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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:
Upcoming Community Conversation Please join us on May 19 at 6 p.m. on Facebook Live. I will give a brief legislative update. Then, we will have a conversation about mental health in our community. Our special guests helping to discuss this crucial issue are from the Saginaw County Youth Ambassadors. This includes Luke Premo, Mia Fahrenbach, Emily Smith, Lionel Baldwin and Kennedy Aldrich.
We hope to save some time for Q&A, so come with questions for our guests. You can join us on Facebook Live by clicking here or searching @StateRepAmosONeal.
I hope to see you there!
State Budget Update I am pleased to announce that, this week, the House Appropriations Committee worked to approve more of the fiscal year 2023 budget.
As a member of the Appropriations Committee and the Appropriation Subcommittees for General Government, DHHS, and School Aid, I met with my colleagues to ultimately vote these budgets out of committee. The budget bills are listed below for reference:
I was able to offer some amendments to these bills and was disappointed to see my Republican colleagues not support them. One of my amendments on this bill would increase career and technical education funding by $47.6 million. We need to support this pipeline now before it is too late. In order to fulfill Michigan’s potential and stay competitive, we must invest in these children before the opportunity is gone and passed.
For HB 5783, I offered an amendment to provide “hero pay” to our first responders during this pandemic. These individuals stepped up when we needed them the most, even at the risk of their own personal health. We needed to pass this amendment to give back to these people who gave so much to us.
Finally, for HB 5784, I offered an amendment to help restore the funding for some line items like gun violence prevention; Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies; and health disparities. COVID-19 put a glaring spotlight on health disparities in communities of color. Challenges like infant mortality and negative pregnancy outcomes disproportionately affect Black women, and we need to start discussing this and finding solutions. Also, in terms of gun violence prevention, our committee needs the state’s support for studies on gun violence. Funding for evidence-based initiatives can save lives and prevent situations like the Oxford tragedy. |
