Hello Friend,
Welcome to my latest e-newsletter! Included below is information about my coffee hour tonight, information about community events and an update on what I’ve been doing in Lansing. As always, please feel free to contact my office if you have any questions or ideas about legislation. You can contact me and my staff at (517) 373-0828, by email at DonnaLasinski@house.mi.gov or by visiting my website at RepLasinski.com.
Coffee Hour
Please join me for my coffee hour tonight, with our state senator as a guest, to discuss what’s happening in Lansing and in Washtenaw County:
Monday, Feb. 13, from 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Brecon Room at the Saline District Library
555 N. Maple Road in Saline
Don’t worry if you can’t make it – this email list will keep you up to date on future coffee hours. And of course, always feel free to call or email my office to ask questions or voice an opinion.
Things to do in HD 52
On Feb. 2, we learned from our friend Punxsutawney Phil that we will have six more weeks of winter. While I’m sure many of us were disappointed with this forecast, I encourage you to enjoy winter while it lasts by taking advantage of the cross-country skiing opportunities offered by the Hudson Mills Metropark in Dexter. For more information, check out their website:
http://www.metroparks.com/parks/hudson-mills-metropark/
Legislative/Issue Update
Committee Assignments
Some of the most important work of the legislature is done in committees, where testimony is given on bills and votes are held on whether to advance them to the floor for consideration by the full House of Representatives. For the 2017-18 legislative session, I have been chosen to serve on the following committees:
- House Energy Policy Committee, Democratic vice chairwoman
- House Communications and Technology Committee
- House Insurance Committee
I look forward to representing your interests on each of these committees while I push for affordable, reliable energy and broadband as well as lower rates for insurance policies for Michiganders. If you have concerns, questions or ideas about any of these topics, please reach out to my office. To sign up for committee notices and see which bills are under consideration in each committee, I encourage you to visit legislature.mi.gov and click on “Committees” on the left hand side. You can also watch committee hearings as well as House session by visiting house.mi.gov and clicking on “House TV.”
Bills I’ve Introduced
On Feb. 2, I introduced my first bill, House Bill 4156, as part of a bipartisan legislative package that would expand Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to apply to the governor’s office and create a similar Legislative Open Records Act to apply to the state Legislature. Specifically, my bill specifies how to separate exempt from non-exempt material in requested documents, and requires that non-exempt material be made available for review. It also directs the attorney general to counsel and advise a public body on the administration of the Legislative Open Records Act to the state Legislature. If passed, this legislation will not only increase transparency for our state government, but also help hold government officials responsible to you, our constituents. Read the bill here: http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(4jegkt40ndnfs2ggwfmveevq))/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=2017-HB-4156 or
I was also proud to re-introduce a bill to allow townships to use special assessment districts to fund broadband and communications projects. This common sense bill would give townships the ability to create public-private partnerships to serve regions currently without reliable high-speed internet. Doing so can allow entrepreneurs to develop home-based businesses, students to complete their schoolwork at home, property values for homeowners to increase and seniors to comfortably age in place both here in Washtenaw County and throughout Michigan. Read the bill here: http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(vv3mb4kc1zd03etaqa1ninfj))/mileg.aspx?page=getobject&objectname=2017-HB-4162&query=on
I hope you’ve found this information useful. Please contact my office if we can be of any assistance.