Dear Friends,

Thank you for subscribing to the 36th District E-Newsletter. I am honored to represent you and look forward to working with you towards a better future for Michigan!

This e-newsletter serves to keep you updated on what is happening in Lansing and what I am doing as your state senator. I hope that you will find this e-newsletter helpful, and if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. Or if you are in Lansing, please feel free to stop by my office at 920 Farnum Building.

Jim Stamas
State Senator
36th District of Michigan

I am committed to finding solution to fix Michigan's roads

As I travel throughout the 36th District, I hear loud and clear that people wanted the roads fixed in Michigan. And just as loud and clear, the proposal put forward was defeated.

Our road funding process has underfunded Michigan's roads and bridges for more than a decade. However, during the last four years, we have made improving our infrastructure a key priority - investing nearly $870 million in additional funding into our roads. In the short term, we need to continue this emphasis.

In addition to prioritizing more existing resources to roads, I believe that all taxes paid at the pump should go to our roads.

I want to thank the residents of the 36th District who reached out to me about this issue and let them know that I am committed to working with them to find a long-term solution to fix our roads.

www.senatorjimstamas.com/sen-stamas-committed-to-finding-solution-to-fix-michigans-roads/

House panel OKs my bill to help veterans transition into civilian life

I sponsored legislation to help connect military veterans returning home with information about employment and benefits earned in service to the nation, and this bill was recently approved by the House Military and Veterans Affairs Committee.

We owe a tremendous debt to our veterans, who sacrificed so much to protect our freedoms. Unfortunately, many of them face real challenges when returning home from duty. This reform is part of our ongoing effort to serve Michigan's 650,000 veterans by ensuring our state is doing its best to assist their transition into civilian life and new careers.

We created the state's veterans affairs agency as a one-stop-shop for veterans, and it just makes sense that our outreach to veterans returning home comes from the agency dedicated to them. I sponsored this legislation to help better connect veterans with the benefits they earned and employment and education opportunities that can help them live the American Dream that they honorably served to protect, and I thank the committee for their support.

If you are a veteran and have questions, or for more information about the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, visit the agency's website at www.michiganveterans.com or call them at 1-800-MICH-VET.

http://www.senatorjimstamas.com/house-panel-oks-stamas-bill-to-help-veterans-transition-into-civilian-life/

I support keeping families of fallen officers safe

When there's an emergency, our first responders are on the front line, working to keep families, neighborhoods and communities safe. Many times, their efforts to help and protect others put their own lives at risk.

I recently supported legislation that would provide health care coverage to the spouses and dependents of law enforcement officers, firefighters, rescue squad members or ambulance crew members who die in the line of duty. The medical benefit plan would be comparable to those of retired state police officers.

Senate Bill 218 would help ease the financial burden borne by the families of fallen safety officers and provide assistance during a difficult time.

The legislation has been sent to the Michigan House for consideration.

May is Military Appreciation Month 

Michigan's servicemen and servicewomen have a long history of representing our state with the highest standards of character and valor. Let's make sure our service members and veterans know how much we value their patriotism, sacrifice and dedication to our country!

For more information, visit: www.military.com/military-appreciation-month.

A Pure Michigan summer awaits!

The 2015 Pure Michigan Spring/Summer Travel Guide is now available.

This year's glossy publication includes articles on Michigan's five national parks, beach towns, one-of-a-kind restaurants, even dog-friendly destinations! To view online, visit www.michigan.org.

For a print copy, please contact my office at 1-855-347-8036.

Apply for elk and bear licenses now through June 1

The Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters that applications for Michigan elk and bear hunting licenses are available now through June 1. There will be 100 elk licenses and 6,951 bear licenses available for the 2015 hunting seasons. [Read More]
 

Alpena's Ella White Elementary students help protect the environment  Many 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade elementary classrooms in Alpena County recently participated in the Northeast Michigan Earth Day Bag Project in an effort to celebrate Earth Day and raise awareness about the issue of plastic pollution in our Great Lakes and oceans. Elementary youth have also studied the effects of invasive species and have been learning how to detect signs of chemical pollution in waterways. Thus, the Northeast Michigan Earth Day Bag Project is an extension of the great work that students are doing to limit pollution in the Great Lakes. Click here for more information about the students' efforts and the project.

Ella White Elementary students decorate paper grocery bags to educate community about the issue of plastic pollution and marine debris on Earth Day

Thank you Kathie Fuce-Hobohm from SPACE, Inc. for visiting with me in my office in Lansing. It is always great to see friends at the Capitol.

I had the honor and privilege of meeting with Midland Fire Chief Chris Coughlin and Midland Fire Marshall Joshua Mosher in my office.

The new executive director for Northeast Michigan Habitat for Humanity (right) and I congratulate Matthew Wojda for being named Habitat Volunteer of the Year. I am grateful for the opportunity to thank these two individuals and others from the 36th District for their outstanding service to this great organization and our state!

It was a pleasure meeting Alpena High School Principal Romeo Bourdage (top photo) and with Alpena Junior High principal Steve Genshaw and Joyce McCoy Director of Instruction and Career and Tech Education (bottom photo). They were at the state Capitol supporting career and tech education. Thanks for helping our future.

It was a very educational meeting with Daniel Kesterson at the state Capitol. Daniel is studying the toxicity of AZT in neonatal rat heart and liver tissues at Central Michigan University. His research helps with learning more about AZT, which is used by the World Health Organization to prevent and control vertical transmission of HIV in newborns.

I toured the Otsego County Road Commission with Rep. Triston Cole and House Transportation Committee Chairman Peter Pettalia. Our Northern Michigan county road commissions do a great job keeping our roads safe year round!

State Rep. Peter Pettalia and I had the distinct honor of welcoming three great Michiganders from the Michigan Press Association to the state Capitol: Rich Lamb, editor of Presque Isle Newspapers; Bill Speer, editor of the Alpena News and president of the Michigan Press Association; and Doug Caldwell, president and publisher of the Petoskey News-Review.

Thank you to David Pendley from Midland for being my guest and offering the opening invocation to Senate session. Here we are pictured with Lt. Gov. Brian Calley before session.

I appreciate constituents from Midland visiting my Lansing office! They provided me great detail on the federally passed ABLE Act of 2014. For more information, please go to www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/647.

It was great to go to Oscoda for their dedication of the Sunrise Coast Birding Trail. In the first photo, I am pictured with Department of Natural Resources Director Keith Creagh and Rep. Peter Pettalia. The second photo is with Peggy Ridgeway of AuSable Valley Audubon, AuSable Valley Audubon President Ruth Golm and Director Creagh. Congratulations on a successful opening for a new landmark along the Michigan Sunrise Coast!

Thank you to Coleman Community Schools Superintendent Mary Pitchford and teacher Marie Zwemmer for an update on Coleman schools and tour of their Agri-Biosciences Program Building.

Thank you Pastor Dan Dickerson and Pastor Mike Reece of Calvary Baptist Church in Midland for the fantastic picture.

Thank you for subscribing to my electronic newsletter! I am honored to represent you in the 36th Senate District of Michigan.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

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