Dear Neighbor,

I am honored and humbled to be your state representative. As we (finally) put aside our winter jackets for the season, please know that my staff and I are here for you.

If you are in need of support or resources or have any questions regarding legislation or state government in general, please feel free to reach out to me at my office via email at samanthasteckloff@house.mi.gov or by calling (517) 373-3920.

Sincerely,

Samantha Steckloff

State Representative, 19th House District

In this issue:

  • Upcoming In-person Events
  • Oral Chemotherapy and PhARMA Transparency
  • Budget Wins!
  • Legislative Achievements

Upcoming Coffee Hours

Please join me for my next coffee hour on Monday, June 26, at 5:30 p.m. at the Southfield Public Library! I will be joined by state Sen. Jeremy Moss. If you have any questions or concerns or just want to chat about the work of the Legislature, please join us!

Oral Chemotherapy and PhARMA Transparency

Back on April 20, I had the pleasure of testifying before the House Committee on Health Policy on my bill about PhARMA transparency. If approved, this bill will change the reporting requirements of pharmaceutical companies by requiring disclosure of pricing to the state. This disclosure aims to make it easier to lower prescription costs. Coming up on May 11, I will be testifying before the Health Policy Committee again, this time in support of my oral chemotherapy bill. This bill will seek to make the cost of oral chemotherapy comparable to, if not the same as, intravenous chemotherapy. Your ability to take regular chemotherapy treatments from the comfort of your own home shouldn’t be determined by the cost of the treatment!

S HP

Budget Wins!

I am honored to be the chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education and Community Colleges. On April 26, the House Appropriations Committee reported our budget out favorably to the House at large, and I am very proud of what I’ve proposed for fiscal 2023-24:

  • 4.5% operations funding increase for community colleges and a 6.8% operations funding increase for our state universities.
  • Increase of MPSERS funding and down payment to meet our state pension debt obligations.
  • Michigan Achievement Scholarship:
    • Deposited $50 million into this new, transformative, post-secondary scholarship fund.
    • Modified definitions and changed requirements to make it easier for Michigan students that have completed FAFSA to receive funds.
  • Supporting our institutions to encourage and increase enrollment and degree completion.

Next, the House will vote on my proposed budget, and then we will negotiate a final version of the budget with our Senate counterparts.

Legislative Achievements

It has been a very busy year so far for the Michigan Legislature! Michigan House Democrats came into this new year with some lofty goals, and we are thrilled with what we have accomplished already in these first few months.

We have empowered workers.

  • On March 21, House Democrats gave final approval to bills to strengthen workers’ rights and ensure Michigan’s trained and talented workers are paid what they’re worth. Together, House Bill 4004 and Senate Bill 34 repeal the so-called “right-to-work” laws that sapped unions’ ability to negotiate on their members’ behalf for better compensation and working conditions.
  • HB 4007 and SB 6 reinstate Michigan’s prevailing wage law. The Legislature repealed the prevailing wage law in 2018, claiming it would save taxpayers money on public construction projects. No evidence of those savings ever materialized; in fact, studies have shown that construction projects where prevailing wage is paid are more likely to be completed on time and under budget.

We have finally protected the LGBTQ+ community.

  • On March 16, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was joined by my good friend state Sen. Jeremy Moss, who sponsored this legislation, and other legislators, advocates and allies to sign legislation expanding the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA). The bill affirms legal protections for sexual orientation and expands coverage to include gender identity and expression.

We passed commonsense gun reform.

  • On March 8, the Michigan House of Representatives took action to make communities around the state safer by passing the first of several bills to prevent gun violence. House Bills 4138, 4142 and 4143 establish the requirement for background checks on all gun sales in Michigan.
  • Current Michigan law requires background checks for all handgun sales, but long guns, such as rifles and shotguns, are not subject to the requirement. HBs 4138, 4142 and 4143 amend the state’s firearms law, the Michigan Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure, respectively, to ensure that all firearm sales are subject to a background check.
  • These bills are just the first action House Democrats plan to take to address the public health crisis of gun violence. While no single change in law or regulation will solve the issue of gun violence, House Democrats are committed to taking thoughtful, reasonable steps to keep firearms out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves or others.

We are putting money back in the pockets of seniors and working families.

  • On March 7, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined members of the Michigan Legislature to sign the Lowering MI Costs plan into law. The Lowering MI Costs plan rolls back the retirement tax, putting $1,000 back in the pockets of 500,000 households, and quintuples the Working Families Tax Credit, delivering an average combined tax refund of $3,150 to 700,000 families, directly benefiting nearly 1 million kids — almost half the kids in Michigan.