Dear Neighbors,
Big news! Special guest Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is coming to our House District 11. On April 5, she’ll be joining me for two town halls. The first is about Senior Scam Awareness and will be at Love Is Rising Lutheran Church in Detroit; the second is about recent gun violence prevention legislation and will be at the Harper Woods Schools Career Technical Institute. Details are below.
Budget season is underway, and Gov. Whitmer is seeking increased funding for education and a substantial increase in revenue sharing with municipalities – easing tax burdens for Michigan cities and residents.
I hope to see you at an upcoming coffee hour or event, and definitely at the upcoming town halls with special guest AG Nessel.
In the meantime, if you are in need of support or resources or have any questions regarding legislation or state government in general, please feel free to reach out to my office by email or by phone; my staff and I are here for you.
Sincerely,
Veronica Paiz State Representative
11th House District
In This Issue:
- Coffee hours and community conversations
- Legislative updates
- Events and meetings
Upcoming Coffee Hours and Community Conversations
Detroit Public Library – Jefferson Branch: Monday, April 8, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. (located at 12350 E. Outer Drive at Warren Ave.)
Harper Woods Library: Monday, April 15, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. (located at 19601 Harper Ave., eastbound next to City Hall)
St. Clair Shores Library: Monday, April 1, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. (22500 E. Eleven Mile Road, next to City Hall)
St. Clair Shores Senior Activity Center: First Fridays with Seniors, April 5, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. (20100 Stephens Road, next to Civic Ice Arena)
Check with your local library or senior center for a variety of booklets and pamphlets from my office about everything from the U.S. and state constitutions and guidance for filing 2023 taxes to state maps and legislative guides for students. Or, contact my office, and we’ll be sure to get the information or literature to you.
Contact my office if you would like to have a coffee hour or meet-and-greet or arrange for an event or town hall.
EVENT ALERT:
- April 5 at 1:30 p.m., I’ll be hosting special guest AG Nessel for a Senior Scams Awareness town hall at Love is Rising Lutheran Church in Detroit at 21230 Moross Road.
- Also on April 5, I’ll be joining special guest AG Nessel for a town hall about schools and gun safety legislation at Harper Woods Schools College and Career Institute, 20570 Kelly Road just south of Vernier.
Please sign up for these events at this link.
Legislative Update
Over 100 public acts became law on Feb. 13. These laws include protecting workers’ rights, education, health and wellbeing, and safe gun legislation. You can read the new laws here: Countdown to a Better Michigan! – housedems.com.
You can view the Michigan Public Acts Tables for 2023 and 2024 to see bill numbers which have been signed into law.
February Highlights
Early in the month, I joined fellow members of the new Autism Caucus in our first meet-and-greet. I look forward to learning more about autism and how the many facets of this concerning disability can be addressed by our state legislature.
The Macomb County Medical Society and Wayne County Medical Society, among others, hosted physicians and state legislators from the tri-county area for a virtual meeting about legislation that affects patient-community health care. It was informative and encouraging to hear how our doctors believe they can better help their patients with thoughtful and timely legislation.
Sen. Keven Hertel and I hosted the Harper Woods High School Football team at the Capitol in celebration of their state championship win. The team toured the Capitol and was introduced to the Senate and House members. Bonus: the team met Speaker of the House Joe Tate, who is also a former NFL player.
Also, I attended the United Tribes of Michigan Legislative Reception. Lansing legislators met with representatives of tribal nations located in Michigan. There was discussion about cultural awareness, tribal concerns and helpful legislative ideas.
I had the great pleasure of meeting with Lakeview High School Student Council members and teachers and toured this fantastic school. I was there when biology teacher Jordan Crandall was presented the school’s Teacher of the Year award (a red rose). Next, we stopped by the government class, visited the drafting design classes and toured the auto shop. It was wonderful to have great conversations with Student Council members about their interests in leadership and their advocacy for both the high school and its diversity of students. These young people are smart and engaged students with impressive aspirations and leadership skills; I’m hopeful about their community involvement in years to come.
What am I working on?
House Bill 5525, a bill to give civil court recourse to owners of ADA service animals who are injured or killed either intentionally or through negligence. This bill is awaiting a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee.
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I joined a group of fellow representatives as sponsors of House Bills regarding short term (less than 30 days) rental housing. This package of bills, House Bills 5437–5446, seeks to give municipalities the power to regulate short-term rentals in the best interests of their residents.
I am also one of twenty legislators who are sponsors of House Resolution 191. This important resolution acknowledges the Michigan House of Representatives as “the people’s house” and denounces actions and language that promotes or espouses racism, white-supremacy, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. In short, we call on our state representative colleagues to hold ourselves to high standards of leadership and constituent representation. Sadly this resolution was prompted by the actions and words of a fellow Representative who, we believe, disrespected and endangered our constituents and staff, as well as the title of Representative in the state Legislature.
Check my House of Representatives website at RepPaiz.com to find out which bills I have sponsored and cosponsored. Have you ever thought “there ought to be a law …”? If you have, let me know your ideas! My office will research it, find out if a law about it already exists and possibly work with you to start the process to “make it so.”
Tributes
I love to honor and celebrate the many people, organizations and businesses that make House District 11 unique. Official state tributes recognize local residents and businesses, commemorate important milestones such as anniversaries, grand openings, championships and more! Know someone deserving of a tribute? Visit my House website to complete a form and my staff will get back to you within the week.
Follow me on my official Facebook page!