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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Welcome to my latest e-newsletter! It continues to be a privilege to represent Livonia, and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve our community in Lansing. I encourage you to stay up to date on what’s going on in Lansing and continue to let me know about the issues that matter to you.
If there’s anything I can do to help you and your family, please don’t hesitate to call my office at (517) 373-3920 or email me at LauriePohutsky@house.mi.gov. You can also catch me on Facebook.
Legislative Update
House Dems Pass $70 Billion FY 22 Budget I was proud to work with my House colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass a budget that will make transformational investments in Michigan’s future. My House Democratic colleagues and I fought to ensure this budget works for Michigan families across our state, and I am so proud to deliver critical funding for a number of my key priorities:
This budget is a far cry from the one originally proposed last spring, which included a 75% funding cut for most departments. House Democrats fought hard to negotiate a real budget that works for working families, students, seniors and everyone else in our community.
In the wake of the worst public health crisis we’ve seen in our lifetime, it’s more important than ever that we invest in our communities and ensure everyone in our state has the support they need to not only recover but thrive.
I look forward to continuing negotiations around the remaining federal dollars available to Michigan and bringing even more funding home to our community.
PWC Announces Bicameral Legislation to Assist Working Women and Families The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and continues to have, a substantial impact on our nation’s economy and the workforce that supports it. It has disproportionately impacted women, who have lost their jobs at higher rates than men. Despite the fact that women make up less than half of the U.S. workforce, they account for the majority of the decrease in employment.
As we continue to recover from the ongoing effects of this public health crisis, I, along with my colleagues in the Progressive Women’s Caucus, have compiled a package of bills that aim to address the barriers that women in particular face when reentering the workforce.
My bill in the package would provide paid leave for adoptive parents. To read the proposed legislation, please click here.
Session To see what we’ve been voting on over the past couple of weeks, please click here. As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office at (517) 373-3920 or lauriepohutsky@house.mi.gov.
Community Update
Virtual Mental Health Roundtable This past Monday, I hosted a virtual mental health roundtable with special guests, state Reps. Felicia Brabec and Ranjeev Puri. Together with several experts in the field, we had a great discussion focusing on the current state of Michigan’s mental health system, barriers within the system and ideas for improvement. **If you were not able to make the event, a recording of the webinar can be found on my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/RepPohutsky.
Legislative Check-Ins It is crucial to have the voices of our community heard in Lansing. So far, I have had great conversations about the importance of investing in education, repairing our economy and expanding access to quality, affordable health care. My team and I will be out in the district throughout the fall as well, and we look forward to meeting you!
Constituent Resources
FAFSA Submission Period Began Oct. 1, Applications Due by March 1 for State Priority Consideration The very first step for students and families to take when applying for scholarships and other forms of financial assistance is completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), according to the Michigan Department of Treasury. The FAFSA is needed when applying for grants, scholarships and other forms of financial assistance. The U.S. Department of Education began accepting FAFSA submissions on Oct. 1.
Academic year 2022-23 FAFSA submissions received at the federal processor on or before March 1, 2022, are given priority consideration for the Michigan Competitive Scholarship and Michigan Tuition Grant.
Students who wait to complete their FAFSA after the March 1 deadline may not receive all the financial aid they could have been entitled to receive.
Prior to completing the FAFSA online, the student and at least one parent or guardian must obtain a Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID) at www.fafsa.gov. This ID serves as a legal signature and confirms an applicant’s identity when accessing financial aid information through certain U.S. Department of Education websites.
To get started with the FAFSA, go to www.fafsa.gov. To learn more about state of Michigan scholarships and grant programs, visit the MI Student Aid website at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid.
Administered by the Department of Treasury, MI Student Aid is Michigan’s go-to resource for finding the financial resources needed to pay for college. For more information, contact MI Student Aid at mistudentaid@michigan.gov (888) 447-2687 or @mistudentaid on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.
Events
Coffee Hours
I hope you can join me for one of my upcoming in-person and virtual coffee hours! I look forward to having an informal conversation with you about the issues families face in our community. The in-person coffee hour will be held at Coffee + Cream here in Livonia, and for virtual coffee hours, you can join the livestream on my Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/RepPohutsky.
Virtual: Wednesday, Oct. 20, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. In-person: Sunday, Nov. 7, from 2 to 3 p.m.
Never hesitate to reach out to me or my staff if you have any questions or concerns! |
