges and their immediate family members and protects such information from resale by data brokers. Unfortunately, no such protection exists today for state-level judges in Michigan. However, this legislation will change that, if it is passed into law. While state-level data on threats to judicial officers is unavailable, the U.S. Marshals Service reported that serious threats to federal judges have more than doubled over the past three years from 224 in FY 2021 to 457 in FY 2023. Judicial officers and their families should not live in fear of being retaliated against for decisions they make in the courtroom.
Senate Democrats Introduce Bills to Codify Capitol Weapons Ban
Earlier this month, Sen. Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia) and Sen. Rosemary Bayer (D-Keego Harbor) introduced SB 857 and SB 858, respectively, which would codify a weapons ban enacted by the Michigan State Capitol Commision in 2023 and expand it to include the state Senate and House office buildings. This legislation is vital to protecting all visitors to our State Capitol, especially children and school groups, and making sure people aren’t intimidated out of participating in democracy and attending committee hearings and visiting their lawmakers.
The legislation also would maintain an exemption allowing sitting members of the Legislature to carry concealed firearms. I am proud to be a cosponsor for these bills.
Voting Access and Information
I am proud to sponsor Senate Bill 835, which will ensure that the Department of Corrections provides information about voter registration and the different methods of voting to incarcerated individuals before they are released. Michiganders are eligible to vote after release from prison but some are not aware of this right. My bill will ensure that they receive this critical information.
70th Anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education Decision
