Dear Friends,

Welcome to the latest edition of my monthly e-newsletter. As always, I hope you find the news and information below helpful. Please feel free to share this newsletter with anyone you feel may be interested.

My staff and I are available should you have any thoughts or concerns about state government. Please feel free to contact my office at [email protected] or at 517-373-1777.

Sincerely,

Kevin Daley
State Senator
26th District

Michigan agricultural producers can now apply for federal assistance through two new programs for revenue losses resulting from 2020 and 2021 natural disasters or the COVID-19 pandemic. Both programs have been designed to help fill gaps in earlier assistance.

The Emergency Relief Program Phase Two will benefit agricultural producers impacted by expenses associated with losses of eligible crops due, in whole or part, to a qualifying disaster event experienced during calendar years 2020 and 2021. The Pandemic Assistance Revenue Program will provide direct financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who suffered at least a 15% loss in gross revenue in calendar year 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Applications for both programs are due June 2, 2023. Producers with questions about these programs or how to apply should contact the Farm Service Agency through their local USDA Service Center.  

Senate Republicans announced our “Roadmap for a Better Michigan” — a plan to improve the lives of every Michigan resident, keep our economy strong, and avoid a second Lost Decade.

Gov. Whitmer and the new Democratic majority have recklessly spent the state’s historic budget surplus and passed laws that threaten to take Michigan back to times of high unemployment, declining household incomes and financial hardships.

The “Roadmap for a Better Michigan” includes three core principles:

As inflation continues to soar and unemployment remains above the national average, Democrats are passing bills to make Michigan a much less attractive place to live or operate a business. It’s a recipe for disaster.

Our plan provides a roadmap to get Michigan back on track with recommendations to help Michiganders struggling with inflation, improve schools and roads, and reduce crime.

The Michigan Secretary of State branch office located at 408 S. Saginaw St. in downtown Flint has closed and will reopen in a new location at 310 E. 3rd St. as of 9 a.m. on Monday, May 15.

The new office will offer a larger lobby space, improved counters, public restrooms, and free parking on the street and at an adjacent lot. Appointments may be scheduled, and other services are available online at Michigan.gov/SOS.

Parental involvement is critical to a child’s educational success. That’s why I voted against legislation that would make it harder for parents to know how their child’s school is performing.

Michigan’s current system assigns a letter grade ‘A’ through ‘F’ to several areas of school performance, including proficiency in reading and math, student growth, graduation rates, and a school’s performance in comparison with its peers.

House Bill 4166 would eliminate the A-F accountability system for Michigan public schools. Its passage follows Democrats’ elimination of a portion of law that helped ensure every Michigan student is able to read at their grade level.

Without these accountability measures in place, it will be more difficult for parents to make informed decisions about their child’s education.

It’s time to purchase your 2023 ORV licenses and trail permits. Permits are valid for one year and provide access to 4,000 miles of state-designated ORV trails and scramble areas, eligible county, state or national forest roads and more.

The fees generated through ORV licenses and trail permits are reinvested back into the ORV system for trail expansion, grant funding for annual trail grooming, and infrastructure improvements.

ORV licenses and trail permits can be purchased online or in person at a number of DNR license agents and dealers.

May is National Military Appreciation Month. While I am sure that like me, you are grateful every day for the brave men and women of our nation’s armed forces, this month is an opportunity to fully honor the sacrifices our U.S. military has made to protect our freedoms.

For more information on upcoming ceremonies and activities to honor veterans and military families, please visit the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency events calendar at Michigan.gov/mvaa/events. 

The Michigan Senate recently passed a bipartisan package of bills to prevent sexual assault, support survivors and punish offenders.

Senate Bills 66-73 make a number of reforms to certain medical practices and put important safeguards and guidelines in place.

This bill package — originating in the aftermath of the sexual assault investigations and convictions of former Michigan State University doctor Larry Nassar — aims to protect survivors, strengthens penalties to prevent future crimes and improves accountability measures.

The bills now head to the House of Representatives for consideration.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced the second round of the Michigan Spark Grant opened on May 1. The grant program was created through the passage of SB 565 in 2022.

Senate Bill 565, signed into law as Public Act 53 of 2022, provided up to $65 million to help communities across the state develop or create outdoor recreational opportunities for residents and visitors. Applications for the Michigan Spark Grant’s second round opened May 1 and will run through June 26. Eligible applicants must be local units of government or public authorities legally designated to provide public recreation or regional or statewide organizations of such entities working together.

Individual grant amounts will range from a minimum of $100,000 to a maximum of $1 million and will be distributed in three rounds:

All projects must be completed by Dec. 31, 2026. For more information, including program details and to watch a recorded informational webinar, please visit the Michigan Spark Grant website.

Looking for updates on current fishing conditions? Subscribe to the weekly fishing report. The weekly email, published by the Department of Natural Resources, provides fishing conditions from around the state. Updates come from a combination of creel clerks and other DNR staff and reflect past fishing conditions over the last seven days.

You can also download the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish mobile app to purchase and store hunting, fishing, ORV and snowmobile licenses and permits. The app provides access to:

All public and private K-12 schools and early child care facilities in Michigan are eligible to receive portable air purifying systems and filters at no cost to the school. The MI Safe School Indoor Air Ventilation program is designed to improve indoor air quality in schools.

The program works with partners to provide air purifiers at no cost to Michigan schools and other child care providers. Since the launch of the program in December 2022, more than 25,500 air purification machines have been sent to 332 school districts.

Air purifiers are provided by Epidemiology Laboratory Capacity Reopening Schools grant funds. Portable air purifiers will be available through July 2023, or while supplies last.

For more information, K-12 schools and licensed early childhood education centers may submit their information by filling out the MI Safe School Air Ventilation Program interest form. Applicants will be contacted by a member of the MDHHS Testing Collection and Coordination Team to complete the application process.

On April 19, I had the pleasure of giving the opening invocation for the Senate session in Lansing. Please pray for our Michigan farmers as we head into planting season in the coming weeks! Click on the image below to hear my remarks.

On May 1, my staff and I joined state Rep. Matthew Bierlein and his staff at the Human Development Commission in Caro to pack food boxes for their Commodity Supplemental Food Distributions. It’s always a pleasure to volunteer for such a wonderful organization!

Bay City and Midland firefighters recently stopped by my office in Lansing. It’s always great to see constituents from the district here at the Capitol!

I recently joined legislators that represent the Great Lakes Bay Region for a tour of Hemlock Semiconductor in Hemlock. We had the opportunity to see the facilities and how products are made. It is great to see businesses like HSC coming to Michigan with a passion for supporting the local community, environment, and their employees.

On May 4, I had the pleasure of hosting the Michigan Sugar Queens at the Capitol!

Students and instructors from the Genesee Career Institute had the opportunity to showcase their programs and current projects as part of the annual Career and Technical Educational Showcase inside Heritage Hall at the Capitol in Lansing.

Wishing all moms a Happy Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 14!

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