Dear Neighbor,

I am writing you today to invite you to my upcoming coffee hour, Friday, May 28 from 12 to 1 p.m. These events provide an excellent opportunity to receive updates on my work at the Capitol and discuss any other questions or concerns you may have.

To sign up for this event click here.

I hope you can join me!

Morse Coffee Hour.png

This month I will also host the first “Mingle with Morse.” This virtual happy hour is held once a month on Wednesday evenings for those who are unable to join my Friday afternoon coffee hours. The first will be held on Wednesday, May 19th from 6:30-7:30pm.

To sign up for this event click here.

Mingle with Morse

Secretary of State Appointment Information

Many of you have shared frustrations with my team about utilizing the Secretary of State services, so below are some instructions and tips for how to best utilize the online resources.

At 8am and noon you can go to the Secretary of State website and book appointments for the following day- these appointments go fast!

Otherwise, you can book a future appointment online. Unfortunately, the soonest appointments available at this time are several months out.

https://www.michigan.gov/sos/

Go to the Secretary of State website > click “Make Appointment” > enter your zip code or city > choose the SOS office you want to go to and click “Make Appointment” >

At this page you can either pick a next day appointment at 8am or 12pm (limited) or schedule an appointment.

There are also several actions that can be done at a self-service kiosk, or online.

At Self-Service Stations you can:

  • Renew registration
  • Renew license or ID if new photo is not necessary
  • Replace license/ID and print temporary
  • Add motorcycle endorsement
  • And more

Find the nearest self-service station here: https://miselfservicestation.com/

Online you can:

Go to Online Services here: https://dsvsesvc.sos.state.mi.us/TAP/_/

Or locate all of this at: https://www.michigan.gov/sos/

I understand how frustrating it is when there are significant delays to getting an SOS appointment, or your important documents are overdue. The SOS is continuing to catch up from the cases that piled up during the original pandemic lockdown. Should you have any problems with the Secretary of State that cannot be resolved through their website or phoneline, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office, and my staff will assist in figuring out the situation with you.

UIA Work Search Requirements

Work search requirements waived for individuals receiving unemployment benefits since March 2020 will soon be reinstated. An exact date has not yet been set, but if you are currently receiving UIA benefits here is what to expect.

  • What does this mean for you?
    • To continue to receive unemployment benefits claimants will be required to actively seek work and report at least one work search activity during your bi-weekly certification for benefits. Your benefits will not be paid until your work search activities have been reported.

  • What is Work Search Activity
    • Work search activities include applying for jobs in person or online, attending job fairs or employment workshops, or searching job listings at sites like Monster.com, LinkedIn or MITalent.org.
    • UIA will ask how and when you applied for the position and for the company’s contact information. Work search activities must be entered at the time of certification or your certification is not complete, and your benefit payment will not be issued.

  • Who Has to Do a Work Search?
    • Reporting your work search activities will be required for most claimants receiving unemployment benefits. If you have an approved waiver, the requirement is waived and you are not required to search for work. A person may be eligible for a waiver due to COVID-19 related reasons. More information on waivers will be forthcoming.
    • Visit the UIA website at michigan.gov/uia, check your email and your MiWAM account for more information about the work search requirement in the coming weeks.

COVID-19 Update

Michigan continues to hit major COVID-19 recovery milestones. This week, it was announced fully vaccinated Michiganders are no longer required to wear a mask indoors or outdoors. Those who have yet to be vaccinated, or have received only one vaccine dose, are not required to wear a mask outdoors but must wear a mask indoors for health and safety.

The new order will take effect on Saturday, May 15 at 9 a.m.

After July 1, the broad indoor mask mandate will expire.

If you’re eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, go to Kalamazoo County Health Departments website to learn more or check out other vaccination sites. If you need help navigating the vaccine scheduling process, call the COVID-19 hotline at 888-535-6136 (press 1).

Volunteer with Team Morse!

My staff and I are starting to knock doors and make phone calls to check in on the HD 61 community and learn about their concerns and top priorities. Can you join us this summer?

Morse Volunteer

If you are interested in volunteering with my office to help us connect with constituents, call or email my team. We’d love for you to join us!

Sincerely,

Christine Morse

State Representative, 61st House District