Dear Neighbor,
Between severe weather hitting northern Michigan and continued chaos at the federal level hitting our entire state’s economy, there are a lot of events making people, me included, feel concerned about the road ahead. Please know that we are all in this together, and your 14th Senate District team in Lansing is working diligently with and for our community through the challenges we face.
In this newsletter, you can find information about our efforts to lower prescription drug prices, protect seniors from abuse and financial exploitation, improve health outcomes for moms, and more. Also, Happy Earth Day!
As always, please feel free to reach out to share your thoughts or seek assistance with any challenges you may be facing with state departments. You can email me at sensshink@senate.michigan.gov or call (517) 373-2426. Also, please visit my official Facebook page for the latest updates.
Sincerely,
Sue Shink
State Senator
14th Senate District
- If you are a farmer, grow, process, or sell food, please join me for my upcoming Farmer & Agricultural Listening Session at Ann Arbor Township Hall on Tuesday, May 6, at 4:00 p.m.
- At a Senate committee hearing last week, former and current federal workers shared powerful testimony about their experiences being caught in the crossfire of the Trump administration’s drastic slashing of federal agencies, the toll it has taken on their mental health and financial security, and how Michiganders are being impacted.
- With gun violence devastating schools, families, and communities in our district, the state and country, Senate Democrats took action to pass gun safety legislation and prevent tragedy from occurring. Now over a year since these changes went into effect, I’m grateful to highlight that recent data demonstrates this legislation is fulfilling its intended purpose — saving lives.
Displaced Federal Workers Speak to Reckless DOGE Firings & Impact on Michiganders
From disrupting care for veterans to interfering with the monitoring of severe weather on our Great Lakes, the effects of recent mass federal workforce terminations carried out by the Dept. of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are rash, reckless, and demand attention, as highlighted by testifiers in last week’s Senate Labor Committee hearing.
Andrew, a Marine who works at a VA hospital in Ann Arbor, spoke about how these cuts could reduce quality of care veterans would receive from their VA hospital. Nicole, a former employee of the U.S. Dept. of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), highlighted NOAA’s vital role in protecting public health and safety in the Great Lakes region and discussed how the haphazard downsizing of her agency would interrupt life-saving weather predictions and notifications among other vital work. And, as someone whose role was instrumental in identifying fraud and misuse of government funding within the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Leslie emphasized how the chaotic firings carried out by DOGE were anything but fiscally responsible and effective at serving Michiganders.
Federal workers are public servants who do the work so that the critical programs of our federal government operate efficiently and effectively, safeguarding the wellbeing of the people and places we call home. Like Andrew, Nicole, and Leslie, they ensure our neighbors are housed, our waterways are clean, and veterans receive the health care they need. While our nation’s top officials shamelessly mischaracterize their work as “wasteful” to justify tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans, my Senate Democratic colleagues and I are committed to highlighting these stories and addressing the impacts of these actions on workers, families, and communities across the state. To watch the hearing and listen to the full testimonies of the brave Michiganders who shared, click here.
If you or someone you know is a federal worker who has been impacted by these terminations, be sure to take a look at these helpful resources from the Michigan Dept. of Labor and Economic Opportunity.
Michigan Senate Advances Bills to Lower Prescription Drug Costs for Michiganders
While the pharmaceutical industry raked in over $29 billion in net profits during a recent three-month period, nearly a third of Michigan residents stopped taking their prescriptions because of cost and 60% of older adults reported concerns over not being able to afford their essential medications. This is unacceptable.
People struggling to afford their medications is the issue I hear about most here in our district.
To make sure all Michiganders, no matter their age, income, or zip code, have access to affordable, life-saving medication, my Senate Democratic colleagues and I passed legislation this week to establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board in Michigan (PDAB) — an independent body designed to lower prescription drug costs and hold Big Pharma accountable. Made up of experts in health care, economics, and supply chain management, the PDAB would be able to analyze and recommend ways to lower drug costs in Michigan. The PDAB could also set upper payment limits — maximum amounts that can be charged for prescription drugs — on prescription drugs sold in the state.
This legislative package, Senate Bills 3–5, now heads to the House for consideration. Learn more here.
Michigan Senate Passes Legislation to Protect Seniors and Vulnerable Adults
Older people and vulnerable adults are at higher risk of being abused and exploited at the hands of family members, friends, or other close associates. According to the Michigan Dept. of Attorney General, more than 73,000 older adults in the state are victims of these crimes which can lead to serious physical and psychological effects such as depression, increased hospitalization, and premature death.
To protect older and vulnerable Michiganders from these threats, I joined my colleagues last week to pass Senate Bills 111–114, which would increase protections by:
- Creating an elder and vulnerable adult personal protection order (PPO).
- Increasing the amount of time prosecutors have to recover property in embezzlement cases where criminals have taken advantage of vulnerable adults.
- Protecting vulnerable adults even after death, treating those offenses the same as if the exploitation had occurred during the victim’s lifetime.
- Taking an all-in approach to preventing, intervening, investigating, and prosecuting abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of older and vulnerable adults by bringing together local teams of experts.
This legislation now heads to the Michigan House for their consideration — read more about it here.
Farmer & Agricultural Listening Session at Ann Arbor Township Hall
If you are engaged in agriculture in any way, or just interested, please join me for a Farmer & Agricultural Listening Session to discuss important issues in our rural and agricultural community.
WHEN: Tuesday, May 6, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.
WHERE: Ann Arbor Township Hall, 3792 Pontiac Trail, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Prescription Drug Affordability Town Hall
Prescription drug affordability impacts all our families. I am working with my Democratic colleagues to make lifesaving prescriptions more affordable. Thank you to Drs. Beekman and Fivenson and Rep. Rheingans for joining me in this vital discussion.
Grow Jackson Earth Day Clean Up
Many hands made light work at Grow Jackson’s Earth Day cleanup at the MLK Center garden. My team was happy to participate!
Webster Township Coffee and Conversation
Thank you to all who joined me in Dexter at Webster Township Hall for a coffee and conversation event. I appreciated talking with you about the things that concern you. From making sure road funding formulas are fair and lowering prescription costs to protecting our right to vote and not imprisoning people without due process, we covered a lot!
MLK Corridor Improvement Authority
Reinvestment and revitalization of Jackson’s Southside are top goals of the MLK Corridor Improvement Authority. Nancy Smith, my Constituent Services Aide, regularly attends their meetings.
Preventing Gun Violence in Michigan
Gun violence has taken too many loved ones and hurt too many of us. Here in Michigan, death due to gun violence has increased by 25% from 2014, taking a devastating toll on families and communities.
That’s why my Senate Democratic colleagues and I acted quickly to secure budget investments and pass commonsense gun safety legislation to address this continuing crisis. The laws we passed have been in effect since February of last year — new laws to strengthen background checks for firearm purchases, require the safe storage of firearms around kids, and allow courts to issue Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) to temporarily intervene and suspend a person’s access to firearms if they show clear warning signs of violence and pose an immediate threat to themselves or others.
Officials in every county in our state have used these commonsense safety laws to save lives.
In recognition of Gun Violence Prevention Advocacy Day this month (April 22), I want to highlight that data released earlier this year points not only to the need for the ERPO law here in Michigan, but also its effectiveness in intervening before tragedy occurs. In the first year since the law went into effect, 391 ERPO complaints were filed and nearly three-fourths of those requests were granted by Michigan judges. Among those ERPOs filed, 30% mentioned current or past threats of self-harm or suicide. What this report demonstrates is that
Michigan’s new gun safety legislation is fulfilling its intended purpose — saving lives.
- For more information on Michigan’s safe storage law, click here.
- For information about the ERPO petition process in Michigan, click here.
- To obtain a free gun lock, visit a Michigan Dept. of Health and Human Services office to request one, or you can check with your local health department or Project ChildSafe police partner.
New Sweepstakes Opportunity for First-Time FAFSA Filers
To encourage Michiganders who are enrolling in college for the first time to take advantage of financial aid opportunities available through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid — commonly known as the FAFSA — Gov. Whitmer recently announced the Ticket to Tuition FAFSA sweepstakes. This new statewide contest offers a chance for forty first-time FAFSA filers to win $10,000 and ten winners to receive $50,000.
The FAFSA is an important tool for students to lower the cost of college, helping them take advantage of valuable tuition savings opportunities like the Michigan Achievement Scholarship and Community College Guarantee, programs that my Senate Democratic colleagues and I have proudly supported in recent years.
Contest details:
- To enter the sweepstakes, complete the FAFSA online or by submitting a paper form and text CASH to 855-50K-TICKET by 11:59 p.m. Friday, May 16, 2025. To be eligible, participants must be Michigan residents who completed the FAFSA for the first-time to use during the 2025-26 academic year.
- Prizes will be awarded in Michigan Education Savings Program accounts, which can be used for a variety of qualified educational expenses such as tuition and fees, living expenses, and computers and textbooks.
- For full contest details, visit TicketToTuition.com.
Addressing Health Care Disparities Among Black Mothers
Black mothers too often face unfair challenges when seeking health care due to discrimination and systemic barriers, leading to higher risks and life-threatening complications. To raise awareness of this problem and shine a light on efforts that would ensure Black women have fair access to a healthy start with their new baby, Senate Democrats joined the Black Mamas Matter Alliance in recognizing April 11-17 as Black Maternal Health Week.
Already, my colleagues and I have passed legislation to support breastfeeding and nutrition, as well as funded RxKids, an innovative pilot program in Flint (and soon Ypsilanti) that provides cash payments to mothers and their babies to set them up for a lifetime of better health and opportunity. Looking ahead, we’re working to continue breaking the cycle of childhood poverty by expanding RxKids statewide, helping give new Michigan moms and their babies a fair shot at a good life.
This month, our comprehensive “Momnibus” legislation passed the Senate floor, a bill package that would enhance prenatal and maternal care for Black moms through equitable data requirements, antidiscrimination measures, patient protections, and more.
Michigan’s Expanded Unemployment Benefits Now in Effect
Unemployment benefits have long been a critical lifeline for Michigan workers — helping them put food on the table, pay their rent, and afford other essential items in times of difficulty. Unfortunately, our state’s unemployment system has too often prevented people from accessing those benefits at the time they need it most. That’s why my colleagues and I worked to improve Michigan’s unemployment system by removing barriers that claimants have commonly experienced, boost the maximum number of weeks workers could receive benefits, and increase the maximum dollar amount of weekly benefits.
I’m excited to share that earlier this month, many of these improvements took effect. To learn more about this new law, click here. And if you or a loved one are currently needing to apply for unemployment benefits while in search of a new job, please click here to find a six-step guide to applying for and understanding benefits.
Michigan Vietnam Veteran Recognition Certificate
The Michigan Vietnam Veteran Recognition Certificate is a prestigious honor acknowledging the bravery and sacrifices of our Vietnam veterans. If you or someone you know fits the criteria below, you may be eligible for this special recognition:
- Citizenship: You must be a citizen of Michigan or have been one while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States — this includes the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, or Coast Guard, as well as the Michigan National Guard and reserve components.
- Honorable Service: To qualify, you must have received an honorable discharge or been released under honorable circumstances.
- Service Period: Your service must have occurred during the Vietnam War era, from February 28, 1961, to May 7, 1975.
In addition to this recognition, there is an opportunity for a special designation specifically for veterans who were exposed to dioxin or phenoxy herbicides during their service.
To submit for consideration, complete the Michigan Vietnam Veteran Recognition Certificate Form.
If you have questions about filling out your application or questions regarding the Vietnam Veteran Recognition Certificate, please contact 1-800-MICH-VET or email MVAAResourceCenter@michigan.gov.
Join my Team!
Are you a college student looking for meaningful work experience this summer in the Michigan Senate? You can apply to join my team as an intern!