October Updates: Community and Legislative Highlights

Greetings, District 10 Neighbors!

It’s been a hot and busy summer! I hope you all have been getting rest and relaxation time as we move indoors for the changing seasons.

This month’s newsletter offers highlights from this summer — legislatively and otherwise — and info about upcoming community events.

I’ve included a dedicated section in this newsletter with highlights from the new 2025-26 state budget. It’s the most important piece of legislation we pass each year, shaping everything from schools and health care to local infrastructure. In the update, you’ll find the key takeaways and what they mean for District 10. I’ll continue to provide more detail in future newsletters as we track how these investments are rolled out in our community.

In the meantime, I can tell you that I will be hosting a Health Care Town Hall on Oct. 27 with special guest and fellow state Rep. Carrie Rheingans, who teaches health policy at the University of Michigan and has worked on some insightful important legislation. I’ll also have virtual and in-person community conversations (coffee hours), and will host a Constituent Services on the Road event on Oct. 20.

You’re always welcome to reach out to my office for any assistance you may need or for more information. I’d appreciate hearing from you about town halls or events you would like for our district, or even places or times to have coffee hours and conversations.

Best regards,

• Town Halls
• Coffee Hours and Community Conversations
•  Summer Re-Cap
•  Budget Update

 October Community Conversations

• Fri., Oct. 10 | noon-1 p.m. | Grosse Pointe Public Library Central Branch
• Mon., Oct. 20 | 5:30-6:30 p.m. | Harper Woods Public Library, Monday
• Sat., Oct. 25 | 10-11 a.m. | Virtual (Zoom) Coffee Hour (contact my office for the meeting link)

June was a quick start to a short summer.

Advocating for safer communities. I joined with District 10 constituents in raising awareness about gun safety. Wear Orange for Gun Violence Awareness is an annual initiative which advocates for gun safety and violence prevention. This movement is particularly recognized the first weekend in June. Why orange? In part because it’s the color hunters wear to avoid being shot or otherwise injured by others. According to Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, 2023 Michigan gun violence statistics include: 518 homicides, 836 suicides, and 75 minors under the age of 17. This loss of life is both disturbing and in many ways preventable, and I’m thankful to be a part of a movement to advocate change to save lives.

PHOTOS: Gun Prevention Week protest in front of city hall; event at NextChapter Books.

Fighting for clean and safer water. I was fortunate to attend a short conference at the Birkholz Institute in Milwaukee as a member of the Great Lakes Legislative Caucus. We discussed identifying water sources contaminated by PFAS and microplastics, state agency responses and drinking water filtration. (In August, I introduced House Bill 4768 which would require the testing and reporting of microplastics in public drinking water.) Quick tip: your everyday faucet lead water filters also filter out microplastics! (PFAS are man-made chemicals used in firefighting foam and some household and industrial uses which may cause serious health problems.)

The next generation of women leaders. Each summer, the American Legion Auxiliary hosts Girls State, a weeklong government camp for young women going into their senior year of high school. Girls take part in creating their own governments, starting at a city level and working their way up to the county level all the way to creating and electing their own state legislature, executive branch, and State Supreme Court. My Constituent Services Director Abby, was a participant of this program in 2019, and she returns each year as a volunteer coordinator for the counseling staff. This year, Girls State welcomed three House District 10 constituents to the program. I had the opportunity to meet them and to hear about what they had been learning, and the positions they were elected to in their respective cities. Girls State is a great program that will continue to empower young women for years to come.

If you know a high school junior who might be interested in attending Girls State next summer, you can find more information at the American Legion Auxiliary’s website: Michalaux.org/Girls-State.

PHOTOS: Rep. Veronica Paiz speaks to the Michigan American Legion Auxiliary Girls State.

Youth football camp. A few colleagues and I attended a special afternoon youth football camp for kids from throughout southeastern Michigan hosted by HAP CareSource. The camp was designed to inspire and empower kids – and it did just that with host Detroit Lions Pro Bowler Jahmyr Gibbs. He’s a very nice young man and the kids were crazy about him!

Jahmyr Gibbs. He’s a very nice young man and the kids were crazy about him!

PHOTOS: Detroit Lions Pro Bowler Jahmyr Gibbs and Rep. Veronica Paiz; Left to Right: State Rep. Tonya Myers Phillips (D-Detroit), Jahmyr Gibbs, state Sen. Mary Cavanagh (D-Redford Twp.), and Rep. Veronica Paiz.

Music on the Lawn. I met up with Grosse Pointe Woods Mayor Art Bryant at the city’s summer Music on the Lawn and was glad to say a few words to the audience.

PHOTO: City of Grosse Pointe Woods Mayor Arthur W. Bryan and Rep. Veronica Paiz.

Community resource fair. At the invitation of Pastor Mike Johnson, my office joined with Love Rising Lutheran Church for a community resource fair. In addition to office resources, the Michigan Secretary of State’s mobile office was there to assist with constituent concerns.

PHOTOS: Rep. Veronica Paiz, constituents, and state Rep. Tyrone Carter (D-Detroit).

Funding for our parks. In 2023, I was able to secure state budget funds for a pocket park in Harper Woods. The lot had been vacant for well over ten years and city officials have long wanted to put it to good use for the neighborhood. I was glad to be a part of the transformation and to join Senator Kevin Hertel, city officials, and others in a groundbreaking ceremony for Roscommon Park.

Good trouble and the late John Lewis. I was honored to speak at the John Lewis Day of Good Trouble event in East English Village about ways community members can work together through civic engagement, of nonviolent actions in resistance to — and opposition to — attacks on our civil and human rights. The event had a strong community turnout and was hopeful for the good of our future.

National perspectives. My staff and I attended the National Caucus of State Legislators (NCSL) Legislative Summit in Boston. While there, we heard featured speakers discuss topics including political violence, and attended seminars about innovative health care, energy and environment, and housing — to name only a few. I was honored to serve as a panelist for Save Our Stories, Lawmakers on Freedom to Read, hosted by Penguin Books and the Beacon Press. Alongside my colleague Representative Carol Glanville and other legislators, we discussed the national movement toward Freedom to Read laws.

Local update. I attended the Aug. 18 Grosse Pointe City Council meeting and gave an update about my work and the goings-on in Lansing including budget negotiations.

In the early hours of Oct. 3, the Michigan Legislature approved the FY 2025-26 state budget with bipartisan votes, totaling about $78 billion to fund state operations and public schools.

For our community, this means stable support for health care and food assistance, record investments in classrooms, and a major boost for local roads and bridges. Put simply: we protected essential services families rely on every day while directing more dollars to the neighborhood infrastructure we use most.

For students and families, this budget delivers record per-pupil funding of $10,050, continues universal free breakfast and lunch for every public school student, and expands pre-K through the Great Start Readiness Program. It also strengthens student well-being and safety with new investments in mental health services and school safety, along with targeted support for at-risk students, English learners, and smaller K-3 class sizes. In addition, the School Aid budget directs millions toward upgrading school infrastructure, guaranteeing rural transportation, and literacy programs.

On health care, despite devastating cuts from the federal government, core Medicaid and hospital funding were preserved. For transportation, MDOT’s funding rises to roughly $7.9 billion, sending significant additional funding to cities, villages and counties to repair local streets and bridges.

I’ll share a deeper dive next e-newsletter issue, including how these investments intersect with District 10 priorities like water quality, early literacy, and neighborhood safety.

•  HB 4768 — Water quality standards; testing and reporting microplastics in drinking water.
• HB 4541  — Requiring notaries public to have an identification number.
• HB 4542  — Civil penalties for the negligent or purposeful harm, injury, or death of an designated ADA service animal.
• HB 4689  — Educational curriculum and the formation of a cultural history advisory board.
• HB 4858  — Public records and the disclosure of information without a warrant.

To find a bill and its sponsor, check the Michigan Legislature website or visit my website, RepPaiz.com, to see bills and resolutions I’ve sponsored or co-sponsored.

I love to honor and celebrate the many people, organizations and businesses that make House District 10 unique. Official state tributes recognize local residents and businesses, commemorate important milestones such as anniversaries, grand openings, championships and more! Know someone deserving of a tribute?

Click the button below or visit my House website to complete a form and my staff will get back to you within the week.