Starting July 1, Michigan drivers could save money on their car insurance as the historic auto no-fault law, which was enacted a year ago, takes effect.

Michigan law requires auto insurance policyholders to carry personal injury protection (PIP), which covers medical costs if a driver is in an auto accident. On July 1, for the first time, motorists will be able to choose from a selection of new coverage levels to better meet their needs and budget.

Each PIP level represents the maximum amount a policy will pay per person per auto accident. Senior citizens who are on Medicare and other motorists whose health insurance plans include coverage for auto accident injuries may now choose to opt out of PIP medical coverage on their auto insurance policy.

Under the new law, drivers may select the following PIP coverage levels:

All auto insurance companies doing business in the state must also reduce the cost of each PIP level for at least eight years. The unlimited plan must be lowered by an average of at least 10% per vehicle; the $500,000 plan by at least 20%; the $250,000 plan by at least 35%; and the $50,000 plan by at least 45%. Those choosing to opt out will not pay a PIP medical premium.

The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) recently announced that the average statewide PIP medical savings under the state’s new auto insurance law will exceed the law’s requirements. Compared to the statewide average rates on May 1, 2019, this year’s average statewide reduction for the unlimited plan is 15.5% per vehicle; 30.6% for the $500,000 plan; 41.8% for the $250,000 plan; and 53.5% for the $50,000 plan.

For more information on Michigan’s new auto insurance law, including a list of insurance agents, visit Michigan.gov/AutoInsurance, email [email protected], or call 833-ASK-DIFS.

The Senate recently adopted a resolution to condemn Gov. Whitmer’s inaction in fixing issues at the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) and urged her to sign Senate Bill 690 to provide critical resources to address the claims backlog.

Senate Resolution 132 says that the UIA has been unresponsive to the people they serve and the UIA has mismanaged potential fraud within the system, suspending benefits to deserving residents without forewarning or any regard for the impact on their lives. The UIA halted payments to 540,000 unemployment benefit accounts, without proper investigation, due to suspected fraud. More than half of these accounts have been cleared, an astounding error rate in identifying fraudulent activity.

SR 132 also says the governor and the UIA have failed to implement any meaningful changes to improve the situation.

The administration’s failure to prepare and respond to the unemployment situation is unacceptable and was preventable. The time has passed for quick and decisive action to fix it. U.P. residents deserve better.

The Senate Oversight Committee, which I chair, has been holding hearings throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to discuss the decisions made and orders given by Gov. Whitmer’s administration.

The committee will continue to hold hearings throughout the summer, with new meetings to be announced next month. So far, we have heard about the state’s response to the coronavirus with the departments of Natural Resources; Agriculture and Rural Development; Energy, Great Lakes and Environment; Transportation; and Health and Human Services, specifically related to patients in nursing homes.

Stay tuned to the committee website at https://committees.senate.michigan.gov/details?Com=OVER for updates on the committee’s activity. You may also sign up to receive email alerts about scheduled hearings.

Recently, I voted in support of legislation to ensure all law enforcement officers receive training to help improve their community relationships and protect all Michigan families from excessive force.

Senate Bill 945 would require that all law enforcement officers complete training on implicit bias, procedural justice and de-escalation techniques and receive education on mental health resources. It also would require ongoing annual continuing education for officers.

Law enforcement agencies would be required to adopt a policy stating the officers employed have an affirmative duty to use de-escalation techniques whenever possible. The policy would need to be adopted by Jan. 1, 2022. The Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) would be tasked with creating a model policy for agencies to adopt.

The breach of the Edenville Dam, subsequent failure of the Sanford Dam and the extreme flooding that resulted from both brought destruction and misery to the communities of Edenville, Sanford, Midland, Saginaw and surrounding areas. Many people have lost their homes and livelihoods to this disaster, and we must understand what led to these tragic events.

The Senate’s Environmental Quality and Energy and Technology committees have heard testimony from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Director Liesl Clark as well as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regarding the recent failures of the Edenville and Sanford dams in mid-Michigan.

I have been frustrated with responses from agency officials. Concerns about aquatic life near dams serve too big of a role in deciding which projects get grants from the state to repair or replace the aging dam infrastructure. I’m appalled that safety concerns must go through the fisheries division at the Department of Natural Resources and get vetted by biology before public safety interests are weighed.

The people affected by these tragic floods deserve answers, and we will continue to work with EGLE and others to find out what happened and what needs to be done to prevent this from happening again.

While many have already received their federal stimulus checks from the Internal Revenue Service, others are still waiting to receive their payment. But some Americans may have unknowingly thrown away their stimulus payments. Recently the U.S. Department of Treasury and the IRS started sending out economic impact payments in regular white envelopes that could be mistaken for junk mail.

Almost 4 million people — including those for whom the agency does not have bank accounts on file — will be getting their stimulus payments in the form of prepaid debit cards. These debit cards come in envelopes that do not bear any federal markings.

To help taxpayers identify the cards, the IRS said cards will arrive in a plain white envelope from “Money Network Cardholder Services” with a return address from Omaha, Nebraska. When you open the envelope, the card will be issued by MetaBank and will include the Visa logo. Additionally, the envelope will include a letter explaining that the enclosed debit card is the Economic Impact Payment Card.

For more information and answers to other frequently asked questions from the IRS, click here.

Summer in outdoor Michigan means family campfires and cookouts, especially as our state parks and campgrounds start to reopen. Yet it’s also a key time for wildfires.

To ensure fire safety, the DNR reminds campers and other outdoor enthusiasts to never leave a fire unattended; always keep a shovel, metal bucket and water source nearby; build a fire in a fire ring; and douse the fire thoroughly with water, repeating until cool, when the fire is finished. More information is available on the DNR’s fire safety page at www.michigan.gov/DNREducation; click on Fire Safety.