Dear Friends,

 

Hello, and welcome to my e-newsletter. I would like to take this moment to thank you for allowing me the opportunity to serve you in House District 95 and to act as your voice in the Capitol. In this issue you will find information on the following:

 

  • Upcoming Coffee Hour
  • House Passes Additional Road Funding: Too Little, Too Late
  • Sex Offender Bills
  • Tax Tips

 

As your representative, I am most effective at my job when acting on your input, and I encourage you to reach out to me and my staff with any questions, comments or concerns you may have about issues in the district, or legislation that will impact our state. You can contact me toll-free at (855) 347-8095, by email at vanessaguerra@house.mi.gov or through my website, guerra.housedems.com. I look forward to hearing from you, and thank you for your commitment to the community we both call home.

 

 

Upcoming Coffee Hour

 

My coffee hours are a chance to sit down in an informal setting and discuss issues facing our state. My next coffee hour will be held on:

 

  • Monday, April 9, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the James Township Hall, 6060 Swan Creek Road in Saginaw. Note: the coffee hour will take place directly before the monthly James Townships Board of Trustees meeting.

 

If you can’t make it to the coffee hour, please feel free to contact me by email or phone. I hope to see you then!

 

 

House Passes Additional Road Funding: Too Little, Too Late

 

Roads help us get to where we live, work and play. Yet in Michigan, we continually struggle with crumbling roads and bridges. Almost every day we hear stories of someone who broke an axle, blew a tire, or more tragically was involved in a car accident as a result of the poor condition of the roads.

 

Last week, the House agreed to add an additional $175 million in resources to help fix the roads. Saginaw County itself is expected to receive $1,360,915.45 to be used toward fixing our community’s roads. While I’m glad to see any amount of money go toward fixing our transportation infrastructure, I must also note that the extra infusion of funds means that the current road funding plan isn’t doing enough fast enough. Last year, House Democrats proposed numerous amendments to help address this issue — all efforts were rejected along party lines.

 

This $175 million is step in the right direction, but we can and must do better.

 

 

Protecting Sexual Assault Survivors in the Classroom

 

Last week, the Law and Justice Committee heard testimony from two girls who were assaulted off school grounds by a fellow classmate. They were forced to attend class with him unless they obtained personal protection orders, which they must renew annually, to prevent the assaulter from returning to their school or riding the school bus with them. They testified in favor of House Bills 5530-5532, which would allow school boards to expel students for committing sexual assault on or off school grounds, and would make it easier for survivors to obtain personal protection orders against the individual who assaulted them.

 

I was proud to vote to send HBs 5530-5532 to the House floor on Tuesday. There is no reason a survivor of abuse should have to be reminded of their experience while trying to learn and better themselves in the classroom.

 

 

Tax Tips

Remember, your taxes must be filed before Tuesday, April 17. To assist you in filling out your state income tax form, my office now has available the 2018 Michigan Taxpayer’s Guide, a resource for the 2017 tax year. It contains information on Michigan property taxes, homestead property tax credits, individual income taxes, farmland and open space tax relief and the home heating credit program. If you live in the 95th House District we will gladly mail you a copy for free!

 

 

Sincerely,

 

State Representative Vanessa Guerra
95th House District