Dear Neighbor,

Welcome to this month’s Capitol and Community Update e-newsletter!

Please encourage your neighbors and friends in House District 56 — Troy, Clawson, Royal Oak, Birmingham and Bloomfield Township — to sign up for these updates at RepMacDonell.com. And let us know if you have any thoughts on state-level issues or want to meet with me. Reach out to us by phone at (517) 373-2617 or by email at SharonMacDonell@house.mi.gov.

I can also be found on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I would be happy to hear from and work with you to make the 56th House District a better place!

In Service,

Sharon MacDonell

State Representative

House District 56

In this newsletter you will find:

• Upcoming opportunities to connect with me and other elected officials.
• Exciting updates on Troy cricket field construction.
• My thoughts on the critical issue of gun violence.

Back by popular demand! I am thrilled to welcome back special guest Attorney General Dana Nessel to my district for another one or her informative and entertaining Senior Scam presentations. She will lead a 45-minute presentation on scams targeting Michigan’s senior citizens and what seniors can do to protect themselves. I hosted a similar event with the attorney general in Clawson last year, and ever since then, I have heard from constituents asking to bring her back. I hope you can make it!

When: Monday, Sept. 9, 4-5:30 p.m.

Where: Troy Community Center, Room 303, 3179 Livernois Road, Troy, MI 48083

The following are highlights from my recent work in the Legislature. All my sponsored and co-sponsored legislation from this term are available at the provided hyperlink. You can also see my press releases page for additional updates.

I had the privilege of attending the Michigan Youth Cricket Academy’s championship tournament last month. I can’t wait until next year, when Troy can host tournaments like this one on its own regulation cricket field!

Troy Cricket Field Groundbreaking on Sept. 10!

After decades of advocacy led by Troy’s Indian American community,  I was able to ensure that last year’s state budget contained nearly $1 million for the construction of a regulation cricket field in Troy’s Boulan Park. After a year of planning and designing, the city is breaking ground on the construction of the field next week! Anyone interested in witnessing the groundbreaking should be at Boulan Park by 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10. Thank you to the many Troy residents who never gave up as they advocated for a space of their own to play the game they love.

We can and must do more to prevent gun violence

All Michiganders should be outraged by the above chart, which shows that gun violence is the leading cause of death for American children, surpassed motor vehicle accidents.

Some would want you to believe that gun violence is a tragic but unavoidable fact of life, or that the commonsense policy solutions to this problem would have the opposite effect as intended. However, this is simply not true. The truth is that gun violence has one major, discrete cause — firearms ending up in the hands of people who should not have access to them, such as children— and that policymakers can choose whether to address it. I choose to do something about it, and your Democratic Legislature and Governor have made the same choice.

Last year, the Legislature passed, and the governor signed, a historic package of gun safety policies, the beneficial effects of which we can already see. Our Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO, or “red flag”) laws create a process by which a judge can order law enforcement to temporarily remove guns from individuals’ homes who are proven to be at risk of harming themselves or others. Police chiefs, even those who were initially skeptical, tell us that this law is already saving lives. Our universal background check system keeps people with a criminal history from obtaining firearms. And our safe firearm storage laws will reduce the number of children killed by firearms. I am proud to have voted YES on each of these bills and grateful that our Democratic leadership recognizes gun violence as the urgent, preventable policy issue that it is.

State Rep. Julie Brixie and I are sponsoring the Safe Homes, Safe Schools package—House Bills 5450 and 5451. This package will direct the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Michigan Department of Education to share critical information about storing weapons safely in the home via our children’s schools to parents and guardians. With more parents aware of their responsibilities under the laws, I am confident these bills will lead to more firearms being safely stored away from children and fewer children harming themselves or others.

As long as Michigan Democrats have the power to enact gun safety legislation, we must do so. One child’s death by gun violence is too many.

I recently toured the facilities of United Community Family Services -Chaldean American Ladies of Charity, a Troy-based organization that helps thousands of Oakland County families every year. They provide food assistance, ESL services, parenting classes and more to our community’s most vulnerable residents. Thank you for the awesome work you do!

Submissions for Small Business of the Month AND Teacher of the Month

Each month, I recognize a small business in the community from House District 56 as our small business of the month. To nominate your favorite company for this recognition, please fill out this form for Small Business of the Month. I am also excited to recognize a Teacher of the Month! Teachers are the backbone of this nation, and our district has the BEST! Please fill out this form to recognize a Teacher of the Month.

Tributes, Letters, and Certificates

Do you know someone in the district who is retiring and would like a legislative tribute to celebrate their years of service? Has a local team or group reached a milestone that they would like to be acknowledged with an official certificate for each member? Our office can provide legislative tributes, letters, and certificates on a wide range of recognitions for constituents. If you would like to request any of these materials for yourself or others, please email my office at SharonMacDonell@house.mi.gov with as much information as possible on the requested recognition, and we will work with you to arrange delivery or presentation of the recognition!