Hello Friends,

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend and enjoyed the beautiful weather here in Michigan. Can you believe summer is right around the corner?

Memorial Day is a great day to enjoy time with friends and family, but the holiday has a deeper meaning. It is a time to commemorate those who lost their lives while serving in the American armed forces. I hope that everyone had a safe Memorial Day weekend while honoring those lost.

As always, my office is reachable by phone at (517) 373-1790 and by email at StephenWooden@house.mi.gov. Please feel free to reach out at any time with questions, concerns or to share your thoughts on a particular issue.

Sincerely,

 

 

Stephen Wooden

State Representative, 81st District

Proudly representing parts of the city of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Charter Township, Plainfield Charter Township and all of Ada Township.

In this Issue:

  • Upcoming Time with Stephen
  • Legislative Update 
  • Federal Medicaid Funding Update
  • District Update

UPCOMING TIME WITH STEPHEN

June Coffee Hour 

This will be an opportunity to meet with me directly to ask questions, share concerns and learn more about what I’ve been up to in Lansing. I hope to see you there!

Friday, June 13, noon-1:30 p.m. at Kent District Library (Plainfield Township Branch, 2650 5 Mile Road NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525, USA)

Coffee hours will now rotate around House District 81 throughout the year. Stay tuned for future locations and dates. 

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Rep. Wooden Introduces Legislation to Support an Aberdeen Academy Class Project

On May 21, I introduced legislation, HB 4519, to designate the stonefly as Michigan’s state insect. This idea came from a group of 5th graders at Aberdeen Academy who first proposed the idea last year. I am proud to reintroduce this legislation to establish a state insect that reflects the values and environment of our Great Lakes State.

Michigan is one of only two states without an official state insect, and the stonefly is the perfect insect to represent our great state. Stoneflies are insects that hatch in the early spring and winter at the bottom of rocky freshwater streams and emerge as fully formed adults measuring 1 centimeter. They are not known to cause any harm to people, plants or trees and only eat pieces of dead vegetation and other invertebrates. They’re actually known to be a “good omen” because they only occur in clean, fresh water. The stonefly is important and an integral part of Michigan’s thriving ecosystem, due to it being a key food source for freshwater fish.

We can also learn a lot about the health of our Great Lakes based on the stonefly’s presence around freshwater, which shows the water quality and predicts how healthy the streams are that feed into the lakes. They are prevalent around freshwater because they require higher rates of dissolved oxygen, which decreases when water temperatures are warmer and there is pollution. The stonefly is a great example of how some species are reliant on the Great Lakes for their own survival. The stonefly is the perfect insect to represent our Great Lake State. I look forward to this legislation advancing through the legislative process. 

Rep. Wooden Opposes Legislation That Rolls Back Civil Rights for Certain Trans Children

On May 22, House Republicans passed two pieces of legislation aiming to ban certain transgender students from athletics and roll back their civil rights. I proudly voted NO on these bills and stand in strong opposition to any legislation that seeks to undermine Michigan’s LGBTQ community. 

All Michiganders, most certainly all kids and teens, deserve to have their civil rights protected. LGBTQ+ Michiganders fought for nearly 50 years to have their civil rights added to Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA). I will not support any attempts to roll back those hard-fought rights. Michigan cannot be a place where people want to live, work and thrive if we do not ensure fundamental rights and protections for all. 

The Michigan High School Athletic Association has previously reported that there are typically two inquiries each year out of 180,000 athletes, and currently just two athletes who utilize the Association’s waiver policy. HBs 4066 and 4469 are extreme solutions for an occurrence that has happened less than half a dozen times in Michigan’s history. HBs 4066 and 4469 threaten civil rights, do not increase safety for Michigan’s youth and are a distraction from the real issues affecting our state. 

Given how much economic uncertainty there is right now, I am committed to focusing on pressing issues like lowering costs and uplifting families and workers. Proposed federal cuts to Medicaid would kick hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Michiganders off their health insurance and raise the cost of health care for all Michigan families. While Republicans double down on divisive social issues, I remain laser-focused on lowering costs and building people up. 
FEDERAL MEDICAID FUNDING UPDATE

Americans could see major changes to Medicaid, food stamps and tax benefits under a sweeping Republican bill that passed the U.S. House early on May 22. Most notably, this proposal contains $625 billion in Medicaid cuts and could cause 7.6 million Americans to lose their health insurance over the next 10 years, according to initial estimates by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

This Congressional budget bill is still not final and needs to make its way through the rest of the legislative process. However, like many of you, I find the idea of our federal government potentially cutting Medicaid funding deeply disturbing. 

Access to health care is one of the most basic expectations people have of their government, especially for those who qualify for programs like Medicaid. In our state, almost 2.7 million Michiganders rely on Medicaid to access lifesaving treatments, preventive care and support services that keep them healthy, working and able to care for their loved ones. These are hard-working people, seniors, individuals with disabilities and low-income families who pay taxes and contribute to our communities. They deserve a health care system that works for them, not against them.

As government officials, we should be focused on making our health care systems more efficient, more compassionate and more responsive — not less. Ensuring timely, equitable access to health care for all isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart and fiscally responsible thing to do.

Please know that, as your state Representative, I will do everything in my power to oppose Medicaid cuts at the state level and to ensure Michiganders do not lose access to their healthcare. 
DISTRICT UPDATE

Grand Rapids 175th anniversary

As many of you know, this year is the city of Grand Rapids’ 175th anniversary. This Saturday, June 7, Grand Rapids’ official birthday party will be held at Rosa Park Circle from 2-5 p.m. I hope you will join me in this celebration of our great city and the families and communities that call Grand Rapids home.

There will also be various events and activities throughout the year to commemorate and share the city’s history and vibrant community. Grand Rapids has remained a center of innovation for economic and community development over these past 175 years.