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Dear Neighbor,
Welcome to my e-newsletter! I’m honored and humbled to serve as our community’s voice at the Capitol in Lansing. As we continue into the term, rest assured that the challenges families in our community and state are facing are at the top of my legislative priorities.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office by phone at (517) 373-0152 or email at AmosONeal@house.mi.gov if we can help.
Sincerely,
Amos O’Neal State Representative, 95th House District
In this issue:
Senate Bill 565 – Supplemental Appropriation Last week, we secured monumental funding for many longstanding Democratic priorities in our budget supplemental, amounting to almost $5 billion for water infrastructure and other vital projects.
The governor signed this bill into law this week, and we’re incredibly proud to deliver to Michiganders historic investments in roads and bridges, highway stormwater pumping stations, clean drinking water, lead and PFAS remediation, state and local parks infrastructure, rental and housing assistance, and high speed internet access.
This is the direct result of all of our tireless advocacy on these fronts, and our push to pressure the Republican majority into finally releasing these state and federal funds into our communities.
Senate Bill 247 – Prior Authorization The House took up, and finally passed, a bill that would amend the Insurance Code to delete provisions pertaining to expedited review of prior authorization requests.
This bill is so important because it would reduce costly delays and interference in the medical process and improve access to quality health care. It would not hinder insurance companies’ ability to control costs but rather ensure methods like prior authorization are used responsibly.
We need to do more to ensure that patients and doctors are getting the support they need in a timely manner, and this bill will do that.
Tax Cut Proposals I wanted to address all of the recent tax cut proposals we’ve been taking votes on in Lansing. While many in our communities are struggling with rising prices at the pump and elsewhere, we have seen a truly irresponsible tax slashing frenzy from our majority party counterparts that can only be described as reckless.
The recently passed state gas tax suspension would blow a $750 million hole in our budget for road repairs and translate into thousands of jobs lost and road repair projects halted and delayed. The income tax change recently considered, less than $50 for most Michigan families and a generous gift of thousands of dollars to the wealthiest Michiganders, would have cost the General and School Aid funds billions each year. Another tax proposal would have forfeited billions in federal assistance funds.
We’re hard at work to find solutions and relief for Michiganders, but the recent proposals we have seen would have devastating impacts on our state for years to come. |
