Capitol & Community Updates

Dear Neighbor,

This e-newsletter aims to keep you updated on the previous month’s activities in the Michigan House of Representatives. It’s an honor to serve as your state representative in the 15th State House District, which includes the west end of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights. If you should ever need to contact me, don’t hesitate to call my office at (517) 373-0847 or email me at erinbyrnes@house.mi.gov.

Erin Byrnes

State Representative

Michigan’s 15th District

Legislative Update

Byrnes Applauds Passage of State Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget

A Bipartisan, balanced budget that will support students, boost public safety and build affordable housing

June 27, 2024

The Michigan legislature passed the state’s fiscal 2024-25 budget this past week that supports students, boosts public safety, builds affordable housing, and will help anyone “make it” in Michigan. The budget totals $82.5 billion, including a general fund total of $15 billion and a school aid fund total of $19 billion.

See below for highlighted investments secured:

$45.5 million to support Michigan’s current and future workforce needs and population growth, including specialized economic assistance to businesses locating or expanding in Michigan to meet their talent and workforce needs, developing customized talent solutions to fill identified talent gaps and grow Michigan’s population.
$10 million for minority-owned business grants.
$509.4 million for water infrastructure to fund lead service line replacement and water infrastructure, and climate change mitigation.
- $48.3 million to provide loans and grants to local communities to support projects associated with lead service line replacement.
$247.6 million of new funding to improve state and local roads, highways and bridges across the state. The FY25 budget includes a total of $4.2 billion for road and bridge construction projects, including $1.7 billion in federal highway aid from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
$161.5 million to establish new Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics sites across the state to serve as many as 35,000 additional individuals, providing them with behavioral health services.
$18.1 million in funding to continue the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies program, which helps new and expectant mothers receive the care they need and reduce racial disparities in infant and maternal mortality.

Byrnes introduces Bill to Ban Diet Pill Sales to Minors

June 25, 2024

I introduced a bill that would create the Weight Loss Products and Minors Act. Many classified dietary supplements lack scientific evidence of their safety or effectiveness and are unregulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This lack of regulation means that anyone, including children, can purchase these products at their local grocery store, convenience store or online.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has released two reports strongly cautioning against teens using diet pills for any reason. Research has documented dire results among users of these products, including liver damage and even death. These products also worsen health inequities as Latinx teens are 40% more likely to use over-the-counter diet pills than white teens. Adolescent and young adult women who use over-the-counter diet pills are 4 to 6 times more likely than their peers to be diagnosed with an eating disorder within several years.

The Weight Loss Products and Minors Act would allow the Board of Pharmacy within the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs to adopt a list of dietary supplements in reference to the National Institute of Health’s dietary supplement label database to determine whether a product constitutes a dietary supplement or diet pill. This legislation would prohibit minors from purchasing a dietary supplement without a prescription in a store or online and would require an ID check upon purchase. Similar legislation has passed in CO, along with NY, and has been introduced in MD, MA, MO, CA, NJ, and now MI!

News and Publications

Ribbon-Cutting MaryAnn Wright Animal Adoption and Education Center

June 22, 2024

I attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of the development of Phase 2A of the MaryAnn Wright Animal Adoption and Education Center along with President and CEO Cory Keller. The Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit are dedicated to the rescue, protection and adoption of companion animals in need while inspiring the human-animal bond. They aspire to a community free of homeless and neglected pets. I helped kick-off their Pawchella 2024 community event at this opening with over 800 animal lovers joining in support!

Two Years After Dobbs Decision, Governor Whitmer Still Fighting Like Hell to Protect Reproductive Freedom in Michigan

June 24, 2024

On the second anniversary of the United States Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the case in which the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II issued the following statements and outlined their ongoing efforts to protect and expand reproductive freedom in Michigan.

“Two years ago, Americans had their constitutional right to abortion stripped away by an extreme, out-of-touch Supreme Court,” said Gov. Whitmer. “We must keep fighting to protect the fundamental freedom of every person to make their own health care decisions about their own bodies. While other states have gone backwards, banning abortion, going after birth control, and gutting all kinds of critical health care, we are leading the way to move Michigan forward. We will keep fighting like hell to protect reproductive rights.”