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Happy Black History Month! February is a great time to focus on the contributions and accomplishments of Black Americans. In light of attempts to minimize or erase past injustices through banning the teaching of such injustices, it’s critically important we ensure this history remains a part of America’s history. February is also American Heart Month and National Wear Red Day is tomorrow, Feb. 4. Wear Red Day is held the first Friday of February every year to raise awareness for women’s heart health. Heart disease doesn’t discriminate. It’s the leading cause of death for both men and women. Get checked out, know your risk and protect your heart.
Rep. Steph
‘Community Conversations’ Topics: Redistricting and Housing & Evictions
The final maps with the new districts for U.S. Congress, state House of Representatives and state Senators were approved in December by the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. State Sen. Adam Hollier, who represents the current 2nd Senate District, was my guest to discuss the new maps and the concerns regarding a failure to meet federal Voting Rights Act standards. It was a great discussion, and I encourage you to check it out on my Facebook page, if you missed it.
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My February Community Conversation will be on Monday, Feb. 14, at 10 a.m. The topic will be housing and homelessness. We’ll address rental and mortgage evictions and foreclosures, affordable housing, and homelessness prevention. My guests will include representatives from the Detroit Eviction Defense and the Detroit Community Health Corps (CHC).
You can join via Zoom.
Meeting ID: 851 0005 8148
Passcode: 149353
You can call in at (312) 626-6799.
You can also watch live on my Facebook page.
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Celebrate Black History Month
February marks Black History Month, an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. This history is often hidden and intentionally obscured.
Black History Month grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history.
It’s always a great time to visit amazing venues like the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Detroit Historical Museum, the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), the Henry Ford Museum and others. Be sure to visit their websites or Visit Detroit and Hour Detroit to learn about special events during February.
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Team Young Celebrates MLK Day of Service
For the second year in a row, Team Young partnered with the Detroit Blight Busters and other volunteers for a day of service to celebrate Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a day of service. In my first year in office, we completed a clean-up project in the Old Redford area.
Late last summer, I met with residents at Greenhouse Apartments, during my soul food sponsored lunch with food provided by Sisters-on-a-Roll food truck. They shared with me how badly blighted the Southfield Service Drive was and the difficulties they experienced simply trying to get to the bus stop or the corner gas station on West McNichols. I committed to them then that I would get that area cleaned up, and that’s just what we did! Special thank you to Detroit City Council members, President Pro Tem James Tate and at-large member Mary Waters for joining us.
Mentoring Young Detroiters
I had the privilege to mentor a determined and bright group of young people in the Midnight Golf Program. The mentoring was fashioned after speed dating, and it gave me and other community leaders the chance to meet and network with young people, allowing them to see a wide variety of people in different careers. This program helped open doors for the young people and gave community leaders an opportunity to serve as role models.
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Midnight Golf is dedicated to equipping determined young adults so they can succeed in college, in their careers and beyond, through life-skills training, proactive coaching, long-term mentoring and the discipline of golf. My oldest son is an alumni of MGP class of 2016. They supported him throughout college and he remains in contact with them today. It is an amazing program.
Learn more at their website.
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Governor Delivers Fourth State of the State
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered her fourth State of the State address from Detroit Diesel in Redford Township. Her remarks highlighted the need to put money back in the pockets of Michigan families, repair infrastructure, support schools, address mental health care concerns and support Michigan families.
The Legislature was proud to partner with her on a number of accomplishments including:
- Repairing or replacing over 13,000 lane miles of roads and over 900 bridges.
- Supporting 82,000 good-paying, skilled trades jobs.
- Helping small businesses retain over 200,000 jobs with $420 million in COVID relief.
- Expanding access to low or no-cost child care to 1 in 3 Michigan children.
- Making the largest education investment in state history three years in a row.
We are not done. Her call to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit and repeal the retirement tax will help create more financial stability and let Michiganders keep more of their hard-earned money. We recognize the impact COVID-19 has had on the mental health of all Michiganders. We also recognize mental health issues didn’t start with the pandemic, which is why I am looking forward to passing good legislation and appropriations to address the mental health care crisis people across the state are experiencing.
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Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention Caucus Protects Children
The tragic school shooting in Oxford shocked and saddened so many people. As a member of the bicameral and bipartisan Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention Caucus, I stand in support of gun safety bills introduced in the Legislature. The recent tragedy at Oxford High School is another reminder of an epidemic that isn’t going to change until we do something about it.
It’s a sad fact that 75 percent of children in homes with unsecured guns know where they’re kept, and too often, we hear about kids being hurt or killed accidentally by those weapons. I’m proud to support sensible laws to keep guns safely secured by passing commonsense #SafeStorage laws, like House Bills 5066–5069 and Senate Bills 550–553. The time for change is now.
Economic Development Legislation Attracts Industry and Creates Jobs
After a more than 12-hour session to close out 2021, the Michigan House of Representatives passed legislation to fund economic development programs that are designed to help businesses locate and expand facilities in Michigan, creating good-paying jobs for the people of the state.
In order to ensure Michigan stays competitive with other states, we need to invest in attracting growing industries. These bills will invest in site readiness and create incentives for growing industries to locate here in Michigan.
The bills also include critical safeguards to make sure that your taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. Deposits and disbursements must receive legislative approval, businesses must meet set performance metrics in order to receive funding, and there are penalties and clawbacks in place to ensure the state can recoup its investment if companies don’t hold up their end of the bargain.
The bills paid immediate benefits, and last month, General Motors, Michigan House Democrats and Gov. Whitmer announced a $7 billion investment in Michigan electric vehicle manufacturing. A brand-new EV battery plant in Delta Township and a $4 billion investment in GM’s Orion Township plant will bring a combined 4,000 new, good-paying manufacturing jobs to Michigan as a direct result.
Bill Looks to Ease Staff Shortages
Many employers are short-staffed for a variety of reasons, including COVID-19 and low unemployment. A variety of solutions have been floated to address this acute problem. I introduced House Bill 5696 with bipartisan support that will allow someone 16 years of age to stock shelves in a retail outlet that sells alcohol. The current age is 18. The bill was referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform, on which I sit as a member.
Tribute Request
We all know there are individuals and organizations that deserve special recognition for the tremendous work they do to serve the people of our communities and our state. If you know an individual or organization that has truly gone above and beyond for their neighbors, fill out the form on this page to request an official state tribute so we can show our full appreciation for their efforts.
If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to call me at (517) 373-3815 or email me at stephanieyoung@house.mi.gov.
In service,
Rep. Steph
STEPHANIE A. YOUNG
State Representative
8th District
Useful Links
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