Dear Neighbor,

Welcome to my e-newsletter! I’m honored and humbled to serve as our community’s voice at the Capitol in Lansing. As we continue into the term, rest assured that the challenges families in our community and state are facing are at the top of my legislative priorities.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office by phone at (517) 373-0152 or email at AmosONeal@house.mi.gov if we can help.

Sincerely,

Amos O’Neal

State Representative, 95th House District

In this issue:

  • Election Package
  • LWOP Package

A New Round of Election Bills

House Democrats introduced a second package of election bills this week. The bills in the new package would:

  • Require nine days of early in-person voting with polls open eight hours a day.
  • Prohibit firearms from being inside a polling location or within 100 feet of a polling location entrance, with an exception for uniformed law enforcement officers.
  • Create a process for clerks to notify voters if their signature doesn’t match the one on an absentee ballot application or absentee ballot return envelope.
  • Allow voters to request email or text updates to track their absentee ballots.
  • Codify the ability to request an absentee ballot on the Secretary of State’s website.
  • Prohibit information on pre-registered voters in the Qualified Voter File from being accessed through the Freedom of Information Act until they turn 18.
  • Require the state to reimburse municipalities for the costs of legislative special elections.
  • Prohibit petition signature gatherers from making intentional misstatements to convince a voter to sign a petition.
  • Creates a civil fine for individuals who intentionally spread misinformation about elections with the intention to stop people from voting.

I’m proud to support this package of bills, and I will continue to fight to protect your right to vote!

Life Without Parole Package

This week, I was proud to finally introduce a bipartisan package of bills along with state Reps. David LaGrand, Bronna Kahle and Tenisha Yancey that will ban the use of juvenile life without parole and allow for parole eligibility after 10 years.

Michigan needs to take steps towards supporting rehabilitation, and these bills do just that. In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court found that sentencing juveniles to mandatory life without parole is unconstitutional. Since then, 25 states have banned this practice. It is time for Michigan to do the same.