Capitol & Community Update

Dear Neighbor,

Welcome to my e-newsletter! I’m honored and humbled to serve as our community’s voice at the Capitol in Lansing. As we continue into the term, rest assured that the challenges families in our community and state are facing are at the top of my legislative priorities. Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office by phone at (517) 373-0837 or email at AmosONeal@house.mi.gov if we can help. 

Sincerely,

Amos O’Neal

State Representative, 94th House District

In this issue:

Events:

• Small Business Town Hall 
• Expungement Fair

Legislation:

• Sponsored Legislation Introductions:

HB 5655: Licensing of Staffing Agencies

HB 5654: Qualifications Based Selection Process 

HBs 5689-93: Jury Reforms 

• Sponsored Legislation Committee Hearings: 

HB 5439: Short Term Rental Package 

HB 5060: Community Action 

FY 2024-25 Budget Update 

EGLE Grant Awarded to Bridgeport Township 

 

Small Business Town Hall 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please mark your calendars for my next town hall, focused on small businesses, set for Monday, April 29, at 3:30 p.m. 

This will be a great opportunity for community members to have their voices heard, as well as hear from our local partners and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. There are so many resources available for local small businesses, and it is time we start to highlight these for everyone to be fully aware of and knock down some of those communication barriers. 

Attendees will learn about tools and technical support, engage with economic development experts and have the ability to ask questions of panelists. 

Please register here at this link. 

 

Expungement Fair

Expungement fairs are an opportunity to review criminal convictions with on-site volunteer attorneys for potentially expungeable convictions.

Having criminal convictions expunged can aid a resident in securing employment, housing and other benefits available to those without a criminal record.

We are pleased to offer a pre-registration process this time around and would love for you to join us on May 11 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Let my office know if there are any questions. 

 

HB 5655: Licensing of Staffing Agencies  As we know, nursing facilities are doing all that they can to recruit and retain workers amid the most challenging workforce shortages in the profession’s history. That is why I have introduced House Bill 5655 for licensing of staffing agencies.  As staff experiences burnout, nursing facilities are often left with no option but to use staffing agencies to fill empty positions. The use of staffing agencies is not the optimal solution and also comes with a significant financial impact. The transient nature of staff provided through these agencies does not allow for the familiarity with facility policies and protocols. It is important to note that the Medicare and Medicaid programs make up nearly 85% of the payer source for nursing facility residents. These price increases are simply not sustainable for providers and are an imprudent and unsustainable use of taxpayer dollars.  The policy changes in my bill will ensure prudent spending of taxpayer dollars, provide protections for agency staff and improve the competitive balance between staffing agencies and providers in attracting and retaining caregivers.

 

HB 5654: Qualifications Based Selection Process

Over the last few months, I have been in many conversations with stakeholders, state departments and community members to create what is now House Bill 5654. 

This bill started as a re-introduction of Senate Bill 642, which was introduced last term and passed both the House and Senate. A qualifications-based selection (QBS) process would add specifications related to how the state must advertise for and select architectural, engineering or surveying services needed for proposed projects. 

This bill will introduce a pilot version to get us to a full QBS process. I am happy with the work that has taken place to introduce this bill and look forward to working together on it as we move toward a committee hearing. 

 

HBs 5689-93: Jury Reforms

After many years working with a Jury Task Force, I am elated to share that I have finally introduced my package of bills that will improve our rights to an impartial jury.

The bills will create a statewide jury management system run by the State Court Administrative Office (SCAO). SCAO will develop standard questionnaire language, including information on race and ethnicity to help collect data to further understand the Michigan jury selection process. It will also amend Michigan’s jury selection process to a one-step system, combining qualification questionnaires and the jury summons in the same mailing, with instructions for jurors to return. This will help create a much higher response rate.

This jury bill package has many more changes, all ensuring that every Michigander has a fair trial by a representative jury of their peers. Enhancing the jury selection process strengthens our commitment to a fair and just system. These bills are not just a reinforcement of existing rights; they are an advancement of them and an advancement for all Michigan courts. I am eager to push for movement on these bills and welcome any questions on the details of this package. 

 

HB 5439: Short Term Rental Package 

This week, there was movement on the short-term rental package with a hearing for the bills in the House Local Government and Municipal Finance committee.

As a reminder, this package of bills was spearheaded by state Rep. Joey Andrews after he conducted a listening tour over the summer and integrated feedback from our affected communities into the bill package. These bills will help with challenges posed by the growing short-term rental (STR) industry. The bills propose a statewide (opt-in) excise tax on STRs, set at 6% of the occupancy charge. They will also alleviate the strain on local infrastructure and impacts on public services and safety caused by STRs. It also creates an STR registry and database to provide crucial support to local enforcement efforts. The registry is not intended to replace local registries but rather to complement them. It plays a crucial role in preventing instances of fraudulent activities, especially cases where STRs are disguised as homesteads. The registry promotes transparency in the STR sector, ensuring that property owners are accountable for their rental activities.  

I have been working on this in collaboration with the Michigan Municipal League, the Michigan Township Association, the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association, the Michigan Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus, and the Michigan Realtors Association.

 

HB 5060: Community Action Agencies

House Bill 5060 and 5061 passed out of the House Committee on Economic Development and Small Business last Tuesday. 

These bills will modernize the enabling statute for Community Action Agencies (CAAs) statewide, which was last changed in 1981. CAAs are federally designated human services agencies that receive Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funding via the federal government. The state of Michigan allocates CSBG funding via the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Bureau of Community Action and Economic Opportunity. This legislation simply brings Michigan’s existing community action statute up to modern standards. 

Poverty doesn’t recognize county lines or legislative district boundaries. No matter what part of the state, whether rural or urban, northern or southern, every legislative district in Michigan has a community action agency. I am so glad to see these bills move and look forward to a vote on the House floor. 

 

FY 2024-25 Budget Update

Even though I have had a busy few weeks introducing many bills, I have also been focusing heavily on my budget as the chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Corrections. 

We were able to pass out our budget bill and provide for some important updates for the next fiscal year. I look forward to our continued work as we move these subcommittee budgets to the full Appropriations Committee and eventually finalize this budget come June. 

 

EGLE Grant Awarded to Bridgeport Township

The Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy recently awarded Bridgeport Charter Township a Community Technical, Managerial, and Financial Support grant for $600,000. This grant will be used for lead water line replacement. 

This investment is very welcome news to my district and our residents. Replacing lead piping ensures we are moving our community forward with better infrastructure and safer drinking water. This opportunity not only will replace lines, but will also check about 400 lines to see if there is lead present. Our community will be made better with this opportunity.