LANSING – State Representatives Sheldon Neeley (D-Flint) and Phil Phelps (D-Flushing) will honor former state Rep. Vera B. Rison on the House Floor on Thursday during session. Rison died at the age of 76 on Aug. 31 following a battle with illness.

“Vera was a force in the city of Flint, for its people and the community as a whole,” Neeley said. “She was always there to help her neighbors through any situation. No one had the heart that she did for Flint and its people.”

Rison served on the Genesee County Board of Commissioners from 1986 to 1996, chairing the Human Services Committee, and was a member of Genesee County Community Mental Health as well as the chair of Service Employees International Union Local 79. She won election to a state House seat in 1996, serving in the position until 2002 due to term limits.

“Strength has always been synonymous with Vera B. Rison, from her beginnings in the Beecher community to working for the people of the greater Flint area,” Phelps said. “She brought their concerns to the Legislature and fought for them, not giving into special interests. She knew that her constituents were the people she answered to.”