Hello Friend,
Welcome to my latest e-newsletter! I hope that this newsletter finds you and your families safe and sound after the intense high winds we experienced this week. Later in this newsletter, you will find more information about how to deal with the damages of these winds and try to get reconnected to power or find out the status of any outages your neighborhood may be experiencing.
Meanwhile, it has been a busy time both in Lansing and in the district for me. I’ve enjoyed getting to know my colleagues on both sides of the aisle better and working to advance sound policy on behalf of you, my constituents, and the residents of Michigan. Please continue reading for more information about what I’ve been doing in Lansing, my next coffee hours, and other community events. As always, please feel free to contact my office if you have any questions or ideas about legislation. You can contact me and my staff at (517) 373-0828, by email at DonnaLasinski@house.mi.gov or by visiting my website at RepLasinski.com.
Coffee Hour
Please join me for my next coffee hour to discuss what’s happening in Lansing and in Washtenaw County:
Thursday, March 23
6:30-7:30 p.m.
Northfield Township Office, Board Room
8350 Main St.
Whitmore Lake
Don’t worry if you can’t make it — this email list will keep you up-to-date on future coffee hours. And of course, always feel free to call or email my office to ask questions or voice an opinion.
What to do in HD 52
Waterloo G & G Gravel Road Race
On Saturday, March 18, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Epic Races are offering the Waterloo G & G, a one-of-a-kind gravel bike experience full of beautiful scenery and adventure. There will be ten-mile, 50K and 100K courses, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Waterloo Recreation Area. For more information, go to http://www.michigan.gov/som/0,4669,7-192-29907_29909-404735–m_2017_10,00.html.
Legislative Update
International Women’s Day
On Wednesday, I introduced, and the House of Representatives adopted, a resolution to declare March 8, 2017, as International Women’s Day in the state of Michigan. This year marked the 106th anniversary of the International Women’s Day celebration, which aims to recognize the struggles women have faced around the world and celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. I was proud to pass this bipartisan resolution, which you can read here: http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2017-2018/resolutionadopted/House/pdf/2017-HAR-0033.pdf.
You can also watch my floor speech about International Women’s Day here: https://housedems.com/article/lasinski-introduces-international-women%E2%80%99s-day-resolution.
FOIA
I am pleased to inform you that on Thursday, March 9, the first bill I introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives, House Bill 4156, passed out of the House Committee on Michigan Competitiveness. This bill was part of a bipartisan package aimed at increasing transparency in our state government by subjecting state legislators and the governor to the open records laws. My bill would create restrictions to ensure that no confidential constituent information is made available to the public in this process. The next step in the legislative process for this bill package is to be voted on by the full House of Representatives.
Helpful State Resources
Recovering from the Extreme Winds
DTE Energy urges customers to stay at least 20 feet from all power lines and anything they may contact as their crews focus on addressing these pressing safety concerns and restoring power. To report an outage or check on an outage status, DTE recommends using the DTE Energy Mobile App, going online to dteenergy.com, or calling (800) 477-4747.
The Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) offers resources that you may find helpful should you be working with insurance companies to file a claim and repair any damages caused by the high winds we experienced. They can help answer questions about what insurers must do and help explain policy language. Please feel free to reach out to the DIFS Office of Consumer Services toll-free at (877) 999-6442
For additional information regarding disaster preparedness, as well as how to file a complaint against an insurance company with DIFS, go to the DIFS website at http://www.michigan.gov/difs and click on the “Consumers” link. You can find resources related to wind and other elements on the DIFS website under “Disaster Preparedness.”
Michigan Home Heating Credit
As tax season continues, Michigan residents are encouraged to file for the Michigan Home Heating Credit. Qualified Michigan homeowners and renters may be eligible to receive help from the state of Michigan for heating expenses through this credit program. More information is available at the Department of Treasury website at http://www.michigan.gov/taxes/0,4676,7-238-43513_66852-330928–,00.html.
I hope you’ve found this information useful. Please contact my office if we can be of any assistance.