Capitol and Community Update

Hello Friends,

June has flown by all too quickly, but summer is officially here! For my family, this means working on our garden, landscaping and taking the kids to the park!

As most of you have seen and heard, on June 22, Michigan lifted nearly all of the COVID-19 restrictions. This announcement came just in time for our office as we plan to hold our first-ever in-person coffee hour in July. More on this can be found below!

If we can assist in any way, please do not hesitate to contact our office! My office is reachable by phone at (517) 373-2575 and by email at RanjeevPuri@house.mi.gov.

Sincerely,

Ranjeev Puri

State Representative, 21st District

Proudly serving Belleville, Canton, and Van Buren Township

In this Edition:

 

• Upcoming Time with Ranjeev
• Legislative Update
• COVID-19 Update
• Unemployment Update
• What We’ve Been Up To
• District Spotlight

 

UPCOMING TIME WITH RANJEEV

Upcoming Events:

 

Coffee Hour – In-Person

Thursday, July 23, from 6:30-7:30 p.m

Gazebo at Canton’s Heritage Park – Behind the Canton Township Police Department and Canton Township Office Building, off Veteran’s Way.

Coffee Hour – Virtual

We still plan to offer a virtual option for the time being, which will happen in addition to our in-person meet-ups. The date and time for our virtual coffee hour will be communicated in the next E-news!

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

 

Fiscal Year 2021-22 Budget

We ended the week in Lansing last Thursday with a 10-hour session day, going until almost midnight. We voted on a series of bills, including many of the fiscal year 2021-22 departmental budget bills. Negotiations on the higher education and community college pieces of the budget are still ongoing.

Most notably, the House passed a School Aid Fund budget (HB 4411), which provided a historic investment in our K-12 education system. Although we left some money on the table, this is still a School Aid budget I proudly voted to support. The bill contains $16.74 billion, a 7.8 percent increase for the current year. We also concurred with the Senate version of a supplemental education bill (HB 4421), which provides $4.4 billion in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.

I was proud to vote YES on these bills.

The School Aid Fund budget would, among other things:

• Close the funding gap: brings every district up to the same level of per-pupil funding, leveling the playing field among our state’s schools.
• Increase funding for special education.
• Increase funding for Great Start Readiness Program (Pre-K): brings per-pupil payments to the same level as K-12 schools and creates more slots so every eligible child can access quality preschool.
• Increase funding for mental health services for students: funding to increase mental health services and wraparound services (i.e. nurses, counselors, school psychologists) for students, which is critically important after the challenges our kids have faced during the pandemic.

Unfortunately, $650 million we could be taking home to our schools was left sitting on the table. So while this budget does make transformational investments that I know will help our schools and students succeed, I hope that we will make these dollars available.

For those who have been following this process and are wondering what comes next, all budget bills passed by the House will now move to the Senate a week before the Legislature’s statutory July 1 deadline to get a budget to the Governor. It is unclear at this time where Senate leadership stands on our passed appropriations, but I am hopeful that they will also take action to approve of this historic spending for public education and move quickly to get budgets to the governor before July 1.

The budget has a ways to go before it is finalized, and negotiations between the House, Senate, and governor’s office are ongoing, but I will continue to fight for our values every day and make sure our priorities are protected in any final version of the budget that comes before me.

Bipartisan Child Care Bill Package Last week, I stood beside Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and a few of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle at a press conference to speak to a bipartisan package of bills we are introducing on child care. This bill package focuses on concrete steps to strengthen the child care industry and make child care businesses more sustainable. It’s a step toward the more accessible, affordable, higher-quality system our families, children and state needs. Child care is one of the single largest expenses for Michigan working families, and that is entirely unacceptable. This problem has been exacerbated by the pandemic, especially for women who left the workforce, many who still have not returned, by the thousands to look after children. As we turn the corner and look to strengthen our economy, we need to ease the burden for parents to get back to work. The problem is multi-layered; we have accessibility and affordability issues. Providers are having issues finding early childhood educators and being able to pay them living wages, and parents can’t find care that fits their needs. As a father to two small boys currently in child care, I know very well how expensive it can be. In my district, it costs us nearly $25,000 per year for my two children in Pre-K and toddler care. The cost is even higher for infant care. That is not sustainable or acceptable for working families. Before this press conference, Gov. Whitmer announced her own plans for how to address child care in our state, which included a proposal to spend $1.4 billion in federal child care funding to expand access to high-quality services, to make that care more affordable and support child care professionals. As Gov. Whitmer said, one legislative package does not solve the problem, but it is a step in the right direction. I look forward to the work that lies ahead and I will be advocating for increased funding for child care in the state budget. Voting Rights Bills   This past week, the Michigan GOP passed a series of voter ID bills (HB 5007, SB 303, 304) that make it harder for people to vote — specifically seniors, people of color, college-aged voters and low-income people. Further, these bills were brought to a vote on the floor just hours after the Republican-led Senate released their report stating that there is NO evidence of voter fraud in the 2020 election. Voting is the most basic right of our democracy. A fundamental freedom granted to every person, to make their voices heard in elections that are free, fair and accessible. I stood with all of my Democratic colleagues and voted NO on these bills.

COVID-19 UPDATE

Michigan has reported more than 8.8 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered as of Wednesday, June 23, with 61.2% of 16-and-up residents having received at least one dose while 51.1% of 16-and-up residents are considered fully vaccinated.

On June 22, nearly all remaining pandemic restrictions were lifted. This includes any remaining capacity limits, mask mandates, etc., unless individual businesses choose to enforce some regulations themselves.

Some orders will remain in effect as planned in corrections, long-term care and agriculture. Public health measures will continue for reporting requirements and COVID testing. Guidance for keeping children and staff safe in schools will be released next week by the governor’s office.

I am so happy we are turning the corner and moving on from the pandemic. It is important to note that we are not entirely in the clear just yet, and the risk of new variants (such as the Delta variant) are a concern. Please use caution and continue to follow the latest guidance.

UNEMPLOYMENT UPDATE

UIA Branch Offices Reopening

The Unemployment Insurance Agency today announced it would be offering in-person unemployment insurance services at 12 local unemployment offices starting June 30, though only by appointment. They have been closed for more than a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recently, the UIA said it planned to reopen offices on July 12 but hoped to make that earlier.

Residents are now able to begin scheduling appointments online here. The appointments are offered in 15-minute slots and can be scheduled up to a week in advance. Appointments will be available 8:15 a.m. through 4:45 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Work Search Requirements Returning

While Michigan’s requirement to search for work to remain eligible for unemployment benefits has been suspended due to the pandemic, the requirements were reinstated as of May 30, 2021. For each week you claim unemployment benefits, you will be required to search for work and submit details of at least one work search activity per week.

You can find a list of FAQs regarding workshare here.

If you find that you are in need of assistance with your unemployment claim, you can contact my office using this form.

WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO

Sgt. Dale Waltz Retirement It was a pleasure to recognize Sgt. Dale Waltz with a tribute in honor of his retirement from the Canton Police Department. We are so thankful for Sgt. Waltz’s 25 years of service to our community, and we wish him well as he begins this new chapter! Canton has been made a better and safer town thanks in part to his leadership.

Juneteenth Celebrations The Partnership for the Arts and Humanities hosted the first-ever Juneteenth celebration at the Arts Warehouse in Canton earlier this month. The event was put together by Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated and planned by local teenagers and featured various exhibitions of arts, music, spoken word and more. The Juneteenth Commemoration art exhibit runs through the end of the month; check it out!

I was also happy to attend a Juneteenth celebration hosted by the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus. It was a great celebration of freedom, which included a very special guest, Governor Gretchen Whitmer!

Legislative Canvassing My team in Lansing was excited to head out into the community this past week to talk to constituents about the issues facing our state. Constituents shared a wide variety of issues they are most concerned or passionate about such as voting rights, environmental protection and access to affordable health care. We will be going door to door all summer long and look forward to the conversations! If you ever find yourself needing assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to our office.

DISTRICT SPOTLIGHT

Jodie Sengstock

Canton’s very own, Jodie Sengstock, has been appointed by the governor to the Michigan Board of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery. There, she will be an advisor and overseer of podiatric medicine in our state. Dr. Sengstock brings years of expertise and passion in this field to our state’s oversight network. We are proud of Dr. Sengstock for being yet another example of excellence from Canton. Congratulations!

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

During this challenging time, it is more important than ever to stay in touch. I want to hear from you. What do you need? How can we help you? My office is here to assist you or answer any questions you may have. Please, reach out to me at RanjeevPuri@house.mi.gov.

Communications from my office will be available via bi-weekly email updates or social media. With that said, my office is always open – do not hesitate to reach out should you ever find yourself needing assistance.