Hello,
I hope that you have had a great week! This week is a very important one for all those of Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths. To all of those who are Jewish, Chag Sameach! To all those who are Muslim, Ramadan Mubarak! And to all those who are Christian, Happy Easter!
In this newsletter, I highlight upcoming community conversations around the district, recent legislation that has passed the House and reflect back on my March is Reading Month visits to schools in our district. I hope you find this update helpful and invite you to reach out to my office by phone at (517) 373-0823 or via email at ReginaWeiss@house.mi.gov if there is ever anything I can do to assist you.
Working for you,
Regina Weiss
State Representative
6th House District
In this issue:
- Community Conversation on April 17
- Committee Hearing in District on April 10
- Labor Legislation
- Gun Violence Prevention Legislation
- March is Reading Month
Community Conversation
Our next community conversation will take place on Monday, April 17, at 6 p.m. at the Berkley Public Library. I hope you are able to join me! I’ll give an update on my work in Lansing at the Capitol and look forward to discussing community issues with you, so please come with your ideas and questions!
The best way to stay apprised of future community conversations is to follow me on Facebook. In the meantime, please reach out to my office with any issues!
Committee Hearing in District
On Monday, April 10, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., the House Appropriations Subcommittee of School Aid and Education will be hosting a committee meeting at Mumford High School in Detroit. The topics of the hearing are on teacher recruitment and retention. If you are interested in seeing how committee hearings are run, please feel free to join us. I hope to see you there!
Labor Legislation
The House recently passed two bills that I sponsored, House Bills 4004 and 4005, to repeal the so-called “right-to-work” laws in Michigan. This repeal restores workers’ freedoms and ensures that workers pay union dues if they work in a union-based workplace and benefit from the contract the union negotiates. This legislation restores and strengthens the collective bargaining power of workers across our state to help ensure higher pay, better benefits, and safer working conditions. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently signed HB 4004 into law (now Public Act 9 of 2023).
The House also voted to reinstate prevailing wage, which establishes a minimum wage that workers must be paid on state-funded construction projects.
Gun Violence Prevention Legislation
The House has also passed several commonsense gun violence prevention measures, including universal background checks and safe storage laws. The safe storage bill creates guidelines to keep firearms locked or unloaded when a minor is present at home to avoid accidental shootings in homes or minors gaining access to weapons while unsupervised. The universal background checks bill requires a background check for purchases of all firearms and closes loopholes that previously allowed people to purchase guns without any background check.
March is Reading Month
This month, I had the pleasure of reading to more than 800 elementary school students across the district for March is Reading Month. As a former teacher, I always enjoy being back in the classroom with students, and I look forward to Reading Month every year! Thank you to all of the schools and teachers who welcomed me so warmly into their classrooms.
