Dear Friends and Neighbors, Happy New Year! I am honored to continue representing you in Lansing. We had our first session day of 2020 this Wednesday, and I am eager to get to work. Legislative Update On Wednesday, I introduced a resolution to urge President Trump and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to repeal their recent rule change to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This change is expected to result in a loss of benefits for nearly 700,000 adults around the country. Currently, “able-bodied” adults without dependents need to work 20 hours a week to be eligible for SNAP benefits, but states are able to waive that requirement in areas with high unemployment. The proposed rule change will greatly limit the ability of states to obtain these waivers. I am concerned that Michigan is likely to be one of the states hit hardest by these changes, with almost 150,000 Michiganders expected to lose their SNAP benefits once this change is implemented. According to a USDA study, 13.6 percent of Michigan households struggled with food insecurity between 2014 and 2017, which is 1.8 percent higher than the national average. District Update Community Business Award Do you know of a business in the 67th House District that is dedicated to serving our community? If you own or know of a business in the 67th House District that deserves to be recognized for going the extra mile to make our community a better place, please nominate them for recognition here. Coffee Hours Please join me on Monday from 10 to 11 a.m. at Bestsellers Bookstore in Mason for coffee and conversation. I will provide a legislative update and answer questions. This event is free and open to the public, so please stop by!
Sincerely, Kara (517) 373-0587 Facebook: @RepHope Twitter: @KaraHope67 Unsubscribe from this newsletter * The Michigan House of Representatives is responsible only for content submitted with House resources and in accordance with the law and House policy. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited. ©2019 Michigan House Democrats. All rights reserved |