Jeff Irwin

This bill does not stop the agency from pursuing repayment from people when there is evidence of fraud.

We need to stop this wasteful spending, trying to collect debts not owed; and, stop the ways that UIA is wasting our residents time and money.

This largely affects gig workers, independent contractors, and low-income workers who were not previously covered by UIA Insurance. Those people are still real people and workers in Michigan, who were sidelined by the pandemic. We need to stop wasting money harassing folks who did nothing wrong.

The UIA has erroneously pursued collections against thousands of residents who received UIA payments legally. UIA has lost time and time again in court because they can't back up their claims of fraud. Nonetheless, they continue to bully and harass residents who committed no fraud.

Today, we passed SB 700 which will stop the Unemployment Insurance Agency from pursuing repayment from people that received pandemic unemployment assistance without any evidence of fraud.

www.legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?O...

We have people in our state struggling with housing and hunger. That's why I voted against spending millions more every year to create a security team to escort legislators at public events and/or carry out investigations at the direction of the House Speaker and Senate Majority Leader.

Thank you to Trinity Health and Washtenaw County for making this amazing investment in a better community.

This facility, under the leadership of Alpha House and Trinity Health, is located on the campus of the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ypsilanti. I am delighted that the State of Michigan chipped in $1M and partnered with local people, foundations, and organizations to make this facility possible.

Today, we celebrated the new Alpha House East, an expansion of housing services for unhoused families in Washtenaw County.

At a time when more families are struggling with increasing costs, especially for housing, this new homeless shelter is desperately needed.

Thank you to Judge Erane Washington and Ypsilanti Township for hosting a great grand opening for the newly renovated 14B District Court.

The circus of corruption continues, crypto-pardon edition:

www.facebook.com/share/r/1DAt...

I don't know. It will be interesting to see if he complies with the order or not. Frankly, this is helpful to Republicans now that Trump is calling for an end to the filibuster.

Great news.

Judges just ruled that Trump's decision to cut off SNAP was wrong and that the contingency funds must be used. This should mean that food assistance continues for some time, if the adminstration complies with the court order. More details to come.

www.detroitnews.com/story/news/p...

“What matters in the near term is making sure that we feed hungry people and that we make sure that kids don’t go hungry and that we don’t suffer the unnecessary economic damage that this disruption will cause ...," Irwin said.

www.detroitnews.com/story/news/p...

The hard part will be passing it in the House. We were close last term so it seems unlikely given the increase in Republicans.

Not impossible, however. The program needs to be modernized and I think industry would agree in principle.

SB141 codifies federal rules to reduce "fugitive methane." This bill would give regulators tools to reduce methane and VOC emissions at the wellhead by 95%. This is a reasonable and feasible way to reduce waste and pollution by requiring drillers to use best practices when operating in Michigan.

Today I testified on behalf of two bills meant to reduce pollution and subsidies for oil and gas drillers.

SB140 increases the fee paid by oil & gas companies to cover the cost of the employees that permit and inspect their wells. Currently, Michigan taxpayers subsidize this program with $4M/year.

The circus of corruption continues. The President isn’t satisfied with his payments from corporations seeking approvals from his government, so now he wants YOU to pay him $230M.

The circus of corruption in the White House continues, this time with a presidential pardon, wiping away accountability for George Santos.

The rule of law means nothing to this administration, unless it is a tool to enhance their power and control.

and increases fines for insurers who pay late or who deny coverage when they knew or should have known the claim was covered.

SB's 543-550 now move to the Senate floor. Here is a link to the first bill in the package, others follow sequentially. (www.legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?O...)

###

In Senate Committee, we just passed a package of legislation meant to protect consumers from unfair or arbitrary treatment from insurance companies.

These bills prohibit “post claim underwriting,” require insurers to fund market studies that regulators use to analyze rates, ...

1/2

Thank you. Our best chances are probably at the local level as Michigan's legislature is very conservative and resistant to concerns about the surveillance state.

What exactly are you asking to be banned? I see the story from Texas. Are there similar uses in Michigan?

We have bills geared towards improving police practices that something like this would fit into, and we have taken aim at facial recognition. But, I'm not sure that is what you're asking.

EV and plug-in drivers already paid an annual fee meant to cover what they would have paid in gas tax. Now, they will be hit with $100/year and $50/year tax increases, respectively.

I voted NO today on increasing fees for EV and plug-in hybrid drivers.

Michigan should be the leaders in building the cars of the future, not the leaders in taxing the cars of the future.

Unfortunately, the bill passed.

The State budget passed.

Roads are the big winner with $1.8B in additional funding. Healthcare and education mostly avoided cuts. Environmental protection and public safety took small cuts.

Here are the budget bills: www.legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?O...

www.legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?O...

The circus of corruption continues.

In this edition, Trump and Republicans are using government agencies for campaigning. This is another clear violation of ethical and legal boundaries.

Sure. If it's all about politics and positioning. I agree. I think that's also how House Republicans think.

Nonetheless, people in the know should know. This is a bipartisan effort.

I agree. I still want people to know that Whitmer presented options, and this was the only option the Republicans chose.

Unfortunately, this bill won't raise the projected revenue and will diminish revenue to roads and schools through the excise tax. The real winners in the House today were illicit drug dealers.

By contrast, in California, only about 35% of sales happen legally. This is why Michigan's cannabis market is larger than California's.

Republicans jammed through this huge tax increase intending to raise money for roads.