MICHIGAN FAMILIES

I’m excited to be a member of a bipartisan task force tackling the issue of child care access and affordability in Michigan in conjunction with our Governor’s office. More and more Michiganders need two incomes to get by, but finding–and affording–high-quality childcare is tougher than ever. Our childcare situation is unsustainable, and our task force is striving to make a difference for hardworking Michigan families. I introduced HB 5043 to make the process for becoming a home daycare provider more efficient and co-sponsored HB 5044 to make childcare more affordable and incentivize quality improvements for providers. Both bills were passed in 2021. I also introduced HB 5832, which would provide child care reimbursement for National Guard members.

As childcare concerns affect a growing number of residents in our district and state, I’m here to provide solutions that increase quality, access, and affordability for families across Michigan.

MENTAL HEALTH

Increasing access to health care and mental health care must be more than just a talking point—it’s necessary if we want to strengthen our communities.

That’s why I voted yes on SB 27, a bill to make equal insurance coverage for both behavioral health and substance abuse disorder treatment. The number of people struggling with mental illness increased dramatically during the pandemic, straining our limited resources even further. In the past, I participated in a mental health listening tour with my fellow representatives and saw firsthand how difficult circumstances were taking a mental toll. Students isolated from school and social support were significantly affected as well. Any discussion of health care must realize the inseparable role of mental health in maintaining overall health. As a member of the School Safety Task Force, I’m also working to boost resources for students to ensure that caring for our mental health is a habit that starts early. That’s why I co-sponsored House Bill 4389, which would allow for a certain number of mental health days to be excused for students. I also introduced HB 5549, to form a behavioral threat assessment team at schools to help keep our students and staff safe.

SENIORS

We must take care of our senior citizens and this includes affordable healthcare. Too many seniors are struggling to afford prescriptions and are foregoing treatments and surgery because of cost.

Furthermore, we must protect what seniors have worked so hard for. That is why repealing the retirement tax was a top priority of Democratic majority legislature in 2022. We must also protect seniors from bad actors who prey on their vulnerabilities. In 2024, I worked on assembling a conservatorship and guardianship bi-partsian bill package to create better processes to become a conservator or guardian and protect incapacitated individuals. I introduced House Bill 4909, part of the conservatorship and guardianship bill package, so courts will be able to determine if an individual is fit to be a conservator or guardian.

HEALTH CARE

Many of our neighbors are just one serious illness or accident away from a mountain of medical debt, even when they have insurance. Our citizens need affordable, comprehensive health care now, and I support a statewide public option to all of our residents so that health care is no longer a privilege—it is a right. It is also important that patients be able to trust that their doctors are not intentionally doing them harm. In 2023, I supported the passage of a bill that would permanently revoke a practitioner’s medical license or registration if they are convicted of sexual conduct under pretext of medical treatment. 

Total health care reform will not be an easy task, but, by working collaboratively, we can make changes that will improve access to preventative care and decrease our community’s overall health costs—including for lifesaving prescriptions.

GUN VIOLENCE

In the wake of the devastating Oxford school shooting, the conversation on gun violence–especially in our schools–has a renewed sense of urgency. Part of what makes reducing violence challenging is because there’s never one single cause, which means we can’t expect to find one universal solution. Today, I’m a member of the School Safety Task Force working on recommendations to protect our students from gun violence at school. We are taking a fresh look at recommendations from the prior School Safety Task Force and proposing bipartisan solutions that schools can implement, from improving building security to increasing mental health support.

As a member of anti-violence groups including the Sandy Hook Promise and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, I’ve also brought programs to local schools to increase respect and compassion and decrease the types of mindsets and behaviors that lead to violence, and I’ve proudly started conversations within my local community about violence prevention. I also held a Gun Violence Prevention Town Hall with multiple stakeholders to discuss the changes the legislature was able to make and the progress that still needs to be made. With a multifaceted approach that increases the support available to our students, including the $1 million included in the state budget for the 42 Strong Foundation, an Oxford-based nonprofit started by Tate Myre’s family to provide peer-to-peer mentoring for youth in Southeast Michigan, we can reduce violence and mitigate its consequences throughout Michigan schools.

A critical factor in gun violence will always be the widespread availability of guns in our country, and the reality is that Americans will always own guns. The good news is, there are a lot of us—including gun owners—who support common-sense measures that have the potential to make us all safer.

I’m proud to have passed gun violence prevention legislation like extreme risk protection orders, also known as “Red Flag” laws. This law allows firearms to be temporarily removed from someone if their family or friends are concerned that they might be a danger. The legislature also passed comprehensive background checks, safe storage, and protections for domestic violence survivors.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

As the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, I’m committed to ensuring that “justice” is central to our criminal justice system and applied equally to every citizen. That’s why I have pushed for funding for Trial Courts and to establish treatment courts that allow for children to not be separated from their family while care is provided to a parent to deal with substance use issues and/or mental illnesses. Currently, nonviolent and minor offenses can derail a person’s plans to get and keep a good job, support a family, and move ahead in society. This committee has been working to reclassify certain non-violent misdemeanors as civil infractions so we can devote our limited public safety resources to actions that truly make our communities safer. Holding offenders accountable is critical, but we must also ensure people who commit nonviolent offenses have the chance to become productive citizens again and avoid reoffending.

In addition, I’m proud to stand up for survivors of sexual assault as a co-sponsor of bipartisan bills to expand the civil statute of limitations for sexual assaults. I also introduced a bill to protect survivors of sexual assault by allowing them to be informed about their sexual assault evidence kit and to allow the survivor to give consent for further laboratory analysis. Our willingness to hold abusers accountable for heinous crimes should never expire, and this legislation will give survivors the chance to pursue justice on their terms and timelines. 

My commitment to criminal justice reform and my belief in the importance of working together as stakeholders in our communities has earned me the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police.

My support of law enforcement includes a bi-partisan bill package to allow county sheriff’s deputies working as correctional officers to access binding arbitration and a bill to allow retired sheriffs to continue receiving retirement benefits even if they reenter the workforce in order to help combat sheriff worker shortages. I’m grateful for their support and I look forward to collaborating to ensure justice and fairness for all are the cornerstones of our public safety efforts.