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Dear friends and neighbors, Welcome to my monthly E-Newsletter! It’s a new term in Lansing, and I’m excited to be working on your behalf once again. The Legislature has been busy in 2021, so I’ve got plenty of updates for you.
Committees and Caucus Update This year, I’m honored to be serving on two committees, the House Committees on Commerce and Tourism and Energy. In the latter committee, it was a great honor to be named Democratic Vice Chair, which means that I’ll be working closely with the committee chairman on making sure that we have a clean and fair energy production and distribution system that works for all Michiganders.
Also, House Democratic leadership named me Deputy Democratic Caucus Whip for this term, which means that I’ll be working closely with our Minority Whip on mobilizing caucus members on key legislation prior to floor votes. In addition, I’ll be working as a liaison between Democratic Leadership and the rest of our caucus, helping to build support for the caucus’ policy priorities. 
I’m grateful for each of these positions, and I look forward to using these platforms to advocate successfully for our communities!
COVID Relief Update Last week, the House passed a series of funding bills that will leave billions of Michigan’s federal tax dollars in Washington, D.C., rather than bringing them home to spend on Michigan’s vaccine distribution and economic recovery. These four bills were rushed through, and not a single amendment from House Democrats was given the dignity of a real vote on the floor. I voted No on each of these bills because, together, they offered unsatisfactory funding for vaccine distribution, food assistance, school aid and rental assistance, and our state needs real investment in order to get out of the hole of this pandemic. You can read my statement on these bills here.
Instead, I’m proud to support the pandemic recovery plan put together by House Democrats, which includes:
I’ll continue to push House Republicans to come to the table and work in a bipartisan manner to create a relief package that gets the families of the 40th District the help they need, gets vaccines in arms, supports our schools, and keeps our small, local businesses afloat.
COVID Vaccine If you are over 65 years old, work in health care, in a long-term care facility, as a frontline first responder, in corrections, in a school or childcare setting, or as a frontline worker in critical infrastructure (food and agriculture, utilities, transportation, grocery stores), you’re eligible to get your COVID-19 vaccine in Oakland County. Sign up online at https://oaklandcountyvaccine.com/ or through your health care system below:
Having problems getting a vaccine? Let us see if we can help by calling us at (517) 373-8670 or e-mailing us at MariManoogian@house.mi.gov.
Weekly Virtual Coffee Hour Join me on Mondays at 6 p.m. live on Facebook and Twitter to hear some of what’s going on in Lansing and to have some of your questions about state government answered live on air.
Need Help? Remember, there’s no problem too big or small to call or e-mail my office about. If you’re having problems with unemployment, paying bills, or getting food, reach out to us and we can get you connected with the state and local resources you need. My staff is available at (517) 373-8670 or MariManoogian@house.mi.gov.
Awards for the Month As a reminder, we are always accepting nominations for Business of the Month, Teacher of the Month, and First Responder of the Month. If you know a business or a person deserving of recognition in our area, reach out to us at MariManoogian@house.mi.gov!
Interns Do you know a student who would be interested in being an intern for our office during the summer? Have them send in their resume and cover letter to MariManoogian@house.mi.gov to apply!
Community Events Is there a virtual or in-person community event you would like for me to attend? Let me know by e-mailing MariManoogian@house.mi.gov!
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