Chop Wood, Carry Michigan 1/9
Call for HB 4900!
Hey, Team Michigan.
Happy Thursday! I’m here to pester you one last time about HB 4900, the debt reform bill which has passed both the MI House and Senate (in no small part thanks to the emails you all sent), but is now getting caught up in Gov. Whitmer’s office.
As a refresher, this bill would help fix MI’s horrifically out of date debt collection system, which offers extremely few protections to those who fall into debt. As it stands, private companies can drain their bank accounts and immediately intercept paychecks and EITCs, pushing people further into debt. It’s awful. Read more about it here.
Thanks to those of you who reached out to your Reps last month, we were able to get this through both chambers of the state legislature (on a bipartisan basis, too!), but apparently, the Governor is getting lots of calls from our opposition. Senator Irwin, the bill’s sponsor, has asked us to try to get 30 phone messages of support.
It takes about 30 seconds and you can leave a message at any time. Here are the directions:
Call 517-335-7858 (office of constituent services)
Press 5 (for "more options") then Press 2 ("share opinion with Governor")
Spell out your email, then press #
Say your name, then leave the following message:
"My name is [XX], I live in [XX, Michigan], and I am calling in support of House Bill 4900."
That’s all you have to do. Please call ASAP!
Thanks so, so much— this is really important.
Jess and Una (Jess’s helper on the state newsletters)
Hi Jessica and Una,
The Washtenaw and Kalamazoo County Dems and many others have also been focused on 9 other bills that were passed by both MI House and Senate chambers during lame duck but were not fomally submitted for Governor Whitmer's signature. Rep. Matt Hall, the incoming Republican House Speaker, has refused to submit these already passed bills to Gov. Whitmer. Here's the blurb from our newsletter:
Nine bills passed by both the MI House and MI Senate that will positively impact working people's lives should have already been sent to Governor Whitmer to be signed into law.
The bills were being processed by clerks on Jan. 9 when Republican Matt Hall was formally handed the gavel as the new House Speaker. He then told the clerks to halt the process and ordered a legal review of the situation. Here's what's now in limbo:
• House Bill 6058 - stabilizes the costs of healthcare benefits for all public sector employees, including Michigan's teachers and first responders.
• House Bills 4665, 4666, and 4667 - includes corrections and conservation officers in the State Police pension system.
• House Bills 4900 and 4901 - exempts public assistance, disability, and worker's compensation from garnishment to repay debts.
• House Bills 4177, 5817, and 5818 - allows Detroit history museums to seek a property tax millage from Wayne County voters.
Amidst a shortage of teachers, first responders, police officers and corrections officers, the last thing we should do is make their cost of living more expensive by holding up duly passed bills!
Action: Tell Matt to Do His Job ✊🏽
Tell Speaker Matt Hall (R) you want him to send these bills to governor, like the Michigan Constitution says he should!
Thanks for the suggestion. I called, it literally took 30 seconds. You make it so easy how can we ignore?