E-Newsletter, July 24, 2009
MICHIGAN LEGISLATIVE BLACK CAUCUS SPONSORS GOVERNMENT CONTRACT WORKSHOP
The Michigan Legislative Black Caucus will sponsor a free workshop on July 31 on how to qualify for government contracts. The event is from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, 315 E. Warren Ave., Detroit. The meeting will include representatives from federal, state and local government agencies and business associations. Seats are limited so advance registration is requested. To register, call Lizzy Low in the office of State Senator Hansen Clarke (D-Detroit) at 517-373-7346 or 877-252-7537, or e-mail her at elow@senate.michigan.gov.
JOY-SOUTHFIELD COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION ANNOUNCES HEALTH FAIR
The Eighth Annual Community Health Fair will be held on August 1, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Joy-Southfield Health and Education Center. The center is located at 18917 Joy Road, Detroit. The health fair will include free health services for children including physical exams and vaccinations (parents are asked to bring existing vaccination records for their children); vision, hearing, and lead testing; and dental screenings and cleanings. Free health services for adults include diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol testing; STD testing and counseling; and massages and consultations with a chiropractor. Other available resources include Head Start sign-up, marriage counseling, senior citizen services, and home foreclosure prevention advice. There will also be free food, games and entertainment. For more information call the center at 313-581-7773, extension 108.
ONLINE GUIDE HELPS DISABLED DRIVERS FIND FULL SERVICE GAS STATIONS
If you or someone you know has a disability, then they can get help pumping gas at some Michigan gas stations. The online resource, www.ThePumpGuide.com, can help disabled motorists find full service gas stations in the state. To qualify for refueling assistance, drivers are required to display a state-issued disability license plate or placard.
The Pump Guide is an online directory of gas stations statewide that offer travelers with disabilities full service at self-service prices. The site was created by the Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America, a nonprofit organization.
The Pump Guide's online program allows users to: search for stations by county, identify stations near a specific location or by ZIP code, and plan a trip using directions that include participating stations along the route.
More than 900 gas stations statewide participate in The Pump Guide program. In addition to locations and hours, the guide also lists those stations that include car washes, ATMs, accessible restrooms and other amenities. The information in the guide comes from responses to an annual questionnaire that the Michigan Paralyzed Veterans Organization sends to gas stations.
DETROIT, WAYNE COUNTY WIN JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANTS
Detroit and other Michigan cities and communities are the recipients of Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants (Byrne JAG) through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act. This program is a partnership among federal, state and local governments to create safer communities. Overseen by the federal Department of Justice (DOJ), the Byrne JAG program makes grants to states and local governments to improve the criminal justice system.
Governor Granholm recently announced the recipients of $41.2 million in grants that were distributed through a competitive grant process. These grants, administered by the state's Office of Drug Control Policy (ODCP) in the Department of Community Health, targeted key areas, including community policing and community prosecution; local correctional resources; multi-jurisdictional task forces; problem solving courts, including mental health and drug courts; prescription drug abuse awareness; and technology enhancement projects.
The Detroit Police Department will receive grants to work with the Detroit Public Schools and Wayne State University to decrease crime in school areas and to create a new record management system. Detroit’s 36th District Court will receive a grant to hire an additional probation officer and legal advocate to help with the court’s domestic violence caseload.
For a list of Michigan’s competitive grant recipients, including grants to Wayne County and the City of Detroit, go to http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Byrne_JAG_ARRA_Awards_list_286067_7.pdf.
The Byrne JAG program places an emphasis on breaking the cycle of substance abuse and crime, combating violence, holding offenders accountable, enhancing law enforcement initiatives, and supporting advancements in adjudication. To date, more than $67 million has been made available to Michigan law enforcement through the Byrne JAG program in the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act.
MPSC OFFERS “BEAT THE HEAT AND SAVE” TIPS
With the arrival of hot temperatures, the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) reminds utility customers that there are a variety of things they can do to lower electric bills.
To lower bills:
- Seal air leaks around doors and windows.
- Clean air conditioner filters and coils every month to make them more energy efficient.
- Install a programmable thermostat. Setting it 10 degrees warmer when not at home can save three to five percent on electric bills.
- Use fans – they can make the use of an air conditioner unnecessary. Ceiling fans, for example, can make a room feel six to seven degrees cooler.
- Lower the temperature on the hot water heater to 120 degrees, a setting comfortable for most uses.
- Plant leafy trees that shield the house from direct sunlight, keeping temperatures down. In addition, planting drought-resistant perennials, shrubs and trees can save on water bills.
- Unplug certain appliances when not in use. Computers, cell phone chargers, MP3 players, televisions, VCRs, DVD players, stereos and microwave ovens all use energy when plugged into electric outlets.
NEW UNEMPLOYMENT DATA RELEASED, SENATE DEMOCRATS CONTINUE EFFORT TO SECURE FUNDS FOR MICHIGAN’S UNEMPLOYED WORKERS
According to a new report released by the Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth recently, Michigan’s unemployment rate spiked higher in June, hitting 15.2%, the highest rate since mid-1983. That jump marked an increase of 1.1 percentage points over the May rate of 14.1%. The June rate was more than 7 percentage points higher than the 8.1% rate of June 2008. Senator Hunter and the Senate Democrats have been and will continue to fight for Michigan workers as they push Senate Republicans to take up the House-passed unemployment modernization legislation to receive $138.9 million from federal funds.
The unemployment modernization legislation includes a bill that would allow individuals enrolled in a state-approved jobs training program to receive unemployment insurance benefits for an extra 26 weeks and another bill that would allow adults working between 16 and 40 hours per week to become eligible for unemployment insurance benefits beginning after January 1, 2011. Senator Hunter has introduced one of the identical Senate bills that have not been acted upon by the Senate Republican Majority.
Michigan Senate Democrats encourage citizens to visit their website that calls for action on this plan that would secure $138.9 million to help Michigan’s unemployed workers. The site, www.senate.michigan.gov/dem/helpmiworkers, encourages visitors to sign a petition and contact Republican Senators to demand a vote on the legislation.
Senate Democrats have also started a Facebook Cause on this issue, which you can join here: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/317737?m=3f1cca43.
To view a statement of Senator Hunter calling for action on this legislation, visit his website: http://www.senate.mi.gov/hunter/play.php?id=819.
SENATE DEMOCRATS FIGHT FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD FUNDING
Senator Hunter and his Senate Democratic colleagues recently fought to restore almost $54 million in funding to early childhood programs and the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC) in the state’s Department of Human Services budget. Restoring these funds would help the state avoid severe cuts to child care, before and after school programs, and early childhood education programs. In addition to the lost opportunity for securing federal stimulus dollars, these cuts would also jeopardize another $200 million in federal funding that our state can’t afford to lose.
According to the ECIC, each dollar invested in early childhood programs reaps anywhere from $2 to $7 in economic benefits for the state. The ECIC also released a poll showing that three-quarters of Michigan voters want early childhood development and education programs protected from such cuts. Voters also consider it “extremely” or “very” important to spare Michigan’s youngest learners and their parents from the budget wrangling in Lansing. Similarly, 83% of those polled think early childhood development and education is “an absolute necessity” for their community, including 69% who strongly believe that.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD STABILIZATION PROGRAM (NSP)
Wayne County was recently named as a recipient of $25.9 million in Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funds as part of the Housing and Economic Redevelopment Act (HERA) in which $3.92 billion was allocated nationwide to address abandoned and foreclosed properties. Knowing the immediacy of the need for these dollars, the county has put them on an aggressive timeline to be contracted within a year and expended within two years.
Wayne County was especially hit hard by foreclosures, but is working closely with municipalities and community development partners to overcome these challenges. Please check their webpage, http://www.waynecounty.com/mygovt/edge/nsp/, or contact Cynthia Vails, Deputy Director of the Community Development Division, at 313-224-6655.
HOUSE BILL PACKAGE TO TARGET DENIALS OF INSURANCE CLAIMS
Democrats in the Michigan House are sponsoring a 12-bill package aimed at stopping insurers from denying or delaying legitimate claims. The legislation would:
- Subject insurers to a $1 million fine if they do not settle claims in a timely manner more than once.
- Require insurers to pay attorney fees to policyholders who recover overdue insurance benefits.
- Force insurers to pay three times the amount of benefits withheld if the insurers acted in "bad faith."
- Make it a felony for chief executives of insurance companies to foster or encourage the wrongful delay or denial of legitimate claims. The executive could get up to four years in prison and a $50,000 fine.
- Protect insurance workers who blow the whistle on companies wrongfully denying claims.
- Require insurers to repair a consumer's credit rating if it has been hurt because of a denied or delayed claim.
- Michigan is one of only four states that doesn't protect its consumers from some of the most outrageous practices in the home, auto and health care insurance industries—wrongful denial. Wrongful denial consists of tactics that insurance companies use to delay or deny legitimate property, auto or health care claims at the expense of the consumer. By not honoring their promise to be there for consumers in their time of need, insurance companies boost their profits, forcing Michigan families into bankruptcy and even foreclosure just to care for the people they love.
Visit the House Democrats’ website to sign their petition to hold insurance companies accountable: http://www.housedems.com/wrongful-denial/.
MICHIGAN’S AUTO INDUSTRY TO LEAD GREEN INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
Governor Jennifer Granholm recently addressed Michigan’s auto industry and how they are helping lead a green industrial revolution in Michigan despite undergoing difficult and painful restructuring right now. With General Motors investing up to $700 million to build its future small cars at its plants in Orion Township and Pontiac, they will preserve more than 1,400 jobs.
Ford Motor Company was recently awarded almost $6 billion in advanced technology loans by the Obama Administration. These funds will help Ford retool its plants to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles. Ford has also accelerated its development of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids to add to its lineup of traditional hybrids, which run on either gas or electricity. Chrysler will also have at least one electric vehicle in its model lineup for next year and at least three more electric models by 2013. From advanced batteries to electric vehicles to more recycled content in car interiors, the new automotive industry will play a vital role in Michigan's green economy.
“TALK TIME WITH TUPAC” COFFEE HOUR TIMES & LOCATIONS
Detroit Coffee Hour: Every First Friday, 10 - 11 a.m.
Mary's Grill, 20804 Plymouth Road
Dearborn Heights Coffee Hour: Every Third Friday, 10 - 11 a.m.
McDonald’s, 6412 North Telegraph Road
Inkster Coffee Hour: Every Second Friday, 10 - 11 a.m.
McDonald’s, 27125 Cherry Hill Road
You are invited to attend whichever coffee hours work best for your schedule. If you are interested in joining me, please call my office toll-free at 1-866-262-7305 in order to confirm your attendance. Please be sure to leave a message if you call after hours.
