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:
- Saginaw County Veteran Service Office Grand Opening
- MI Future Education Fellowship Scholarship Opening
- New Energy Assistance Web Page Opening
- Home Heating Credit Payments
Saginaw County Veteran Service Office Grand Opening
Saginaw hosted a ribbon-cutting today for the new Saginaw County Veteran Service Office. This new Veteran Service Office will provide a variety of resources to veterans in the area. Some of the support veterans can receive includes legal guidance, emergency funds and education resources. I am so proud to finally see Saginaw partner with the YMCA and bring these dollars home.
It has been a goal of mine to get Saginaw veterans the support they deserve, and there are so many useful resources that our veterans have been missing out on due to the fact we have not had a state-funded office in our community. Saginaw was one of only a handful of counties in the entire state that did not have a Veterans Service Office in place, causing Saginaw County to lose out on over $100,000 every year in resources. This money is essential for our community, as we have one of the highest populations of veterans in our county.
I am grateful the hard work has paid off and the Veteran Service Office is now opening in our community. Those who have dedicated their time and skills to defend our freedoms should have the opportunity to access the help they need in their own community.
MI Future Education Fellowship Scholarship Opening
Applications are now open for future educators to receive a $10,000 college scholarship and a $9,600-per-semester stipend for those who are awarded the MI Future Educator Fellowship Program.
The fellowship aims to increase the number of Michigan educators. The fellowship awards are renewable for up to three years. Students who receive the award commit to teaching in a Michigan classroom for at least three years after graduation. Scholarship funds are limited and will be awarded on a first come, first serve basis.
Future educators must apply at the MiSSG Portal, submit their Free Application for Federal Student Aid and meet the following criteria:
- Be working toward their first teacher certification.
- Start teacher training in fall 2022 or later.
- Earn a 3.0 GPA or higher.
- Be a Michigan resident.
New Energy Assistance Web Page Opening
The Michigan Public Service Commission introduced a new energy assistance website designed to provide a collection of information to help with the burden of high energy costs. The webpage includes information and links to state and utility company programs that offer energy bill assistance to income-qualified households. It also includes links to contact info for all of the natural gas and electric utilities whose rates are regulated by the MPSC.
The website also includes links to information about the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program for phone and internet customers. It offers a discount on home phone and internet bills. The website can be found here.
Home Heating Credit Payments
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced that nearly 210,000 Michigan households that received Home Heating Credits for the 2021 tax year are receiving an additional one-time payment this month to help keep their homes warm.
The additional payment is the result of the remaining fiscal year 2021-22 federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) block grant allocated to the Home Heating Credit program. The recipients of the additional credit are households that filed a 2021 Home Heating Credit Claim and qualified for the credit. Households with seniors, disabled individuals or children under 5 years old are receiving $575. Other eligible households are receiving $380. The Department of Treasury has mailed checks to all households that are eligible for the supplemental Home Heating Credit. Recipients are expected to apply the LIHEAP payment to their household heating costs.
Anyone with questions about their Home Heating Credit can contact the Treasury by mail at P.O. Box 30058, Lansing, MI 48909, or call (517)-636-4486.