Updates About Public Health

Recently, Governor Whitmer signed SB 495 (Polehanki, D-Livonia) and HB 4141 (Tisdel, R-Rochester Hills) into law with immediate effect. Representative Tisdel’s bill, now Public Act 1 of 2026, bans the use of cellphones by students during instructional periods in all Michigan schools. The bill champoined by Senator Polehanki, now Public Act 2 of 2026, requires schools to develop protocols for when and how students may use their cellphones during an emergency. The legislation passed both chambers with broad bipartisan support.

The previous law allowed districts to create their own policies regarding cellphones. Whitmer called for the ban during her State of the State address last year. The Governor hopes the ban will help students with overall ability to learn, reduce behavioral issues, support higher test scores, and improve students’ mental health. The law applies only to instructional time, and future changes could be considered based on feedback from school leaders.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) recently announced a $320,000 grant from the Delta Dental Foundation (DDF) to sustain and expand SEAL! Michigan, the state’s school-based dental sealant program. Over the last 15 years, DDF has contributed over $3 million to support SEAL! Michigan and water fluoridation efforts across the state.

The funding will help expand outreach and impact more students through preventive dental care, including screenings and sealant placement that help prevent cavities, reduce pain, and minimize missed school days.

Starting in the 2026-2027 Fiscal Year, the federal government is switching from a 50/50 split in covering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) administration costs to 75/25, meaning that states will have to pitch in more for the program. The cost to run SNAP in Michigan for FY 2024-2025 was $382.7 million, under the 50/50 split Michigan covered $191.4 million. This number is projected to increase by $95 million in the coming fiscal cycle to approximately $287 million.

Additionally, due to the federal government penalization for states that have a 6% or higher SNAP error rate, the total cost for the Michigan SNAP program could be around $768 million if the state’s error rate is in the highest penalization bracket. Michigan’s current SNAP error rate is 9.53%, just shy of the 10+% error rate that qualifies for the maximum penalty. According to the new regulations, if Michigan’s error rate remains the same, the total cost for the SNAP program in the state would be $607 million ($287 million in upfront costs and a $320 million penalty).