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Dear Friends,
Welcome to the first edition of my monthly e-newsletter for 2022. As we look back on 2021 and forward to 2022, I want to give you a brief review of what we’ve accomplished together.
As always, my staff and I are here for you. My priority is to listen and understand the issues facing the individuals and families of the 31st Senate District and our entire 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,
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Kevin Daley State Senator 31st District
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A year in review: My team is here for you
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My team and I are dedicated to providing residents of the 31st District the best possible service. Whether you need assistance when dealing with a state department, have an idea for legislation, or want to share your thoughts and concerns with us about a particular bill or issue, we are here for you.
My staff works hard to try and help folks who contact the office and we strive to answer every question that comes into the office as quickly and efficiently as possible.
As a lifelong farmer, hard work is something that I grew to appreciate at a young age. I spent decades working hard on the family farm and I believe the people deserve the same from me in Lansing. Below you’ll find a review of some of my office’s day-to-day business outside of legislative responsibilities.
Last year, my team and I:
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• Responded to 7,522 emails, letters, faxes, phone calls and voicemails from the residents of the 31st District; • Worked with people in need to help solve 598 constituent cases; • Wrote 1,217 letters congratulating folks across the district on their unique accomplishments; • Wrote and presented over 35 special tributes honoring people from the 31st District; • Attended over 164 in-district meetings; and • Had a 100% voting record in Senate session.
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Legislative successes in 2021
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While continuing the battle against the coronavirus and getting the state back on its feet remained among our top legislative priorities, I am proud of the many other goals we were able to meet. I was also able to push for certain projects that will benefit the people of the 31st District. Here are some highlights:
Emergency insulation refill legislation signed into law With the help of Tammy Martin, who is a constituent of mine from Lapeer, and Jill Verdier, I introduced legislation to allow pharmacists to dispense insulin under certain emergency circumstances.
Senate Bill 155, now Public Act 36 of 2021, allows pharmacists to dispense up to a 30-day supply of insulin to an individual if the individual has no current refills on file, but they have a preexisting relationship with that pharmacy, and the pharmacist cannot get ahold of the original prescriber.
SB 156, now PA 37 of 2021, amends the Insurance Code so an emergency refill dispensed in this situation would be covered by an individual’s health insurance.
This legislation was a commonsense reform that protects Michiganders who rely on insulin to survive. I understand the barriers and precautions that are in place with regard to many available medications, but I don’t think we should be placing folks into life or death scenarios when it’s clear they need this stuff to stay alive. These new laws create a better way that focuses strongly on helping people as well as a safety net for those who rely on this medication in their daily lives.
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Daley secures funding for special 31st District projects As my colleagues and I worked through yet another difficult budget process, I led the legislative charge on ensuring local projects in the 31st District received funding.
The budget, which has since been signed into law, funds several critical priorities for the state — and does so without raising taxes on Michiganders — but also includes funds for projects that will directly benefit our local communities.
Bay County received $2.5 million for a road repair project on Three Mile Road, from Midland Road to M-84/Westside Saginaw Road in Monitor and Frankenlust townships.
The 2.5-mile section of two-lane roadway parallels a large county drain, and portions of both the east and west lanes are currently falling into the drain. The funds will help move a majority of the drain away from Three Mile Road, which will allow the road commission to stabilize both lanes of traffic.
Bay County also received $300,000 to enhance the Bay Veterans Foundation Workshop and Learning Center, which when opened, will offer opportunities to learn vital trade skills, give back to the community, and connect with other veterans’ services agencies and available resources. There are several terrific organizations in the area that work hard to give back to those who served our country, and the new veterans center will allow them to come together and pool resources to better help area veterans.
Tuscola County would also receive funding for economic development projects meant to bring more specialized manufacturing jobs to the area.
Walbro LLC, which is a manufacturer of components for power equipment in construction, agriculture, and marine industries, was looking to grow its operations in Michigan. Funding in the new budget would build on a recent economic development grant the company received from the state to help get the project moving and bring more manufacturing jobs to the 31st District.
Sending a message to the federal government The Senate adopted my resolution calling on Congress to reject recently proposed IRS reporting requirements.
Senate Resolution 85 urges the U.S. Congress to oppose the unnecessary and harmful changes to Internal Revenue Service reporting requirements proposed by the U.S. Department of Treasury.
The department has proposed requiring financial institutions to report financial account information for accounts with a gross flow threshold or fair market value of $600 or more. The proposed rules would apply to both business and personal accounts, including bank, loan, and investment accounts at financial institutions subject to the proposed requirement.
Since being announced, the updated income reporting requirements being proposed by the Treasury Department in Washington have been nearly universally opposed by the people and businesses they would affect. The only support I have seen for these measures comes from the IRS and other Washington bureaucrats.
I don’t believe people’s privacy should be put at risk so the government can take more of their hard-earned money. I am glad that the Senate adopted my resolution, and I hope it forces the U.S. Department of Treasury to reconsider this harmful idea.
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MAEAP extension signed into law For years, the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) has proven itself to be an invaluable tool for Michigan farmers.
The program was developed in 1998 by a coalition of farmers, commodity groups, and environmental groups, as well as state and federal agencies. The program helps farmers stay within state and federal guidelines and adopt environmentally friendly practices that reduce erosion and runoff into ponds, streams, and rivers.
I introduced legislation to extend the voluntary program and keep this invaluable resource available to Michigan farmers and am happy to announce the bill has now been signed into law by the governor.
The newly signed law renews MAEAP and extends the sunset of the Freshwater Protection Fee that funds the program for another four years with no change to current fertilizer license and registration fees. The existing sunset was set to expire this year.
Michigan farms are key to our state’s economy. MAEAP has played a key role in growing the state’s agriculture industry and helped countless farms stay in business. Extending this program allows farms to continue improving practices that care for and protect our environment and puts Michigan farms in a position to continue feeding our communities for generations.
Supporting individual freedoms I voted with my colleagues to approve a resolution denouncing the Biden Administration’s heavy-handed mandate that would force businesses with more than 100 employees to require that employees receive a COVID-19 vaccination or be tested for the virus weekly.
Over the last year we have experienced a major workforce problem. Our state had to overcome teacher shortages, hospital staff shortages, supply chain issues, and problems in countless other professions. This mandate will only further instigate these issues.
Deciding whether or not to receive the vaccine should be a personal choice. This mandate compromises our individual freedoms and forces our workers into an ultimatum. The American people should never have to choose between their personal beliefs and putting food on the table for their families.
I stand with all the legal challenges to this gross government overreach into our personal health care decisions. I look forward to seeing the issue solved justly by the courts.
Senate Resolution 83 can be read in its entirety by clicking here.
Opening Michigan back up for business! The state Legislature voted to approve the Unlock Michigan citizen initiative and repeal the law used by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to issue emergency orders during the pandemic.
Residents across the state voiced their displeasure with the governor’s unilateral and often confusing and overly burdensome rules. After calls from Michigan families and business owners were widely ignored by the governor and her administration, residents took matters into their own hands and began an initiative to eliminate the law that allowed the governor to single-handedly make and change the rules.
The Board of State Canvassers certified the initiative and the Legislature took the final step and voted to approve it.
I supported this measure because residents of this state should not be kept in the dark during uncertain times. Our founders created coequal branches to avoid the exact situation we found ourselves in during the pandemic and this initiative will ensure no future governor can violate the constitution like our current governor has.
A citizens’ initiative is an example of people having the chance to make their voices heard, and the people spoke up.
Helping businesses stay afloat I voted in favor of several measures aimed at helping Michigan businesses and families stay afloat during the pandemic as well as the long-lasting ripple effects that have followed.
I sponsored a bill aimed at helping businesses that were shuttered during the pandemic by providing them with additional property tax relief for tax years 2020 and 2021.
The legislation includes a two-year refundable tax credit for businesses that were shut down due to the pandemic for at least six weeks and lost at least 25% of their sales. This is an income tax credit that would allow the eligible business to claim a credit equal to the amount of property taxes attributable to the business during the same calendar year. The property on which the credit is based must be used in connection with the afflicted business. It would not apply to property held by a business that is used for other purposes.
We lost a lot of mom and pop shops during the pandemic and countless more are struggling to this day. Folks still need to pay their taxes, but this is meant to be a bit of relief on their pocketbooks as they continue to fight back against this virus.
I hope to see the House approve this legislation and the governor quickly sign it into law so we can extend a helping hand to those who are hurting.
Securing Michigan’s elections I joined fellow lawmakers in introducing several election reform measures as part of a comprehensive package to ensure transparency, integrity and confidence in Michigan’s election process.
The proposed reforms included numerous efforts aimed at improving overall security within the state’s election processes, including: increasing security at ballot drop boxes, strengthening poll challenger and poll watcher rights, cleaning up outdated voter lists, and requiring photo identification for in-person voting and when submitting an AV ballot application. The reforms would also prohibit the mass mailing of absentee ballot applications and increase transparency in the audit process by ensuring audits are bipartisan and open to the public.
Unfortunately, Gov. Whitmer proved once again that she can ignore the will of the people in order to promote her own agenda. Despite widespread support for election reform from constituents all over the state, the governor has vetoed many reforms that we sent to her desk. Clearly, she is not interested in commonsense improvements, but rather wants to maintain the flawed status quo.
In America, we should be able to trust the results of an election — win or lose. A concerning number of voters I have discussed the issue with have stated they have lost trust in our elections or feel their votes were overlooked. Despite the governor’s disheartening and irresponsible vetoes, I will continue working on measures to help people restore confidence when casting their vote.
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My website and my Facebook are the best ways to stay current on what is happening in both the 31st District and the state’s capital.
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Celebrating a special occasion?
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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.
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State government resources
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Michigan's 31st Senate District
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The 31th state Senate District includes all of Bay, Lapeer, and Tuscola counties.
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Senator Kevin Daley 3100 Connie B. Binsfeld Office Building P.O. Box 30036 Lansing, MI 48909-7536
Phone: 517-373-1777 FAX: 517-373-5871
E-Mail: [email protected] |
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Visit my website at: SenatorKevinDaley.com |
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Thank you for subscribing to my electronic newsletter! Please feel free to forward this on to others who may be interested in receiving the 31st District E-news. You may sign up for it at my website.
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