TAKE ACTION

Criminalize Unsafe Storage of Firearms in Michigan - Move SB550 Out of Committee

SB550 has been in committee since it was first introduced in June 2021. Call our MI GOP leaders and let them know there is no excuse for ignoring a measure that will save lives yet not curb the rights of gun owners one single bit. Michigan law requires that private pool owners use fences or locked gates to prevent drownings or other accidents. Yet we refuse to provide the same protection regarding the dangers of firearms? Makes no sense.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1373PPNasl8CDHxV8OCFRFaIf-X-OXeQXg8BIqEDSEJw/edit?usp=sharing

04/12/2022

Help Victims of Catastrophic Accidents Claim Promised Help

In Michigan today, 18000 patients with catastrophic injuries are needlessly suffering due to the results of the 2019 Auto Insurance Reform bill. The 55% cap has left many families desperate and many health providers going out of business. The hard evidence that is now starting to show demonstrates just how dramatic the bad news is. But 2 bills that would help have been languishing in committee since July.

Learn here: https://tinyurl.com/HelpMIAccidentVictims

Updated 1/31/2022

Urge the GOP-led Michigan Senate To Release The $1.5 Million COVID Money For Schools

Over one year ago in December 2020, the US Congress appropriated $300M to Michigan K-12 schools for COVID-19 screening and testing. Finally, in December 2021, state lawmakers approved a budget that appropriated only half of the money for this purpose. The rest of the money, $150 Million, is languishing in the Republican-led Senate. The Supplemental Budget bill HB5523 allocates the remaining $150 million of Federal money granted in 2020 that would implement COVID screening and testing procedures and will help to keep schools open and children healthy. Call these Republican Senators and urge them to support them to support the Supplemental Budget.

Learn More: https://tinyurl.com/keep-Mi-schools-open

Updated: 2022/01/20

Support for Solar Power in Michigan – Support House Bill 4236

Michigan is one of few states that enforce the archaic practice of limiting the number of households that can generate solar power to less than 1% of the total. Michigan House Bill 4236 will remove this limit and allow more Michigan residents to gather energy through clean solar power. House Bill 4236 is currently in the Michigan House Energy Committee waiting for approval to move to the floor of the House.

Please contact the following members of that committee and let them know that you support House Bill 4236 that allows our residents to continue to add solar panels to their homes and help the effort to save the world from greenhouse gases.

Learn More & Take Action: https://tinyurl.com/Remove-SolarCap

updated 12/13/21

Support SB 550 & SB 553 - Require Gun Owners To Keep Firearms Locked Up

The tragic school shooting in Oxford has reminded us once again of the obvious need to keep guns out of the hands of children. The Michigan Senate has 2 bills in committee, introduced last June. SB 550 and SB553 require gun owners to store their disabled firearm in a locked container in a reasonably locked location. This would not only help prevent school shootings, it would also help minimize gun suicides and unintentional shootings. Ask your Michigan Senator to support SB550 & SB553 and set penalties for gun owners who do not secure their firearms.

Learn more here: https://tinyurl.com/SB550-UnsecuredFireArms

Help Reform Michigan’s Broken Cash Bail System Now

For the fourth time in the last 5 years, a set of bills that would make cash bail more fair has been submitted to the House Judiciary Committee. These bills deal with modifications and guidelines to help address some of the root issues triggering unnecessary jail stays, allowances to police officers for more discretion to issue appearance tickets instead of making an arrest, create incentives and more lenient sanctions for people on parole, and reduce arrests to enforce the payment of debts and fees.

For More Information, Sample Scripts, and Action Calls: https://tinyurl.com/Reform-MI-Cash-Bail

11/8/2021

11/1/2021 - Catastrophic Accident Victims & Their Care Takers Need Your Help

As a result of the 2019 Auto Insurance Reform bill, accident survivors with debilitating injuries are suddenly ending up in hospitals and nursing homes long term. Some are dying. New bills introduced in the state house will help ensure that auto accident survivors are able to recover with appropriate care and in-home options. HB 5498-HB 5500 and HB 4809 and HB 5307 are in committee and need support as soon as possible. Lives are at stake.

For more information and calling action: https://tinyurl.com/help-accident-victims

Critical Race Theory Culture War Hits Home

A multi-faceted campaign in the American “culture war” is hitting home in Michigan, courtesy the national, state, and local GOP. The GOP is now using Critical Race Theory (CRT) to divide and manipulate all of us. Currently, there are bills in 28 state legislatures prohibiting the “teaching” of CRT in public K-12 schools using templates supplied by conservative think tanks and “bill mills” like ALEC, Heritage Foundation, Citizens for Renewing America, etc.

And now in Michigan Senate Bill 460 requires the state to “withhold 5% of the total funds due to the school district or public school academy” for violations of the bill. Among the violations cited would be the teaching of materials from the 1619 project or the teaching of CRT materials. HB 5097 has much of the same language contained in the initial sections of SB 46, but is much more vague, overall, in tone. The House Education Committee took up HB 5097 on 9/21/21, but did not vote on it that day.

Learn More and Call These Michigan Representatives:

https://tinyurl.com/CRT-Hits-Home

Tell Michigan State Republican Senators: Vote NO On SB600-SB603

Last Tuesday, the Republican-controlled Senate Education Committee advanced a series of bills that would bar local school districts from requiring masks and other measures to keep students and educators safe, denying schools the basic tools that are needed in order to keep their children in attendance and healthy. Under the new education budget rules, if 75% of students in a district aren't in attendance for 180 days, the schools could lose their state funding. And that’s what makes SB600-SB603 especially grievous.

Learn More and Take Action: https://tinyurl.com/keep-schools-open-kids-healthy

Pass The Word: “Secure MI Vote” Petition Makes Fraudulent Claims: Do Not Sign!

As of today, the language for the “Secure MI Vote” petition is under review by the State Board of Canvassers. Once approved, this group will hit the streets gathering signatures for an initiative based on fraudulent claims that the proposed laws will improve voter access and election security.

Read More and Take Action Here: https://tinyurl.com/2uh5wru9

2021-08-08 Support Investigation Of Michigans’ Connections to the January 6th Insurrection

We all watched on January 6th as mobs of angry Trump supporters attempted to violently overthrow the US Government, creating mayhem and chaos in our nation’s Capitol, resulting in the deaths of 5 people, injury to 140 police officers, the subsequent arrest of over 500 people and millions of dollars of damage to the US Capitol building, destroying our tradition of the peaceful transfer of power. Less than a year before, in April 2020, we saw a similar mob of armed demonstrators storm Michigan’s state Capitol.

Senator Jim Ananich, Senate Minority Leader and Representative Donna Lasinski, House Minority Leader, have created a resolution calling for a bipartisan committee to investigate and uncover the full extent of Michigan-based contributions to the January 6th insurrection.

Read More and Take Action Here: https://tinyurl.com/4n5v8hkw

Do you know about ALEC?

ALEC is a 48-year-old nonprofit (501[C] [3]) organization, the self-described largest “membership association of state legislators,” claiming nearly one-third (or around 2000) of all state legislators as members.

Did you know that much of the anti-environmental, anti-gun control, anti-public education and pro-voter suppression legislation introduced by GOP legislators in Michigan was not actually written by those legislators? It has often been given to them in a cut-and-paste “model bill” format by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)!

More on Voter Bills: SB296 and 297: The “Sore Loser” Bills you Don’t Know About that Could Block Elections

Two bills that few have heard of could actually be the most dangerous of all to our democracy. Dubbed the “sore loser’ bills by those who understand their true intent, SB296 and SB297 would restructure county boards of canvassers - increasing their size and requiring more partisan votes to certify the election results.

Read More Here: https://tinyurl.com/4zfh47dm

As Deadline Approaches, Thousands at Risk of Losing Critical Care

Bill HB4486 to protect care for auto accident victims with permanent disabilities has not yet passed the Michigan legislature and the deadline is only 2 ½ weeks away.

We called on this issue last month and we’ve been told that your efforts and those of others have had a positive impact, with some republican legislators now understanding the need to pass legislation that would help assure that care facilities for these accident victims will be able to stay open to care for these vulnerable Michigan citizens. Thank you so much for your previous calls to legislators. But, so far, there are still not enough republican legislators in favor of this for it to pass. Therefore, we are asking you to help get this legislation passed immediately.

Learn More and Take Action Here: https://tinyurl.com/3h7rs8cp

2021-06-06 Michigan Republicans are trying to make it harder to vote

Michigan Republicans have a mission to make it harder to vote because they didn’t like the results of the 2020 election. Similar to what we’re seeing in Georgia and other states, these bills look vaguely innocuous at first glance. But, put together, they represent “death by a thousand cuts” to voters.

Learn More and Take Action here: https://tinyurl.com/35jhj5ds

New Auto Insurance Law Will Deny Essential Care: Support HB 4486

For thousands of auto accident victims and their families, Michigan’s no-fault insurance system was a saving grace, providing essential lifetime care and access to needed therapies and treatments. Sadly, Michigan’s new auto insurance “reform” package, passed in 2019, is about to dismantle this system, leaving limited access to care for accident survivors and others.

Learn More and Take Action here: https://tinyurl.com/ct48pvks

SB273 Thousands of Drop Boxes Across Michigan Are At Risk For Being Removed

Senate Bill 273 adds a requirement to Michigan Election Law that requires all ballot boxes to be approved by the Board of Canvassers in a county. The County Board of Canvassers is composed of 2 representatives from each of our 2 major political parties, so the makeup of a board is 50% Democrat, 50% Republican. This means that, if members of the Board of Canvassers in a county decide to represent themselves on party lines, absentee ballot boxes will be removed because a majority vote from the board of canvassers will not be possible. This bill specifically targets all ballot boxes pre and post January 2021. It specifically calls for the removal of ballot boxes that are not approved.

Learn More & Take Action: https://tinyurl.com/2t85929n

House Budget Omits Direct Care Workers

Direct care workers provide Medicaid-funded in-home, behavioral health and long-term care services to Michigan’s most vulnerable residents. There was already a pay increase in the current budget, that was to expire in February 2021, but was extended through September. Governor Whitmer and the Michigan Senate are in rare agreement that it needs to continue. The present extension is for a $2.25 hourly increase. The Senate proposal for the new budget increases that slightly to $2.35 because these direct care workers continue to need more financial support to be able to still provide care to those who need it. However, the Michigan House budget proposal does not provide ANY increase, not even the $2.25 that is in this year's budget. The Direct Care Workers’ pay would actually decrease by $2.25 per hour if the House does not include a budget proposal to continue the increase.

Learn More and Take Action: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nP5NbTDEhxi2hNGZ_rxWouPZ7TqejeKklYZAP6AFKjg/edit?usp=sharing

SB285 Puts Voters At Risk For Identity Theft

Mailing a photocopy of your ID in this age of stolen identities is reckless at best. In 2017, nearly 16.7 million people had their identities stolen by thieves who unlawfully accessed personal information. Asking voters to send in a photocopy of their state ID is asking voters to risk being a victim of one of the worst crimes of our age.

Learn More and Take Action: https://tinyurl.com/2h3yv848

Reject SB303 which removes the Secure Affidavit option

Our right to cast our votes freely, securely and equally in Michigan is under threat by new laws recently introduced in the state legislature.

Michigan’s current voter identification system is a model for other states that balances security with accessibility and it has worked without incident for decades. Voters without certain government-issued IDs are able to sign an affidavit to prove who they are.

But SB303 would remove the secure affidavit option used by thousands of voters in every election.

Learn More and Take Action:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U_rk1PMubXPviLq4VlQWhqOP_HFK_ojUduqZhH66I3Y/edit?usp=sharing

Michigan Voter Suppression Bills - Spotlight Voter ID

SB285 and SB303 involve new hoops for voters to jump through to prove their identity and increase the possibility of ballots becoming “provisional”. “Provisional” ballots are not counted on election day unless verified at a later date.

Read More and Take Action Here: https://tinyurl.com/nexwnmjk

Reject Voter Suppression Bills in Michigan Senate

On Wednesday, March 24th, the Michigan GOP introduced a package of 39 bills that make it harder to cast a ballot. It's all part of a national effort to suppress the vote and validate "the big lie" that the 2020 Presidential election was "stolen". A full list of the bills are here: Look for Senate Bills 273-311 but here is a partial list:

Restrict drop boxes and require all absentee ballots to be delivered directly to clerks, and make it more difficult for a voter to have someone deliver their ballot for them. (SB 286 McBroom, R-Vulcan)
Prohibit the Secretary of State from mailing absentee ballot applications or offering pre-paid postage for their return. (SB 310, Johnson ) .....