Dear Friends,

Hello and welcome to my e-newsletter. I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing Labor Day weekend, while continuing to adhere to social distancing guidelines as we combat the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. We celebrate Labor Day to honor the labor movement in our country, and we should take some time to reflect on the sacrifices and recognize the contributions workers have made throughout our history. This is more important than ever in this time of crisis when numerous essential workers have kept our society afloat, many of which were previously underappreciated.

I would like to take this moment to thank you for allowing me to serve you in the 6th House District and act as your voice in Lansing. My team and I remain committed to helping constituents with their questions and issues, keeping residents up to date on new developments related to the pandemic, and providing useful resources.

As your representative, I am most effective at my job when acting on your input. 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 at (517) 373-0823, by email at TyroneCarter@house.mi.gov or through my website. Thank you for your commitment to the community we both call home; I look forward to hearing from you!

In This Edition:

  • COVID Testing Info
  • State Revenue Update
  • Unemployment Update
  • Secretary of State Extending Hours
  • USPS Update

COVID Testing Info

There are two free testing sites within our community:

Where:         International Gospel Center, 375 Salliotte Road in Ecorse
When:          Tuesdays & Wednesdays – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursdays – 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Where:         Southwestern Church of God, 3032 Fort St. in Detroit
When:          Mondays – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesdays – Noon to 8 p.m.
Saturdays – 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For additional info, visit michigan.gov/coronavirus

State Revenue Update

In a recent Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference (CREC), state officials revised estimates of the state’s revenue for the 19/20 and 20/21 fiscal years, raising it significantly. This increase is primarily due to state tax revenue from federal unemployment assistance and CARES Act funds.

For the 20/21 fiscal year, revenue estimates were raised by $2.3 billion, including $1.3 billion for the General Fund and $1 billion for the School Aid Fund.

For the 19/20 fiscal year, revenue estimates were raised by over half a billion dollars, including $257 million in the General Fund and $321 million in the School Aid Fund.

Click here to read the full report.

Unemployment Update

On Friday, August 21, Gov. Whitmer announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had approved her administration’s request for funding to provide Michiganders receiving unemployment benefits with an additional $300 per week. Payments will be retroactive for eligible residents to August 1, 2020.

Whitmer’s administration made the request in response to continued Congressional inaction following the expiration of supplementary federal unemployment support in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

While these additional funds will certainly help to keep Michigan families on their feet during this crisis, I know that long-term solutions are needed to provide residents with the financial security they need now and long after this pandemic is over. I will continue to work toward the passage of legislation that ensures resources are available to those who need it most.

Secretary of State Extending Hours

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson recently announced branch offices would offer special appointments and extended hours for Michigan residents to renew driver’s licenses or state ID cards that expire between Jan. 1, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2020.

Beginning today, customers can make appointments for between 4 and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday running from Aug. 24 through Sept. 30. To make an appointment, visit Michigan.gov/SOSAppointments or call 888-SOS-MICH (767-6424).

These special appointments are specifically for renewing a Michigan driver’s license or state ID that expires between Jan. 1, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2020, and must be renewed in person. Appointments made for license or ID renewals that do not require an in-person visit will be canceled and will need to be rescheduled. Many driver’s licenses and IDs can be renewed online at ExpressSOS.com or by mail.

These appointments can’t be used for any other type of transaction, and, like all appointments, aren’t transferable to another customer. Appointments for other limited types of transactions can continue to be made using the advance and same-day appointment categories available through the online appointment system. Most vehicle renewals can be conducted online, by mail, or at one of the more than 120 self-service stations across the state. Those vehicle renewals which were previously extended or expire on Sept. 30 must be conducted via one of those methods.

The state previously had extended the renewal dates to Sept. 30 for driver’s licenses, IDs and vehicle registrations expiring after March 1.

USPS Update

Last week, Michigan joined several other states in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) in response to concerns over recent threats to cuts in funding to the USPS and subsequent impacts to service. As reports of blue curbside mailboxes and sorting machine removal have become public, there are also ongoing investigations and hearings in the United States House and Senate to understand what happened to result in the slowdown and what can be done to ensure service is returned to normal.

For the most up to date voting information, please visit michigan.gov/vote

Sincerely,

Tyrone Carter

State Representative, 6th House District