Rep. Shannon’s News

LANSING, Mich., March 5, 2024 — A distribution plant in Macomb County, located at 15 Mile Road and Groesbeck Highway, caught fire late last night, causing several explosions. A 19-year-old man standing nearby was killed, and one firefighter was injured. The fire was extinguished early this morning. Investigations at the facility are ongoing. In response to the event, state Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) issued the following statement: “My condolences go out to the family and friends of the individual [...]

LANSING, Mich., Feb. 20, 2024 — State Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) testified today before the Transportation, Mobility and Infrastructure Committee on House Bill 5151. This bill names a portion of M-53 as the Officer Leroy Imus Memorial Highway. On Dec. 2, 1971, Imus was struck and killed while on duty during a traffic stop on the Van Dyke Bypass. After testifying on his bill, Shannon issued the following statement: “Sterling Heights police officer Leroy Imus was a dedicated man — not only [...]

Promoting Michigan jobs and saving hard-earned dollars LANSING, Mich., Jan. 24, 2024 — Before a joint legislative session today, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered this year’s State of the State address. In her speech, the governor discussed her agenda for the new term, which includes uplifting Michigan’s education system, growing our population and protecting people's hard-earned money. State Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) issued the following statement on Whitmer’s address:  “In tonight's address, what resonated for me was the greater focus [...]

Legislation will hold drivers accountable when passing a stopped school bus LANSING, Mich., Nov. 9, 2023 — The Michigan House of Representatives passed House Bills 4928-30 today. These three bills, introduced earlier this fall, will allow the installation of cameras on school bus stop arms, as a way to help enforce vehicle safety at bus stops. After the vote, state Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights), chair of the House Transportation, Mobility and Infrastructure Committee, and bill sponsor of HB 4928, issued the following statement: “Zooming [...]

LANSING, Mich., Nov. 1, 2023 —The Michigan House of Representatives passed House Bill 5046 today, sponsored by state Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights). This legislation would give court reporters and recorders a raise for the first time in nearly 40 years. The policy follows the continued dedication to put people first and help working Michiganders thrive in today’s economy.  “We’ve seen the inflation numbers, and they have impacted families across Michigan,” Shannon said. “By statute, the Legislature is responsible for [...]

LANSING, Mich., Oct. 31, 2023 — Today, the Transportation, Mobility, and Infrastructure Committee voted out Senate Bill 533, sponsored by state Sen. Erika Geiss (D-Taylor). This bill will allow the Secretary of State (SOS) to issue electronic vehicle titles. State Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights), chair of the committee, issued the following statement:   “It is important to move Michigan forward by supporting innovative and convenient ways to interact with the SOS. This legislation saves Michiganders time and money. Legislation [...]

LANSING, Mich., Oct. 24, 2023 — The House Transportation, Mobility and Infrastructure Committee voted out House Bill 5103 today. This bill amends the Michigan Vehicle Code by removing a provision that, as originally written, disqualifies Michiganders from getting a driver’s license if within the last three years they had two or more moving violations that occurred before the issuance of an original license. After the vote, state Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights), chair of the committee, issued the following statement: [...]

LANSING, Mich., Oct. 19, 2023 — The Michigan House of Representatives voted out House Bill 4897 today with unanimous bipartisan support. This bill would allow equipment sharing between the Michigan Department of Transportation and county and local road commissions. “Have you seen the equipment used to inspect bridge infrastructure?” said state Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights), chair of the Transportation, Mobility and Infrastructure Committee. “These helpful tools are called Snooper Trucks. The vehicles have long arms flexible enough to hang off the side [...]

Legislation gives overdue pay increase to court reporters and recorders LANSING, Mich., Sept. 20, 2023 — State Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) introduced House Bill 5046 today. This legislation would give Michigan court reporters a raise for the first time in almost 40 years, continuing a people-first agenda and helping hardworking Michiganders thrive in today’s economy.  “Court reporters and recorders are an essential part of the judicial system. Those who work day in and day out in these positions must [...]

LANSING, Mich., Sept. 19, 2023 — State Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) introduced House Bill 5008 last week. This bill, which Shannon also introduced last term, eliminates business tax deductions for outsourcing expenses. “I introduced this legislation for the prosperity and wellbeing of Michiganders. We can’t reward corporations for sending jobs overseas,” Shannon said. “Without this incentive, businesses will be more inclined to create and retain jobs right here in Michigan, putting our friends and neighbors to work and strengthening [...]

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich., July 21, 2023 —  The Department of Technology, Management & Budget announced yesterday that Michigan’s unemployment rate has decreased to 3.6% in June. This announcement continues to demonstrate Michigan’s positive economic momentum. This decrease in Michigan’s unemployment rate continues to trend with the federal national average. The rate is at its lowest point since 2000 and remains below 4% for only the third period in nearly 50 years. State Rep. Nate Shannon (D- Sterling Heights) issued the [...]

LANSING, Mich., June 28, 2023 — The Michigan House of Representatives passed the state’s fiscal 2023-24 budget today. It includes the largest investment in education in Michigan’s history, including record per-pupil funding and affordable pre-K for all, as well as substantial investments in workforce recruitment and retention, water infrastructure and public safety. In response to the budget vote, state Rep. Nate Shannon (D- Sterling Height), chair of the House Transportation, Mobility, and Infrastructure committee, issued the following statement: “The budget [...]

LANSING, Mich., June 22, 2023 — The Committee on Transportation, Mobility and Infrastructure, chaired by state Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights), voted two bills out of committee on Tuesday — House Bill 4706 and Senate Bill 43. The first bill, House Bill 4706, amends a public act to exclude a provider of electric vehicle charging services from the definition of alternative electric suppliers. An entity that provides electric vehicle charging services will not be considered a public utility under this [...]

LANSING, Mich., May 25, 2023 — The Transportation, Mobility, and Infrastructure Committee heard testimony and voted out House Bill 4153 and Senate Bill 125 this week.  These bills would allow the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to create and operate a grant program for the creation of overpasses and underpasses. These passes will separate vehicle traffic from railroad traffic. After voting these bill out of committee, state Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights), chair of the committee, issued the following statement: [...]

LANSING, Mich., May 17, 2023 — The House Committee on Transportation, Mobility, and Infrastructure voted unanimously in favor of House Bill 4515 yesterday. This law would eliminate the sunset of Michigan’s off-road vehicle (ORV) licensing program. The ORV licensing program allows owners to enjoy a valuable outdoor recreational opportunity while supporting the maintenance of the trails and infrastructure that make these experiences possible. State Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights), chair of the committee, issued the following statement after the vote:  [...]

LANSING, Mich., April 12, 2023 — Earlier this year, the Michigan House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 7, a budget supplemental that allocates $25 million for the Transportation Economic Development Fund, a match grant road funding program for municipalities with fewer than 10,000 people. State Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) issued the following statement, after learning that the city of Utica, which he represents, has the opportunity to receive funds: “I am ecstatic at the opportunity for Utica to receive [...]

LANSING, Mich., April 11, 2023 —  Bills to curb distracted driving were discussed today in the House Transportation, Mobility, and Infrastructure Committee, chaired by state Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights).  The legislation, House Bills 4250-52, seeks to help make Michigan roads safer by keeping drivers accountable and their eyes on the road.  “With so much instant communication in our daily lives, from our cell phones, smartwatches and tablets, it is easy for anyone to get distracted while driving. It is [...]

LANSING, Mich., Feb. 28, 2023 — State Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) presented House Bill 4020 today, in the Education Committee, to change the third-grade reading law. The initial third-grade reading legislation was put together to aid students struggling to achieve their grade level reading goals after Michigan experienced low reading scores in 2016. The bill required schools to identify learners who are struggling with reading and writing and provide them additional help. The law also stated that third-graders who [...]

LANSING, Mich. Jan. 12, 2023 — The U.S. Air Force is developing a plan to retire A-10 squadrons nationwide, including Macomb County’s Selfridge Air National Guard Base.  This includes replacing the current A-10 mission at Selfridge, making room for further investments in Michigan. Gov. Gretchen Whimer sent a letter to Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall III, today, pushing for investments into a new fighter mission at Selfridge. The investments would support over 166,000 jobs and continue to hold [...]

LANSING, Mich. Jan. 11, 2023 — State Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) introduced House Bill 4002 legislation to expand the working families tax credit, today. This legislation will provide tax relief to working Michiganders and their families to help them make ends meet. “This bill provides meaningful aid for working families struggling to put food on the table and gas in their cars. It expands the Michigan Earned Income Tax Credit, which places more money in family budgets, which in [...]

LANSING, Mich., Aug. 17, 2022 — Members of the House Democratic Caucus held a press conference today to denounce the lack of legislative session while Michiganders are paying the salaries of their representatives to tackle the issues affecting them. From high prices on gas and groceries to the threat of reproductive health care being taken away, Democrats have legislation ready to move, but Lansing Republicans who set the calendar won’t come back to work from their summer vacation. After the [...]

LANSING, Mich., Aug. 17, 2022 —  Gov. Gretchen Witmer released a plan yesterday to provide families with a tax holiday on back-to-school supplies. Last year, state Reps. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) and Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth) introduced a similar tax holiday bill. This tax initiative directly assists families, teachers and students in preparing for the upcoming school year by alleviating some of the financial burden. Nineteen other states implemented temporary tax holidays to help schools and students diminish the extra tax [...]

LANSING, Mich., July 20, 2022 — State Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) introduced House Bill 6346 today to implement the MI Tax Rebate Right Now initiative. This legislation would grant a $500 tax rebate for those filing taxes individually if their income is less than $125,000 or to those filing jointly if their income is less than $250,000. “Michiganders are struggling from the aftermath of the pandemic,” Shannon said. “The prices of gas, groceries and basic household necessities have skyrocketed [...]

LANSING, Mich., April 27, 2022 — Yesterday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) to announce the Michigan Strategic Fund approval of several projects, including the redevelopment of the former General Motors Warren Transmission Plant. The project is expected to generate a total capital investment of $180 million and, when fully occupied, could result in the creation of 600 full-time equivalent jobs. State Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) issued the following statement in support of the investment: [...]

LANSING, Mich., April 13, 2022 — Today, state Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) introduced a resolution to establish a task force to address Southeast Michigan’s flooding issues and failing water infrastructure. Consisting of four members from each party, the task force will investigate potential solutions to the ongoing problem and report its findings to the full House of Representatives.    Heavy rains have become increasingly prevalent in the state, especially in the Lower Peninsula. This has led to record storms [...]

LANSING, Mich., March 24, 2022 — The Michigan House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 565 today, putting billions of dollars to work in communities across the state. State Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) voted in support of the bill, highlighting the more than $72 million for water infrastructure in Macomb County. Shannon issued the following statement:   “Last summer, torrential rains flooded Southeast Michigan, causing irreparable damage to homes and businesses across the region. The bipartisan investments in this bill [...]

LANSING, Mich., March 1, 2022 — Yesterday, state Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) spoke in favor of a bipartisan resolution condemning Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine. The resolution rebukes Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggressive actions, careless disregard for human life and violation of international law. Ukraine has been under a constant barrage of bombing and firing since Russia invaded last week with death tolls expected to continue climbing. The resolution is expected to receive widespread support.    “The people of [...]

LANSING, Mich., Feb. 9, 2022 — Today, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer unveiled her priorities for this year’s upcoming state budget. In a presentation to both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, Budget Director Chris Harkins outlined the governor’s plans on a number of critical issues. A major focus this year will be increasing funds for the state’s education system. This includes the highest per pupil funding ever at $9,135 for every district, retention and recruitment bonuses for teachers, and expansions in [...]

LANSING, Mich., Jan. 26, 2022 — Today, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered her fourth State of the State address from Detroit Diesel. Her remarks highlighted proposals that put Michiganders first by growing Michigan’s economy, creating jobs, cutting taxes and lowering costs for families. In response, state Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) issued the following statement:  “Cutting taxes for working families, expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and lowering prescription drug prices are my top priorities in the new year. I look forward [...]

LANSING, Mich., Dec. 2,  2021 — Today, the Michigan House of Representatives voted on an appropriation bill that will provide millions in funding for law enforcement. House Bill 5522 allocates over $230 million in federal and state funds to first responders across Michigan. The bill includes funding for body cameras, resource officers in schools and new incentives to encourage people to pursue a career in law enforcement. The legislation passed by an overwhelming margin with bipartisan support. In response, state [...]

LANSING, Mich., Oct. 14, 2021 — Today, the Michigan House of Representatives voted by an overwhelming and bipartisan margin to cut taxes for small businesses across Michigan. House Bill 5376 creates a new flow-through entity tax at the same rate as the individual income tax and creates an additional tax credit for business owners. This legislation will offer tax breaks for hundreds of thousands of small-business owners. State Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) said in a statement: “Small businesses have [...]

LANSING, Mich., Sept. 22, 2021 — The Michigan House of Representatives passed a budget for the upcoming fiscal year with historic investments in health care, child care and infrastructure. The budget includes over $200 million to fix or replace local bridges, made permanent a wage raise for direct care workers, expanded eligibility for the Child Care and Development Program to over 105,000 more children and increased funding to programs ranging from supporting police officers to public universities. The budget, which [...]

LANSING, Mich., Feb. 11, 2021 — Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights), joined Michigan House Democrats in applauding the economic and education priorities outlined by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in her budget presentation to the Legislature Thursday. The executive budget, which will now be reviewed by the Legislature, calls for significant increases in economic recovery and education funding – marking the largest investment in K-12 schools in Michigan to date. “How we spend our money is one of the truest measures of [...]

LANSING, Mich., Jan. 22, 2021 — State Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) was appointed to the House Committees on Transportation and Education yesterday for the 2021-22 legislative term. Shannon, a former teacher, is serving his second term representing Michigan’s 25th House District. Following the announcement, Shannon issued the following statement: "As a former teacher, I am of course very proud to be joining the education policy committee, and excited for the opportunity to advocate for the students, teachers and staff [...]

LANSING, Mich., July 28, 2020 — Last week, State Reps. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) and Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth) introduced House Bills 6024 and 6023, respectively, to establish the Feed our Future Fund to accept charitable donations and disperse money to public schools helping them cover unpaid lunch debts. “Lunch debt is an issue we’re seeing all over the country,” said Shannon. “This debt is occasionally handled by charitable donations to districts; but far more often, it falls to the district [...]

LANSING, Mich., June 26, 2020 — State Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) introduced House Bill 5926 recently that would require helpline numbers for substance abuse, suicide prevention, Alcoholics Anonymous and the poison control center to be printed on prescription receipts. “Prescription drugs are in essentially every household in this country, and over the last few decades, have been a major cause of overdose and overdose deaths,” said Shannon. “While we are working to curb this issue through legislation that limits [...]

LANSING — Today, the House of Representatives finished passing the collection of bills comprising the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 budget, including the General Government budget. Despite House Democrats introducing a number of amendments, Lansing Republicans ultimately rejected them, resulting in budgets that fail to adequately fund road repairs, schools, or the states infrastructure needs to ensure Michiganders have access to clean water. In response, state Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights), who introduced an amendment to restore crucial increases in revenue sharing, [...]

LANSING — Following weeks of bipartisan negotiations, the House passed a sweeping overhaul of Michigan’s auto insurance system today. The final bill includes several provisions put forward by House Democrats including the elimination of non-driving rate-setting factors, guaranteed rate reductions and increased consumer protections. In response, state Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) issued the following statement: “Previous plans considered by the Legislature did not fully address the fundamental problems with our auto insurance system, which is why my colleagues and [...]

LANSING — State Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) introduced House Bill 4628 today to provide insurance rate relief to Michigan drivers by requiring certain traffic violations to be removed from a driver’s record after only three years. Currently in Michigan, all items remain on an individual’s driving record for at least seven years. “This bill ensures those that make minor driving mistakes are not punished with costly insurance bills for nearly a decade while maintaining consequences for those who act [...]

STERLING HEIGHTS — State Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) hosted a town hall yesterday about the current state of Michigan’s roads. The event included a discussion with experts and city officials about the state’s crumbling roads and infrastructure, followed by a Q&A on ways to address the issue. “It was encouraging to see so many community members come out and take part in this discussion,” Shannon said. “With all of the different plans being thrown around these days, it is [...]

LANSING — With no hearings or public input, the legislative majority rushed through House Bill 4397 late tonight, a massive giveaway to insurance companies in the form of loopholes and no guarantees or even promises of lower rates. In response, state Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) issued the following statement: “I understand the people of my district and this state have a deep desire to see auto insurance reforms in Michigan. Our rates are the highest in the nation. HB [...]

LANSING — State Reps. Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth) and Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) have introduced House Bill 4426 to guarantee in-state college tuition for all surviving school-aged children of police officers and firefighters who were killed in the line of duty, regardless of their surviving parent’s economic circumstances. Current law caps tuition assistance based on their surviving parent’s financial status. “When someone gives their life in service to our state or community, we don’t just have an obligation to honor them, [...]

LANSING — Tonight, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered her first State of the State address, outlining her vision for the state and calling for bipartisan collaboration to address the issues facing Michigan’s working families. In response, state Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) issued the following statement: “Michigan was once a leader in educational achievement, but an unwillingness to sufficiently fund our public schools and prioritize the future of our young people has left us falling behind. All Michiganders agree that we need [...]

LANSING — State Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights) was sworn in officially today as representative for the 25th House District for the 2019-2020 legislative session. The swearing-in ceremony marked the formal opening of Michigan’s 100th Legislature. In response, Rep. Shannon issued the following statement: “I am proud to have been chosen to represent the people of Sterling Heights and Warren. As your representative, I will work to continue to ensure that our money comes back to our district in the [...]