February 20th-March 3rd, 2023

This week, the legislature passed a $1.3 billion supplemental package comprised of nearly $630 million for Ford Motor Company’s proposed new battery plant slated to be built in Marshall, Michigan. Additionally supplemental highlights include:

• $75 million to support health care recruitment and retention programs
• $67 million to support long term care workforce recruitment and retention programs
• $63.5 million to increase long term care reimbursement rates
• $10.8 million to establish an office of community violence intervention services
• $60 million for a competitive grant program to provide grants to community centers
• $170 million to deposit in the state’s Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve Fund (SOAR)
• $25 million to deposit in the Water Shutoff Prevention Fund
• $212 million for energy efficiency updates completed by homeowners/landlords

We anticipate the Governor to sign the supplemental in the coming weeks.

Legislative committee agendas were full this week with testimony being heard on both the House and Senate’s gun reform legislation packages as well as efforts to repeal Michigan’s 1931 abortion prohibition laws. The House moved quickly on repealing the state’s 1931 law prohibiting abortions and heard hours of compelling testimony on why Michigan needs gun reform legislation.

We anticipate the legislature to move the gun reform legislation out of their respective House and Senate committees next week, with possible passage before legislative Spring Break at the end of March.

On February 27, U.S. Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin announced that she will be running for U.S. Senate.

Slotkin serves in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Michigan’s 7th Congressional District. Her announcement follows the recent news that U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow will be retiring and will not run for reelection in 2024. Stabenow has served as a U.S. Senator to Michigan since 2000.

Slotkin, so far, has no democratic challengers, but two Republicans have formed exploratory committees: current State Board of Education member Nikki Snyder and business owner Michael Hoover.

Additionally, with Slotkin set to vacate her current 7th Congressional seat, others have formed exploratory committees or are considering a run. Those include current Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, current Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, former state Senator and aid to Governor Whitmer Curtis Hertel, and state Representative Angela Witwer. On the Republican side, former state Senator Tom Barrett is said to be expressing interest in another run for this seat (he lost to Slotkin in 2022).

The Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities, which was established in April 2020 and created per Executive Order 2020-55, released its final report.

The report, which details efforts by the task force to respond to the disproportionate pandemic surges within disadvantaged communities, outlines investments and approaches made to improve health equity during the pandemic. It also discusses additional recommendations that the state can adopt moving forward to continue to improve health equity in Michigan.

Notable data in the report revealed that Michigan exceeded the national net drop in death rates of Black Americans. Black Michiganders fell from 15 deaths per 10,000 to 6.1 deaths in 2022. National averages revealed Black Americans saw 8.9 deaths per 10,000.

The full report can be found here.