Dear Neighbor,

Hi, I’m Jason. I’ve had the privilege to serve as your state representative for Washtenaw, Wayne and Oakland counties over the last two years and am honored to continue to serve you. 

As we head into the final stretch of the legislative year following elections across the country, often called “lame duck,” the work ahead is crucial for shaping the future of Michigan. During this time, many critical bills are under discussion, with the potential to make lasting changes in our communities. I’m committed to advancing policies that support hardworking families; protect our people, environment and health; and promote economic opportunity for all.

I’ve included a list below of some of the most pressing issues we’re focused on during this “lame duck” end of year legislative session. 

I want to hear from you about what issues you want to see action on in the final weeks of 2024. As your representative, your feedback is so important to helping us put people first. So, please reach out and let us know which of these issues are most important to you!

Upcoming Events

I want to hear about the issues that matter to you! Join us in Ann Arbor for our next coffee hour, as well as a special End of Year Town Hall with Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and the Ann Arbor Delegation as Special Guests!

  • Coffee Hour. Saturday, Dec. 14, from 11 a.m. to noon at Panera Bread, 3205 Washtenaw Ave. in Ann Arbor.

  • End of Year Town Hall. Dec. 17 from 5:30-7 p.m. in the Wolverine Room of the Michigan Union (3rd floor), 530 S. State St. in Ann Arbor. Sign up is  required for attendance, https://forms.gle/HDjaRWzptpS13pW97.

Critical End of Year Legislation:

 

Supporting Working Families with Housing Access and Workplace Protections

Protect Renters from Income Discrimination: HB 4062 (Rep. Conlin), HB 4063 (Rep. Morgan), SB 205 (Sen. Cavanagh), SB 206 (Sen. Bayer), SB 207 (Sen. Irwin)

  • These bills prevent Michiganders from being denied housing because of how they earn or receive their legal income, such as through Social Security, Housing Choice Vouchers or other sources. This makes renting fairer and helps working families, seniors and those with fixed incomes find safe, stable homes. The Senate bills have passed the Legislature and are waiting for action by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Protecting Families from Rental Junk Fees: SB 661 (Sen. Bayer)

  • Targets unfair and unnecessary fees added to utility bills by requiring transparency and eliminating hidden costs, helping families save money on essential services like water, electricity and gas.

Right to Legal Counsel for Renters in Eviction Court: HB 5237 (Rep. Dievendorf)

  • This bill creates a statewide right to legal counsel for tenants facing eviction in Michigan. It offers free or affordable legal assistance during court proceedings, giving renters a fair opportunity to navigate the legal system, keep families in their homes and prevent homelessness.

Improving Safety and Fairness in Manufactured Housing: HB 5157 (Rep. Hill) – HB 5163 (Rep. McKinney), SB 486 (Sen. Cherry) – SB 492 (Sen. Irwin)

  • This package creates stronger oversight for manufactured housing communities across Michigan to improve living conditions and protect residents. It addresses commonplace issues such as poor maintenance, hidden predatory fees and neglectful management practices that harm residents. By providing the needed tools for local and state officials to hold predatory park owners accountable, it ensures that manufactured housing remains a safe, affordable living option for tens of thousands of Michigan families.

Establishing the Right to Repair and Protecting Tenant Organizing: SB 900–903 (Sen. Anthony)

  • This legislation protects tenants’ rights by putting the right to repair into law, guaranteeing that tenants have safe housing and that their landlords make timely repairs. It also requires adequate notice for rent increases and prevents landlords from using leases to block tenant organizing or right to repair, creating more safe and equitable rental opportunities in Michigan.

Restore Local Control Over Worker Protections: HB 4231 (Rep. Hill), HB 4237 (Rep. Andrews), SB 170, SB 171 (Sen. McCann)

  • Under current state law, the “Death Star” limits local governments’ ability to set their own labor standards. Repealing this law would empower local communities to improve working conditions for their residents, leading to higher wages, better benefits, safer workplaces and more flexibility for workers and families.

Expanding Unemployment Insurance for a Resilient Workforce: HB 5827 (Rep. Whitsett)

  • This bill restores the right of unemployed workers to get benefits for 26 weeks instead of 20 weeks, which is the current law. Workers who lose their jobs through no-fault of their own should have more time to find new employment, reducing financial stress and providing a valuable safety net for working families. 

Growing our Economy by Investing in Housing, Transportation & Infrastructure

Building a Stronger Michigan with Better Transit, Community Investments, and Lower-Cost Housing: HB 5768 (Rep. Hoskins), HB 5769 (Rep. Morgan), HB 5770 (Rep. McFall), SB 559 (Sen. McMorrow), SB 560 (Sen. Cavanagh), SB 561 (Sen. McMorrow), SB 562 (Sen. Cavanagh)

  • Known as the “Make it in Michigan Package,” this legislation invests in the future of Michigan through a 10-year commitment to a long-term comprehensive economic development strategy for Michigan. The package would dedicate $200 million per year to transformational public transportation projects, $250 million to attracting and growing jobs in Michigan, $100 million to build affordable housing, and $50 million for community revitalization projects. These funds will improve mobility and housing, helping working families save money, connect communities and drive sustainable economic growth.

Holding Big Corporations Accountable to Support our Communities

Protecting Communities By Passing Polluter Pay/Accountability Legislation: SB 605 (Sen. Irwin), 606 (Sen. Moss), 607 (Sen. Chang), 609 (Sen. McCann), 611 (Sen. McMorrow), HB 5247 (Rep. Koleszar), 5242 (Rep. Morgan), 5245 (Rep. Arbit), 5243 (Rep. Neeley), 5244 (Rep. Skaggs)

  • This package is designed to address the challenges posed by environmental contamination in Michigan. Polluter accountability would improve and clarify standards for environmental cleanup, prevent and clean up abandoned polluted sites, promote access to justice for those harmed by pollution and hold polluters accountable for the cleanup — not Michigan taxpayers.

End “Dark Store” Tax Loophole for Big-Box Retailers: HB 5865 (Rep. Hill), 5866 (Rep. Brixie), 5867 (Rep. Xiong), 5868 (Rep. Markkanen)

  • This bipartisan legislation aims to level the playing field by closing the “dark store” tax loophole, which allows big-box retailers to unfairly lower their property tax assessments. This disproportionately shifts the burden onto local businesses, homeowners and small communities, particularly in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan. By closing this loophole, Michigan can ensure a fairer tax system and protect essential local communities.

Lowering Energy Costs for Michigan Families

Reducing Energy Costs by Enabling Community Solar in Michigan: SBs 152 (Sen. McBroom) and SB 153 (Sen. Irwin)

  • Allow communities to build community solar projects. This would enable residents and businesses to subscribe to solar projects even if they can’t install panels on their property. This helps reduce energy costs, supports clean energy production in our state and puts money back into the pockets of Michiganders.

Reduce Utilities’ Political Influence (Take Back Our Power) (TBOP): HBs 5520 and 5521 (Rep. Wegela)

  • Both bills would ensure that the state-regulated utility companies in the state would be prevented from donating to political candidates, elected officials, political action committees or other political organizations. This would allow the Legislature to push harder on utilities to provide more reliable and affordable energy.

Ensuring Good Government & Tackling Big Money in our Politics

BRITE Act – Tackling Big Money in Politics Through Government Ethics and Accountability Package: HB 5580 (Rep. Brixie), 5581 (Rep. Wilson Jr.), 5582 (Rep. Morgan), 5583 (Rep. Byrnes), 5584 (Rep. Hill), 5585 (Rep. Coffia), 5586 (Rep. Hope)

  • The BRITE Act package strengthens transparency and ethics standards for elected officials. By increasing public access to information and outlining clear conflict-of-interest rules, these bills aim to rebuild trust and ensure decisions are made with the public’s best interest in mind.
  • HBs 5580 (Rep. Brixie) and 5582 (Rep. Morgan): Expected to be taken up by the House Ethics and Oversight Committee scheduled for Dec. 5 at 10:30 a.m. Members of the public attending virtually through HouseTV are encouraged to submit written comments to the Committee Clerk, Keith Feldpausch at kfeldpausch@house.mi.gov. 

Protecting LGBTQ Families

Easing the Process for Legal Name and ID Changes: HBs 5300 (Rep. Pohutsky), 5301 (Rep. Dievendorf), 5302 (Rep. Brabec), 5303 (Rep. Scott)

  • These bills simplify the process for people changing their name or gender marker on legal documents. By eliminating outdated requirements like mandatory fingerprinting and doctor’s affidavits, these bills make it easier for transgender and non-binary people to update their identification documents to align with their true identities.

Protecting Marriage Equality in Michigan: House Joint Resolution F, HBs 4764– 4814 (Rep. Morgan)

  • These bills remove outdated and gendered language in Michigan’s tax, divorce, and disability compensation laws, and would move to eliminate Michigan’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage to align with federal protections. This ensures state policies apply fairly to all residents, protecting individuals in the LGBTQ community right to marry who they love and to be free from discrimination because of our state’s antiquated laws. 

Protecting Access to Life-Saving HIV Prevention Medication: HB 5340 (Rep. McFall)

  • This bill codifies the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) protections requiring health insurance plans to cover pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, a medication that effectively prevents the transmission of HIV, ensuring access for those who need it most.

Health & Reproductive Freedom

Expanding Health Insurance Coverage for IVF Treatment: HB 6047 (Rep. Churches)

  • This bill requires health insurance plans in Michigan to cover infertility treatments, including fertility diagnostic care, treatment and fertility preservation services, giving equal access to all Michiganders who want to start a family. 

Protecting Reproductive Health Data: SB 1082 (Sen. McMorrow)

  • This bill ensures that private health data about reproductive care can’t be collected or shared without the patient’s consent, keeping personal information safe. 

Supporting People with Rare Diseases: HB 4167 (Rep. Morgan)

  • This bill creates a Rare Disease Advisory Council (RDAC). RDAC would work work with individuals with rare diseases and their families, alongside health care workers and other experts to provide guidance on policies that improve the lives of those living with rare diseases — ensuring their voices are heard in health care and policymaking decisions.

 

Additional Legislation Currently in Discussion

These efforts reflect our ongoing commitment to creating meaningful change and addressing critical issues that impact our communities. Below are a few of the bills that we hope to share more about in the coming weeks:

  • Raising fees on companies dumping trash in Michigan landfills to reduce out-of-state dumping.
  • Performance-based rates for utilities — ensuring that utilities provide more reliable power to residents.
  • Increasing hospital safety with better nurse staffing ratios.
  • Gun violence prevention legislation.
  • Environmental and clean water protections.

This list we’ve shared above is not an exhaustive list of the important legislation that will be considered before the end of the year, but highlights some significant bills up for consideration. We will continue to be actively engaged in discussions on additional legislation aimed at supporting hardworking families, advancing equality, protecting public health and promoting economic opportunity in Michigan. 

As always, reach out to me and my team any time that we can be helpful to you. The best way to reach me is at: JasonMorgan@house.mi.gov. 

Yours in service,

State Representative Jason Morgan

Michigan’s 23rd House District