Dear Friends,

Welcome to the most recent edition of my monthly e-newsletter.

Below you’ll find news out of our state capital and the 31st Senate District that I hope you find helpful and interesting.

As always, my staff and I are here for you. My priority is to listen and understand the issues facing the individuals and families across the state. Please continue to share your thoughts with me at [email protected] or at 517-373-1777.

Thank you for allowing me to represent you in the Michigan Senate. I am grateful each and every day to work for the people of the 31st Senate District.

Sincerely,

Kevin Daley
State Senator
31st District

Last month, I had the privilege of meeting with former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to discuss her new book “Hostages No More: The Fight for Education Freedom and the Future of the American Child.”

As a member of the Michigan Senate Committee on Education and Career Readiness, it was great to discuss how we can continue the fight for commonsense reforms and work to ensure that the needs of Michigan students remain a top priority.

The Michigan Unemployment Agency is warning of a text message phishing scam targeting Michigan residents who may have filed for unemployment insurance during the pandemic.

If you have filed for unemployment benefits and receive a text message claiming to be from the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency, ignore it — it’s a scam. UIA does not use text messaging to correspond with claimants or to process payments.

The agency’s anti-fraud investigators have learned of a recent phishing scheme to try to steal money and personal information from Michigan workers. The text message comes from an out-of-state phone number and provides a link to claim back payments. Do not click on the link. Report it as junk or spam and delete the text.

UIA communicates with claimants through their Michigan Web Account Manager account, letters mailed to the current address on file or by phone.

The suspicious text message is from a phone number with a 210 area code, which is in Texas. The message reads in part: “MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY: Your back payment deposit of $2,800 is now pending on your profile.” It then instructs the recipient to click on a strange link to receive payment. The link is to a fake, replica UIA website.

This is an example of a government imposter scam. More information on these types of scams can be found on the Attorney General's Consumer Alerts page.

Below you will find some additional tips from the UIA that can be helpful with protecting your personal information:

If you suspect fraud or identity theft, report it by clicking on the Report Fraud and Identity Theft link at Michigan.gov/UIA and fill out a referral form. Be sure to fill out all the information and make sure it is current. You can also view this video from the UIA that explains how to report identity theft.

Did you know? There are more than 650 public golf courses in Michigan for residents and visitors to enjoy! You can visit Michigan.org/Golfing to explore and plan your next golf getaway!

Ride Michigan’s 4,000 miles of off-road trails or the state’s five scramble areas during the second Free ORV Weekend of 2022.

Michigan residents and visitors can ride DNR-designated routes and trails from Aug. 20-21 without an ORV license or permit. All other ORV rules and laws still apply, and the Recreation Passport is required where applicable.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development confirmed the state’s first detection of spotted lanternfly in Michigan. A small population was found in Oakland County.

Spotted lanternfly poses a threat because it feeds on a wide range of plants including grapes, and trees such as black walnut, river birch, willow, sumac, and red maple.

Prevention and early detection are vital to limiting the spread of this new invasive species. The department is asking those who find a spotted lanternfly egg mass, nymph or adult, to take one or more photos, make note of the date, time and location of the sighting, and report Eyes in the Field.

Be sure to include photos, as they are necessary to verify a report and to aid in identification.

The spotted lanternfly moves easily on firewood, tires, campers, vehicles and more. Included below are some precautions you can take to help limit the spread:

For additional information on identifying or reporting spotted lanternfly, visit Michigan.gov/SpottedLanternfly.

Aug. 19 is National Potato Day! As a leading producer of potatoes used for the potato chips in the U.S., Michigan is proud to have over 80 potato growers throughout the state – many of which are multi-generational family farms!

After a two-year hiatus, the North American International Auto Show returns to Detroit this fall with its first-ever indoor-outdoor auto show.

The event will take place both indoors at Huntington Place (formerly Cobo Hall), and outdoors with events throughout downtown Detroit. Throughout the show, visitors will experience cars, music, food, ride-and-drives, car enthusiast clubs, air demonstrations, and more.

The Detroit Auto show is open to the public from Sept. 17-25. Tickets are on sale now. For more information, and to buy tickets, visit www.NAIAS.com.

My priority is always serving the people of my district. If you plan to visit Lansing for a conference, meeting, or just for fun, please contact my office in advance so I can make every effort to meet with you while you are in town.

Whether you enjoy warm weather fun on the water, in the woods or at the golf course, Michigan has it all!

The 2022 Pure Michigan Spring/Summer Travel Guide features lighthouses, tiny towns, national forests and Great Lakes shore experiences as well as craft beer, casino and urban destinations. The publication also includes a seasonal calendar of festival events. Please call or email my office for a print copy or find the digital version at Michigan.org!

My office is happy to offer legislative tributes in honor of noteworthy events such as retirement, anniversaries of businesses in our community, awards and public recognitions.

Michigan Senate website: www.senate.michigan.gov
Michigan House of Representatives website: www.house.michigan.gov
Michigan Legislature website: www.legislature.mi.gov
Michigan Citizen’s Guide: Citizen’s Guide to State Government, 101st Legislature