Updates About Press Releases

On June 29, Governor Gretchen Whitmer joined thirteen other governors to call on Congress to make the advanced premium tax credits (APTCs) that were enacted in the American Rescue Plan (ARP) permanent.

According to the release sent out by the Executive Office of the Governor, this would help lower costs and protect healthcare for over 270,000 Michigan residents. Nationwide, the ARP’s expansion of subsidies, alongside other factors, led to a record-breaking enrollment period for Affordable Care Act coverage. 14.5 million more people signed up for coverage, which is a 21% increase from the prior year.

The letter can found here.

Following approval by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP), the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced that all Michigan children 6 months and older are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

MDHHS reports that more than 500,000 children under the age of 5 are now eligible to receive the vaccine, which can be accessed from a primary care provider, local health department, or federally qualified health center. Not all pharmacies will vaccinate children 3 and up.

As of June 15, there have been more than 427,000 confirmed COVID cases in those 19 years and younger. A total of 44 deaths have been reported in ages 0 to 19.

On Tuesday, June 21, Governor Gretchen Whitmer sent a letter to President Joseph R. Biden urging him to work with members of Congress to pause the federal gas tax as prices at the pump rise. On June 22, President Biden called on Congress to pass legislation to suspend the federal gas tax through September. Whitmer’s full letter to the President can be found here.

Previously, the Michigan State Senate passed legislation to suspend the state’s gas tax and sales tax on motor fuel from June 15 until September 15. The legislation has been referred to the House committee on Tax Policy for further consideration.