Dear Neighbor,

Here is some information that I hope you will find helpful, including news and resources from your state government.

Senate Authorizes Suit Requiring Bills to Go to Governor

It was a busy week in Lansing, with the governor signing many of the remaining bills we passed last term. The fate of the nine bills — including House Bill 4900 of 2023, my bill to protect public assistance from garnishment — that were withheld from the governor remains to be determined. However, also last week, the Senate authorized a lawsuit that could ultimately compel the House to release the bills for the governor’s signature as required by the Michigan Constitution.

Bills to Expand Reproductive Freedom, Protect Moms and Babies Signed into Law

Last week, the governor signed 16 bills that will expand reproductive freedom in Michigan. This includes my bill, House Bill 5436, which allows pharmacists to prescribe and dispense all forms of self-administered hormonal contraceptives, including the pill, ring and patch. She also signed House Bill 5435, which requires insurance companies to cover pharmacist-prescribed birth control like other prescriptions, making birth control more affordable and accessible.

Several of the other bills that were signed will improve the health and well-being of mothers and infants across Michigan. This includes my bill to require hospitals to provide information on the health insurance enrollment process to parents of newborns (House Bill 5173). The recently signed legislation also:

  • Requires mental health screenings for new mothers as part of their baby’s 4-week, 8-week, 6-month and 18-month checkups.

  • Requires these screenings to be covered by private insurance and Medicaid.

  • Establishes levels of maternal care in Michigan that focus on specific obstetric criteria and promote risk-appropriate care to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity.

  • Recognizes Michigan’s Perinatal Quality Collaborative, which facilitates communication, collaboration and practice improvement statewide and across nine regional entities.

  • Requires blood pressure monitors for pregnant and postpartum individuals to be covered under Medicaid.

  • Requires blood pressure monitors for pregnant and postpartum individuals to be covered under private insurance.

  • Eliminates expensive and redundant testing of donors of breast milk to breast milk banks.

Jordan D’s Law Enacted, Making Sextortion Illegal in Michigan

Last week, the governor signed “Jordan D’s Law” (House Bills 5887 and 5888), which punishes those who coerce individuals into sending explicit images to extort them for money or other acts under the threat of exposure to friends, family or the public. I sponsored House Bill 5888, which adds it to Michigan’s sentencing guidelines.

While working on this legislation, I had the privilege of meeting Jordan DeMay’s parents. Jordan was a popular athlete in his senior year at a Marquette high school when he was allegedly extorted by adult men on another continent. Seventeen-year-old Jordan believed he was chatting with a girl his age when he sent an intimate photo of himself. The men then attempted to extort Jordan for money that he did not have; when he couldn’t produce the money, the men threatened to release the photo. Jordan then tragically died by suicide. Since 2021, the FBI has seen a tenfold increase in “sextortion” cases, though it is believed that the humiliating nature of this crime has resulted in significant underreporting.

House Votes to Cut Pay and Sick Time Benefits for Michigan Workers

Last week, I voted no on two bills because they reduce the scheduled minimum wage increases and cut more than 1.2 million hardworking Michiganders from the right to earned sick leave. House Bill 4001 reduces the scheduled minimum wage increases for low-wage workers. House Bill 4002 would exempt any company with fewer than 50 employees from providing earned sick time. Approximately 96% of Michigan businesses would not be required to provide paid and unpaid sick leave under this legislation.

In 2018, the Republican-led Legislature adopted a citizen-led ballot initiative phasing in an increase in the state minimum wage to $12, phasing out the tipped wage credit for restaurant workers and eliminating paid and unpaid sick leave. This unusual legislative maneuver ensured that the proposals would not go before voters as intended. Later in 2018, the Legislature amended the initiatives, significantly weakening the proposed laws. The groups that led efforts to get these proposals on the ballot sued and the case made it through Michigan’s courts. In July 2024, the Michigan Supreme Court decided that the 2018 legislature’s actions were unconstitutional. House Republicans introduced House Bills 4001 and 4002 as their first pieces of legislation for 2025 to prevent the citizen-led ballot initiatives from going into effect, taking money and benefits away from some of Michigan’s working families.

I would expect discussions on this legislation to continue as the Senate has introduced its own plan to modify these laws’ implementation.

Upcoming Event: Coffee & Conversation with Rep. Hope

Mark your calendar! Join me for a Coffee & Conversation event on Monday, Feb. 3, from 4-5 p.m., at the Sam Corey Senior Center, 2108 Cedar St., in Holt. You can register for the event and share any questions or topics you would like covered here. See you then!

Sincerely,

Kara Hope

State Representative

 

In Case You Missed It…

Tri-County Office on Aging Will Host Memory Loss Caregiver Workshops

The Tri-County Office on Aging is hosting a 3-session workshop series for those caring for an individual with dementia or Alzheimer’s. The series will be offered at two different locations:

  • In Lansing at PACE Lansing, 1921 E. Miller Road, 3:30-5 p.m. on Thursdays, Feb. 6, Feb. 13 and Feb. 20.

  • In Eaton Rapids at the First Congregational Church of Eaton Rapids in the Bible study room on Tuesdays, Feb. 11, Feb. 18 and Feb. 25, 9:30-11 a.m.

These events are free to the public. To register, call (517) 887-1465 or email histedc@tcoa.org.