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
31st District

On Tuesday, March 14, Senate Democrats, with their 20-18 majority, voted to repeal Michigan’s Right to Work laws. I stood and spoke my opposition to the passing of Senate Bill 34, legislation to repeal Right to Work here in Michigan. I have seen firsthand the devastation of the Lost Decade. I worked through some of Michigan's toughest times. I believe this is truly a setback for our state, and our workers and small businesses will be the ones to pay the price. You can watch my no vote explanation below:

Lane closures and traffic shifts between M-24 and Lake George Road will begin on Monday, March 20, as part of the rebuilding of the eastbound roadbed. Please make sure you are giving yourself extra time and being cautious of road crew workers!

The Consumers Energy Foundation is seeking entries for its annual “Put Your Town on the Map” pitch competition. Small and rural towns are encouraged to submit ideas that can help their communicates grow and thrive.

“The ‘Put Your Town on the Map’ pitch competition provides Michigan communities a huge opportunity to work on transformational projects, and I’d encourage all small and rural towns to submit their big ideas,” said Jessie Black, Big Rapids Community Economic Development Specialist, who won the first-place prize at last year’s competition. “We were so grateful to receive this funding from the Consumers Energy Foundation because it enabled us to move ahead with plans for the new Big Rapids skatepark.”

The contest seeks to reward innovative ideas that attract visitors to downtowns, advance housing, education or employment, cultivate community pride and more. Three winners will receive project funding grants worth $25,000, $15,000 and $10,000, respectively. Communities with up to 10,000 residents may apply. Click here to submit your proposal. Submissions are due April 7.

If you are a Great Lakes Water Authority customer who needs help paying your water bill, assistance is available through the Water Residential Assistance Program (WRAP). Customers who own or rent their home and are at or below 200% of the federal poverty level may be eligible for help reducing their water bill and paying past due balances. Learn more at www.GLWater.org/assistance.

I recently voted to help secure meaningful relief for every Michigan taxpayer by protecting an automatic state income tax rate cut. This is a victory for all Michigan families, who will soon see long-term income tax relief because Senate Republicans stood strong against Democrat spending that would have prevented this cut from taking place.

Under a 2015 law, if revenues in Michigan’s general fund increase past a certain point, an automatic and permanent reduction to the state income tax rate is triggered. The House and Senate fiscal agencies estimate that Michigan met that threshold in fiscal year 2022, leading to an expected income tax cut from 4.25% to 4.05%.

If the Democrats’ spending in House Bill 4001 had gone into effect right away, it would have stopped a tax cut for everyone in exchange for a one-time rebate amounting to less than 50 cents a day — and only 25 cents a day per person if you are married. This vote was the first step in our plan to provide real inflation relief. A family of four making $60,000 would only receive a one-time $180 check under the Democrats’ plan. Senate Republicans proposed protecting the permanent tax rollback and creating a $500 child tax credit. Our plan would provide that same family more than $1,000 in on-going relief every year.

Thankfully, we were able to secure meaningful relief for every taxpayer and allow Michiganders to keep more of their hard-earned money.

Each year, March is recognized as National Reading Month. Every year I look forward to visiting schools and reading some of my favorite books to students.

During the month of March, I will be reading some of my favorite stories from my seat in the Michigan Senate chamber and sharing them on social media platforms. I have provided all the videos for you to enjoy and share below:

The last few weeks have brought ice storms and other weather events across our state that have left a path of broken branches and damaged limbs. Follow these safety tips to keep yourself safe and give mature trees the best chance at survival:

Spring turkey season runs from April 22 through June 7, and while the spring turkey application period is closed, there are still opportunities to hunt this season.

Hunters who were not selected in the drawing may purchase a leftover turkey license from any license agent, online at Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses, or through the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app, on a first-come, first-served basis for a one-week period beginning at 10 a.m. on March 13.

Hunters who did not enter the drawing can purchase leftover licenses or a Hunt 0234 license beginning at 10 a.m. on March 20. The Hunt 0234 license is a guaranteed license that offers hunters flexible hunting options between May 6-31. This license has no quota and can be purchased throughout the entire spring turkey hunting season.

Learn more about this hunt and season dates in the 2023 Spring Turkey Digest.

The 2023 Pure Michigan Spring/Summer Travel Guide features stunning sites, exciting places to visit and fun activities to experience all around the Great Lakes state. Whether your summer plans include the Great Lakes shoreline, golfing or a craft beer tour, the Pure Michigan Travel Guide is a great place to start. The publication includes regional highlights and inspiration for every traveler.

The travel guide is available to download for free.

When Michigan voters approved Proposal 3, they were not voting for unregulated abortions for anyone at any time for any reason. Many voters thought they were just codifying Roe v. Wade into law.

Even with the passage of Proposal 3, voters have shown they still do support basic safety protocols and reasonable limitations.

During a recent vote to repeal Michigan’s 1931 abortion law, Republicans introduced amendments that would have strengthened protections for vulnerable women and babies — including protections for children with Down syndrome; support for adoption programs; funding for safe housing, prenatal care, and other pregnancy resources for women in need; and strengthened penalties for partial birth or coerced abortions.

I will do everything possible to protect the sanctity of life.

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