Capitol & Community Updates: Protecting Voting Rights, Brining More Jobs to the State, and More

Dear Neighbor,

Happy July! Summer is here, families across our state are enjoying the season, and our communities are coming together for another busy month. This month is particularly special because it marks our nation’s 250th anniversary! In June, we had the opportunity to celebrate Pride Month and Juneteenth, and now we must continue the important work of advancing freedom, justice, equality, and opportunity for every Michigander.

Below are some important things that I’d like to share with you for the upcoming month.

In service,

In this issue:

• Community Conversation Update
• Protecting Voting Rights in Michigan
• Reparative Justice Package
• Supporting Students Who Choose to Build Their Future in Michigan
• Bringing Creative and Technical Jobs Back to Michigan
• Honoring the Legacy of Deputy Claude Wilson
• Community Information

Please note that there will not be a community conversation during the month of July. My office will continue to share updates about future community conversations and district events as they are scheduled.

Last month, I was joined by fellow members of the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus for a press conference on the introduction of the Reparative Justice Package. This legislation is focused on understanding the historical record, improving how our state government collects demographic data, and ensuring that state policy is guided by facts, evidence, and reliable data.

The three-bill package would create a voluntary option within state data collection systems for individuals who identify as descendants of people enslaved in the United States, commonly referred to as American Freedmen. The package would also establish the Office of Freedmen Affairs and create the American Freedmen Reparations Commission.

Good public policy should be informed by sound data. This legislation helps Michigan move from assumptions and anecdotes to facts and evidence, so we can better understand the experiences of communities across our state and build a stronger future.

Our history is not distant. Its effects are still with us today. If we are serious about addressing systemic challenges, we must do so based on facts, evidence, and sound data. We often hear the phrase, “You can’t fix what you don’t measure.”

This legislation puts that principle into practice by allowing us to move from assumptions to evidence, and from anecdotes to facts.

Last week, I hosted a press conference alongside fellow Democratic lawmakers to call for action on the reintroduction of the Michigan Voting Rights Act. This legislation, House Bills 5969–5972, and counterpart Senate Bills 961–964, would help ensure every eligible Michigander can fully exercise their right to vote.

Across the country, voting rights protections are under threat. Lawmakers in several states have advanced policies and district maps that reduce the political influence of Black and other minority communities. With federal voting rights protections weakened, Michigan has a responsibility to protect equal access to the ballot and ensure voters can elect representatives of their choice.

The Michigan Voting Rights Act would strengthen Michigan’s election protections, expand voter accessibility and ensure local election officials comply with state law. Specifically, the legislation would:

• Prohibit voter denial, dilution, and suppression and create legal remedies for violations.
• Establish a nonpartisan and transparent voting rights institute and database to provide centralized research, training, and public information on voting systems and election administration.
• Expand language access requirements for election-related materials to ensure all Michiganders have equal access to the voting process.
• Strengthen and clarify protections for voters with disabilities and voters who require assistance casting a ballot.

Every eligible Michigander deserves a democracy that works for them. Protecting the right to vote is essential to fair representation, accountable government and the ability of every community to have its voice heard and counted.

The Michigan Voting Rights Act affirms that Black, Brown, and other historically marginalized communities must not be discriminated against for exercising their right to vote. It is difficult to emphasize how important this is. Voting is the means by which people participate in the decisions that govern their lives. It shapes how schools are funded, how housing is developed, and how healthcare is delivered. The right to vote without discrimination must be protected.

On June 10, I joined state Rep. Phil Skaggs and several colleagues in sponsoring the Make It In Michigan student loan relief package. This legislation would help graduates who choose to live and work in Michigan by covering up to 50% of their student loan payments.

The cost of higher education remains out of reach for too many families and students. When graduates are weighed down by student debt, it becomes harder for them to buy homes, build a future, and remain in the communities they call home.

The Make It In Michigan tax credit would reduce student loan debt, incentivize graduates to stay and work in Michigan, strengthen Michigan’s workforce and economy, and support businesses that make student loan payments on behalf of qualified employees.

Michigan cannot afford to lose talented young people to other states. When we invest in our students, we strengthen our workforce, our economy and the future of our state.

In May, I was joined by state Rep. Wozniak in reintroducing the Multimedia Jobs Act, House Bills 5991 and 5992. This bipartisan legislation would create a tax credit program for qualified media production expenditures that operate within Michigan.

For too long, Michigan has watched other states attract film, digital media and production jobs while our skilled workers and creative talent look elsewhere for opportunity. At least 40 states offer some form of incentive to attract film and media production. Michigan has the talent, infrastructure and communities to compete nationally, but we need the tools to do so responsibly.

The Multimedia Jobs Act would help build a sustainable pipeline of careers in Michigan’s creative and technical industries. This legislation is about keeping talent rooted in our state, creating new opportunities for workers, and making sure Michigan remains competitive with other states.

The Michigan House of Representatives recently passed House Bill 5636, which I introduced to designate a portion of US-24, Telegraph Road between 9 Mile Road and 14 Mile Road in Southfield, as the “Deputy Claude Wilson Memorial Highway.”

Deputy Claude Wilson was the first African-American deputy in Oakland County history. He served with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office from 1925 to 1935. Before joining law enforcement, Wilson worked as an electrician, reflecting a life of skilled trade and public service.

Deputy Wilson’s career was marked by extraordinary courage and resilience. He survived a line-of-duty shooting while attempting to recover stolen property, resulting in the loss of one eye. After his recovery, he returned to full-time duty in 1933. He was later killed in the line of duty at age 47 following a crash involving an impaired driver while on routine patrol in Southfield Township.

Deputy Wilson broke barriers, served his community, and returned to duty after facing unimaginable adversity. This memorial highway will help ensure his legacy of service and sacrifice is never forgotten.

House Bill 5636 is now being considered in the Michigan State Senate.

My team is excited to continue working on your behalf throughout this legislative session. Hearing your input on legislation and current issues is invaluable, and my office is here to help if you need assistance with a state department or local resources.

You can contact my office at [email protected] or (517) 373-1180. To stay up to date with my work to represent you in the Michigan Legislature, I encourage you to check out my Facebook page and my website, or you can go to legislature.mi.gov for information on any legislation of interest.