Dear Friends,
As your representative, I am most effective at my job when acting on your input, and I encourage you to reach out to me and my staff with any questions, comments or concerns you may have about issues in the district, or legislation that will impact our state. You can contact me toll-free at (855) 347-8095, by email at vanessaguerra@house.mi.gov or through my website, guerra.housedems.com. I look forward to hearing from you, and thank you for your commitment to the community we both call home.
- Democrats’ Prescription Drug Affordability Bill Package
- Road Construction Information Available Online
- Stay in the Know: My Legislative Website
I was honored to be appointed to serve on the recently formed House CARES (Community, Access, Resources, Education and Safety) Task Force. It is a privilege to be a part of this bipartisan group of lawmakers who began meeting in July to study issues of substance abuse, mental health, veterans’ health care, and how law enforcement responds to people dealing with addiction or mental illness. The task force is taking expert testimony and public comment on these important issues that affect our community and residents across Michigan.
I would like to encourage you to take part in the task force by sharing your thoughts, concerns and suggestions. Task force meetings are open to the public, and comment forms will be available so that you can offer your thoughts in person. If you are unable to attend, please leave a comment online at house.mi.gov/CARES or contact my office. The CARES website will also feature summaries of the meetings.
Michigan has the fifth-highest prescription drug costs in the country, yet every year, drug companies raise their costs 10, 20, 50 and sometimes 5,000 percent, posting record profits while Michiganders struggle to afford medication. That is unacceptable.
Drug companies should be required to justify prescription price increases to Michigan consumers. Our Prescription Drug Consumer Protection Board would review information to determine if drug price increases are justified and impose penalties if a drug company fails to provide justification or fails to provide a 60-day notice before a price increase.
Michigan Home Heating Credit
Eligible customers must have their homestead in Michigan, must own or rent the home in which they live, and for the standard allowance, their income must fall within certain limits, as indicated below:
*Note: Add $4,571 for each additional exemption over 6.
Customers of a regulated heating fuel utility may not be shut off between the time they apply for the HHC and the time they receive the credit. Customers who receive a shut off notice and have applied for the HHC should contact their utility provider to let it know they have applied for the credit. Home Heating Credits are processed by the Michigan Department of Treasury. The form (MI-1040CR-7) is available at michigan.gov/taxes, or by calling (517) 636-4486.
Customers who need assistance filing for the HHC should call 2-1-1. Go to www.michigan.gov/energy for details.
The 2017 Paving the Way state construction map is now available online at www.michigan.gov/mdotmapswww.michigan.gov/drivePotholes are a major problem in Michigan. Our older, deteriorated roads can no longer withstand the constant freeze-thaw climate. Whether you hit a pothole or you missed it, you can save your fellow motorists the headaches and costs of repairs by reporting it.
If the pothole is on a state trunkline (roads with I-, US- or M- prefixes), pothole reports or other road concerns should be submitted to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) by filling out their online form at http://mdotcf.state.mi.us/public/webforms/public/3600.pdf or by calling (888) 296-4546.
The Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center, 1500 Weiss Street in Saginaw, will hold their flu clinic in the main lobby of the Medical Center September 5 through October 4 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. However, if Veterans are receiving care from their primary care team at a different day and time, they can ask their provider or nurse for a vaccine as well. Also, if Veterans have received their flu vaccine somewhere other than the VA, they need to let their health care team know for documentation in their Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS).
For Veterans who receive their care from a Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), the flu clinics will be held 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. each day, with the exception of two CBOCs.
- The Bad Axe CBOC flu clinic will run from 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. each day.
- The Traverse City CBOC flu clinic will run from 9:00 a.m. – Noon and 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. on the specific dates of September 18, 19, 26, 27 and October 3, 4, 10, 11.
For information about receiving the flu vaccine at the VA or any of the Community Based Outpatient Clinics located throughout mid to northern Michigan, please call the VA Flu Hotline at 1-800-406-5143, extension 14507. The best way to prevent the flu is by getting vaccinated each year. Thank you!
The Aleda E. Lutz VAMC in Saginaw, Michigan operates an 81-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation Community Living Center, with an additional 8-bed acute medicine and telemetry wing. It provides care to over 35,400 Veterans in a 35-county geographic area, from mid-Michigan to the Mackinac Bridge. Veterans also receive care at one of our nine VA Community Based Outpatient Clinics located throughout Michigan. More information about this VA can be found at www.saginaw.va.gov.
If you’re looking for up-to-date information about what’s going on in the Legislature, as well as information regarding policy I’m advocating for and projects I have been working on with my colleagues in the House, please visit my website here. There you’ll find press releases, interviews and floor speech videos, and, as always, my contact information.