Written by: Megan Schellong (WKAR Public Media)

State Senator Stephanie Chang is the first Asian American woman to be elected to the Michigan Legislature. She represents Wayne County, which includes Detroit.

May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the cultures, identities and contributions of Asian Americans.

Today, it's the fastest-growing demographic in the U.S. and yet 19 states do not have a single AAPI lawmaker.

State Senator Stephanie Chang became the first Asian American woman elected to the Michigan State Legislature in 2014.

Chang represents part of Wayne County, which includes Detroit and Downriver.

WKAR's Megan Schellong spoke with Chang to discuss the most pressing issues among the AAPI community, plus representation in politics.

Interview Highlights

On how the rise in Anti-Asian discrimination has affected her time in office

So, I've been in office for a little over seven years now. And hate crimes are not a new thing. And so this is something where as an elected official, I very much have been doing as much as I can to speak out against hate crimes and speak out against some of the really harmful rhetoric that has been out there in terms of, you know, the "China virus," "Chinese flu," things like that. ... So, I think it's brought about a resurgence and activism in the Asian American community and, as a public servant, definitely see that I have an important role to play.

On the biggest issue facing Asian Americans in Michigan

Some of the issues that we definitely see in the Asian American community that may have a specific lens that we have, is obviously around education, you know, in the wake of all the anti-Asian hate. I've had so many conversations with parents and educators and community leaders in the Asian American community who have said, “Why are our children not learning about Asian American history in schools?” and they want to learn that history. They want to, you know, it shouldn't be until college that they start to be able to learn that history. If they choose to take an Asian American Studies class, it should be something that every student is learning.

On the future of Asian American representation in politics

I think that we honestly see across the whole country, more and more Asian Americans of all different ethnic groups running for office for the first time, and it's very, very exciting. We know it's not easy, but it's really, really important that we have greater representation, not just for numbers, but really so that we can have a stronger voice and make sure that certain issues that affect the Asian American community don't get overlooked.

Interview Transcript

Megan Schellong: May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the cultures, identities and contributions of Asian Americans.

Today, they are the fastest growing demographic in the U.S. and yet 19 states do not have a single AAPI lawmaker.

State Senator Stephanie Chang, in 2014, became the first Asian American woman elected to the Michigan Legislature.

Chang represents part of Wayne County and joins me now to discuss the most pressing issues among the AAPI community, plus representation in politics.

Senator Chang, thanks for being here.

Senator Stephanie Chang: Thank you so much for having me, and happy Asian American Heritage Month.

Schellong: Thank you. How has the rise in discrimination against Asian Americans impacted you during your time in office?

Chang: So, I've been in office for a little over seven years now. And, you know, hate crimes are not a new thing. And so this is something where, you know, as an elected official, I very much have been doing as much as I can to speak out against hate crimes and speak out against some of the really harmful rhetoric that has been out there in terms of, the "China virus," "Chinese flu," things like that.

And also really proud of just all of the amazing Asian American activists and groups that have been putting together rallies and events, and there's been a lot of productive, really good conversations about teaching Asian American history in schools and many other issues. So, I think it's brought about a resurgence and activism in the Asian American community and as a public servant, I definitely see that I have an important role to play.

Schellong: Last year you sponsored a resolution to condemn hateful acts against Asian Americans and to encourage Michiganders to report these hate crimes to the proper authorities. What’s the status of that bill and what’s coming next?

Chang: Yeah, so we did adapt Senate Resolution 30 unanimously last year in the Michigan Senate, and then Ranjeev Puri, he also had a resolution in the state house that also did get adopted, I think that same day.

So that resolution did pass, it was very much focused on condemning anti-Asian hate, hate crimes, hate incidents, discrimination. But, unfortunately, we also know it's really important that we get Asian Americans and any group that is targeted by hate crimes to report these incidents to the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, if it's discrimination, or if it's a hate crime to report it to the Attorney General's Hate Crimes Unit. So as much as we can do to promote those efforts, the better so that we can make sure there's accountability, and just continue to spread awareness.

Schellong: What do you view as the biggest issue facing Asian Americans here in Michigan?

Chang: Some of the issues that we definitely see in the Asian American community that may have a specific lens that we have, is obviously around education, you know, in the wake of all the anti-Asian hate. I've had so many conversations with parents and educators and community leaders in the Asian American community who have said, “Why are our children not learning about Asian American history in schools?” and they want to learn that history.

They want to, you know, it shouldn't be until college that they start to be able to learn that history. If they choose to take an Asian American Studies class, it should be something that every student is learning.

They should know what happened to Vincent Chin. They should know about Grace Lee Boggs and Yuri Kochiyama, and Philip Veracruz, and all of the amazing figures that we have, that have helped shaped our country to be what it is. So, I think it's really important that, that we keep talking about that.

Schellong: What does the future look like for Asian American representation in state politics?

Chang: So I'm really excited because you know, right now, so, I was the first Asian American woman elected to the Michigan Legislature. So excited that we have Padma Kuppa, who is the second Asian American woman elected to the Michigan Legislature.

And in the Senate, in particular, I'm really hopeful that you know, this year, we will bring Padma over to the Senate, as well as Sam Singh, and so we'll actually go hopefully, you know, we're going to work as hard as we can to go from one Asian American to three in the Michigan Senate, which would be really historic.

And I think that we honestly see across the whole country, more and more Asian Americans of all different ethnic groups running for office for the first time, and it's very, very exciting. We know it's not easy, but it's really, really important that we have greater representation, not just for numbers, but really so that we can have a stronger voice and make sure that certain issues that affect the Asian American community don't get overlooked.

Schellong: What advice would you give to young Asian Americans who are looking to get into a career in politics?

Chang: Just jump in. You know, I think that for those who are thinking about getting involved, find a campaign for a candidate that you support, find an organization that is working on an issue that you are passionate about, become a precinct delegate, you know, there's so many ways to get involved, write a letter to the editor, contact your lawmaker, there's so many ways to be involved.

And you know, we definitely want to encourage Asian Americans of all generations to get engaged in our democracy and in civic life.

And I just think that's so so important, especially right now, because I think that the Asian American community is kind of in this moment, where we, if we can continue our activism, continue our push for greater representation, I think we can really start to see a difference that we can make in people's lives.

Schellong: State Senator Stephanie Chang represents a portion of Wayne County and is the first Asian American woman elected to the state Legislature.

Senator Chang, thanks for joining me.

Chang: Thank you so much for having me.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

Source: https://www.wkar.org/wkar-news/2022-05-02/its-really-important-that-we-have-greater-representation-says-first-asian-american-woman-elected-to-michigan-legislature

Written by: Deadline Detroit

It's easy these days to turn on cable news and lose faith in humanity amid scenes of Russia's attack in Ukraine, so it's heartening to hear of simple kindness.

State Rep. Ranjeev Puri, a Democrat who represents Canton, Belleville, and Van Buren Township, tweeted Friday about his gesture at Kroger. It may not be the biggest act of kindness, but we certainly don't see enough of it.

Source: https://deadlinedetroit.com/articles/30031/michigan_lawmaker_s_good_deed_for_a_mother_with_3_kids

Michigan House bills, state budget and Build Back Better plan offer support, reforms

Written by: Julia Forrest (Michigan Advance)

Abigail Guerrero and her daughter during the first day of preschool at Matrix Head Start on Sept. 7, 2021 | Ken Coleman

Carrie Anderson, owner and director of Morning Star Child Care in Dexter, has worked in the childcare industry for over 25 years. While she loves her job, she has grappled with some of the perils that come along with the industry: low wages, insufficient amounts of staffing and making it affordable for parents.  

Now there are several state and national plans that aim to help reform and support the childcare industry. The new state budget includes $1.4 billion for cost stabilization and childcare center support effort. President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better plan also has support for families seeking childcare. 

And an eight-bill package passed by the Michigan House this month reforms Michigan’s childcare system by helping families in seeking care, as well as providing assistance to in-home childcare providers, specifically. 

Rep. Kelly Breen

“This is one of the few glorious moments that we have, where everybody’s kind of on the same page,” said state Rep. Kelly Breen (D-Novi), who sponsored one of the bills. “We now realize in the light of this pandemic, that childcare is something that a lot of us working parents have known for a while, is a crisis.”

Anderson said that childcare centers and in-home daycares “run 100% on parent tuition” and that the state has been in need of childcare reform. The state has 4,457 preschool and child care centers. She said the House bills will finally start to provide relief for in-home childcare providers and bring issues in the childcare industry as a whole to the forefront of lawmakers’ minds. 

“It’s been a long-neglected conversation,” Anderson said. “It’s nice that it’s finally being recognized for the important industry that it is. The funding is definitely long overdue. I’m very hopeful that it goes to the right places to where it really can make a difference for families and mostly for childcare providers.”

Anderson said specific attention is needed when it comes to staffing daycare centers and increasing wages in the industry. About 11.8% of childcare workers’ families live below the poverty line, making them twice as likely to live below the poverty line compared to other workers’ families. According to the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, the median wage for child care workers in 2019 was $11.13. In 2020, childcare workers made an average of $12.24 per hour according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

“The hardest thing is staffing,” Anderson said. “There’s a shortage everywhere of people looking for jobs. And this has always been a very hard industry to find people to work in, because it is a very difficult and [are] low paying job. Since the pandemic, it’s been even more difficult to hire people. There’s been a lot of childcare centers that are shutting down.”

A median childcare worker would have to put 49% of their earnings toward infant care in order to afford it. 

The cost of childcare is also prohibitive for Michigan families, which face an average annual cost of $10,861, translating to $905 a month, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Economic Policy Institute (EPI). 

Infant care costs are 6.7% above the cost of average rent, per EPI, a left-leaning think tank. For a typical Michigan family with one child, infant care costs would compose 19% of that family’s income. For those with an infant with an additional 4-year-old in the house, childcare costs about $19,751 — equating to about 34.6% of the typical family’s income. 

A poll released last month from the Detroit-based Skillman Foundation and Lansing-based Michigan’s Children and carried out by Lake Research Partners found that 62% of the 800 people surveyed said they supported an increase in public funding for children. The poll, conducted from July 27 to Aug. 3, found that 58% of respondents said they would vote to increase their taxes if more funding were to be sent to programs supporting youth. 

State budget funding

In the state’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget that went into effect Oct. 1, $1.4 billion was pumped into the state’s childcare system. 

The budget mostly utilizes federal COVID-19 aid dollars to close funding gaps that have hurt early childhood employees and left a vacuum for “childcare deserts” — areas where there is little to no access to childcare like the Upper Peninsula and northern Michigan. About $100 million will help childcare centers open in childcare deserts. 

About half of the $1.4 billion will go towards stabilization grants to help childcare providers stay afloat as they emerge from the pandemic. An estimated $36.5 million will go to providers who help infants and toddlers and help stabilize funding through contracts. childcare workers will also receive a $1,000 bonus. 

Under the budget, about 105,000 more children in the state will also be able to receive low- or no-cost childcare. About $108 million will be utilized to expand income eligibility for the child care subsidy program while another $158 million will be used to expand reimbursement rates for providers taking part in the child care subsidy program.

When signing the budget in September, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer touted that it expands childcare and called it “a budget that puts Michiganders first.”

Michigan Capitol | Susan J. Demas

Michigan House bills

While House Bills 5041-5048 do not lower childcare costs or provide funding for childcare providers like the budget or Build Back Better plan do, the bills help reform the way childcare centers are funded and legal practices revolving around them. 

House Bill 5041, introduced by Rep. Jack O’Malley (R-Lake Ann), expands the caregiver to child ratio from 1:6 to 1:7. The intent of the bill, according to O’Malley, was to add another slot for a child while also giving providers an expanded opportunity to earn more money.

House Bill 5042 introduced by Rep. Greg VanWoerkom (R-Norton Shores) and 5045, introduced by Rep. Rodney Wakeman (R-Saginaw Twp.) are aimed at changing the laws surrounding penalties faced by childcare providers. HB 5042 mandates that childcare centers disclose their owners in order to prevent a former center who received violations from changing their name and location. HB 5045 establishes that if a facility received a complaint that went on to be dismissed, the charge will no longer be on their record after three years. 

House Bill 5043, introduced by Breen, establishes liaisons in every region across the state to help train, prepare and network with other childcare facilities. House Bill 5044, introduced by Rep. Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton Twp.) enables childcare providers to be funded with federal childcare and development block grant requirements. 

House Bill 5046, introduced by Rep. Gregory Markkanen (R-Hancock), makes the Department of Health and Human Services and Licensing and Regulatory Affairs responsible for drafting and communicating rules for a child organization. 

House Bills 5047, introduced by Rep. Julie Calley (R-Portland), and 5048, introduced by Rep. John Roth (R-Traverse City) ensure records from childcare centers are maintained through the Michigan Department of Education’s database of licensing records and that childcare centers notify the DOE if they are in a multi-occupancy building. 

O’Malley said the bills are just the first of many to come to help address issues in childcare in the state, but recognized “there are more things to work on.”  

Rep. Jack O’Malley | House Republicans photo

“We want the daycare providers and the parents and the employers to know that we’re actually heard them, and help is on the way,” O’Malley said. “After all these years, we’re actually getting something done. Let’s do things that will help bring back and sustain childcare, and reverse really decades of pushing childcare out of the way.” 

Annette Sobocinski, executive director of childcare Network and Great Start to Quality Southeast Resource Center, said each bill will have a significant impact on in-home childcare centers where government support is especially needed. 

“Oftentimes, home providers can feel very isolated,” Sobocinski said. “And so the opportunity to be able to give them more support and help them access more resources, I think is going to be a huge benefit to them, and then also to the families that they serve.”

Breen said these bills have broad bipartisan support and that lawmakers across the aisle recognize the “crisis” at hand. She said these bills are the first step to helping childcare providers and families to afford childcare in the state. She added that the package will work in tandem with the stimulus dollars to provide much-needed support to families in need of childcare and childcare providers in need of relief. 

“[The] package is going to work I think hand in hand with what’s happening with the stimulus dollars,” Breen said. “I think everybody sort of agrees that this is an area where we’re going to be spending more money and more time rather than less because compared to where we are worldwide. We are not doing enough. We just are not doing enough, and you want people to go back to work. They need to know that their kids are safe.”

Build Back Better plan

While childcare reform is being pushed to the forefront of minds in the Michigan Legislature, lawmakers at the federal level are also taking notice. 

In Biden’s Build Back Better plan, a proposed $450 billion would be allocated to pay for preschool for 3 and 4-year-olds. The bill also would subsidize childcare on a sliding scale and cap expenditures to 7% of annual income for middle-class families. Grants would also be utilized to steady childcare facilities and incentivize them to raise wages for their employees.

U.S. Capitol | Susan J. Demas

The Build Back Better plan is currently stalled in a closely divided Congress, as Republicans oppose it and centrist Democrats like U.S. Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) have demanded cuts. The holdup on the plan also comes as the House is grappling with the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has said that childcare is considered affordable if it equates to 7% of a family’s income. With these findings, only 9.3% of families in Michigan have the ability to afford infant care. 

If childcare reform were to cap a families’ childcare expenses to 7% of their income, Michigan families would save $6,609 on childcare expenses. Not only would this also free up 14.2% of their annual income, it would also supply 44,489 more parents with the option to enter the workforce. This could subsequently grow Michigan’s economy by .9% and generate $4.6 billion in new economic activity. 

Sobocinski said legislators should continue to find ways to support childcare providers and families in need of childcare.

“This is a bipartisan issue, it is not a left or right issue,” Sobocinski said. “It is something that impacts everybody. … Knowing that there’s broad support in the general public helps legislators [and] businesses. I think [they] are starting to come on board with realizing how important it is. There’s no downside to investing in childcare.”

Source: https://michiganadvance.com/2021/10/18/there-are-a-lot-of-plans-to-improve-childcare-in-michigan-heres-what-they-do/

Written by: WXYZ Detroit

(WXYZ) — The battle is on to upgrade Michigan's aging power grid and prevent long-lasting power outages that have impacted thousands following storms in metro Detroit.

In Farmington Hills, Russell Cline said his family never imagined going a week without power as work continued earlier this week.

“I flagged somebody down. Brought them to my house and showed them I had three primary lines draped over the top of my garage," Cline said.

He lives in the area of 12 Mile and Middlebelt. He's among those who are forced to cope with an aging power grid and other growing challenges that go along with storms.

“More tree trimming needs to be taken care of, so when something like this happens," Cline said. He added that he's also tired of hearing excuses.

State Rep. Ranjeev Puri, who represents Farmington Hills and is on the House Energy Committee, is tasked with solving power outages.

"We are seeing more construction underground. That will continue to happen as we build out and modernize our infrastructure," Puri said.

That infrastructure also includes more renewable energy like wind and solar. Experts like Jayson Waller, the CEO of PowerHome Solar, said obstacles remain.

“Two percent of Michiganders can get solar energy. You’re basically saying you can’t get solar because we’re full and that cap is almost there," Waller said.

He added that now is the time for raising awareness, progress and passing of a bill that would grow the solar industry that is currently held back by outdated regulations.

“When you go solar, that doesn’t mean you’re not tied to the grid. That’s illegal. You still have grid power, but if you overproduce it flows like water and goes to your neighbor and the utility company sells it to them," he said. Waller said that a house bill aims to lift the cap.

“What’s being done to make it more accessible here in Michigan?" Simon Shaykhet asked.

"We need to go all in. Michigan can’t move forward to a place where it’s normalized to lose power every time it rains," Puri responded.

DTE said they are proactively trimming more areas near power lines while looking at ways to improve at a time when many feel powerless.

“What’s your message to those who say Michigan is behind on how the grid functions and needs to do better?” Shaykhet asked.

“We’re going to be talking about the grid of the future, how we’ll continue to operate and how to deal with extreme weather getting worse and worse here,” Ryan Stowe of DTE said. “We’re going to invest a lot of money to help make that happen in the next few years.”

Waller tells us a big effort is still underway to make solar energy more accessible to people in Michigan. Lawmakers have a big role to play in that.

Source: https://www.wxyz.com/news/how-can-michigan-prevent-long-lasting-power-outages-experts-say-solar-power-regulations-need-to-change

Written by: Michigan House Dems

LANSING, Mich., June 24, 2021 — Today, lawmakers introduced legislation to waive and reimburse late fees and phase extensions for driver’s licenses and other documents after the Republican-controlled Legislature let 13 months of extensions expire on March 31 of this year, creating unprecedented demand for Secretary of State (SOS) appointments.

In March of 2020, the Legislature passed laws allowing Michigan residents to drive on expired driver’s licenses, vehicle registrations and other documents so residents would not have to worry about renewing their documents during the pandemic. Those extensions were ultimately extended through March 31, 2021.

Then, Republican leaders in the Legislature chose to let those extensions abruptly end without any phasing based on when the documents traditionally expire over the course of the year, like on our birthdays for driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations.

“That’s why Michigan residents have had such a hard time getting an appointment at an SOS branch since late March,” said state Rep. Julie Brixie (D-Meridian Township). “The COVID backlog for conducting business with the Secretary of State could and should have been avoided. Republicans created an impossible situation for Michigan residents by requiring everyone who utilized the extensions over 13 months during the pandemic to somehow magically renew their documents on April 1. In what world can 13 months of SOS transactions be conducted overnight?”

House Bills 5159, 5160, 5161 and 5162 were introduced today by Brixie and state Reps. Felicia Brabec (D-Pittsfield Township), Abraham Aiyash (D-Hamtramck) and Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton), respectively. They would phase the extensions out by giving everyone who had their documents expire since March 1, 2020, 90 extra days from the normal date of expiration. For example, if your driver’s license expired on July 1, 2020, you would have 90 days from July 1 of this year to renew it. Or, if your license expires on July 1 of this year, you have 90 extra days to renew it.

“The legislation we are proposing today delivers real solutions to our constituents,” Brabec said. “Michiganders should not be forced to pay late fees because the Republican-controlled Legislature failed to phase in renewal extensions. This legislation works through the current backlog by phasing in renewal deadlines to give everyone 90 extra days to get caught up this year. This is a thoughtful approach that I hope will earn support from my colleagues across the aisle.”

Senate Bills 507, 508 and 509, introduced by Senate Republicans including former Secretary of State and now-state Sen. Ruth Johnson (R-Holly), repeats the same mistake by simply granting extensions for everyone with expired licenses and other documents until Sept. 30 of this year.

“The bills Senate Republicans introduced continue to make this same error by pushing all extensions out to September 30,” Aiyash said. “All this does is turn a 13-month backlog into a 19-month backlog. Instead of jamming up SOS offices and further frustrating Michiganders, our legislation phases the extension deadlines 90 days from your birthday or normal expiration date, so millions of Michiganders don’t have documents expire on the same day. Most importantly, our bills waive late fees and reimburse any resident who had to pay one to right this wrong.”

The bill package introduced today also includes consumer protections for Michigan residents in response to bad actors attempting to book up appointments and sell them online.

“The Republican-controlled Legislature failed to govern responsibly, and their decision caused bad actors to come in and take advantage of Michiganders,” Puri said. “Our legislation would amend the Consumer Protection Act to give the Attorney General the ability to hold online marketplaces, like Facebook, accountable for allowing SOS appointments to be sold for a profit on their websites. Michiganders deserve better and passing this package of bills is a good start at getting them the assistance and customer service they deserve.”

On June 1, state Rep. Stephanie A. Young (D-Detroit) and Brixie also introduced House Bills 4946 and 4947, which would provide funding for additional staffing and overtime hours to allow the SOS to extend hours Monday-Friday and on weekends at all 130 SOS branch locations, providing 500,000 more appointments between now and Sept. 30.

“Clearing the COVID backlog and helping residents get the in-person services they need, without putting a strain on the SOS’s budget, should be a no-brainer,” Young said. “This isn’t throwing money at a problem, it’s resolving a problem quickly to meet the needs of the people we are sworn to serve. The backlog was caused in part by COVID, which is why our bills use federal COVID relief funds to fix it. This is exactly what these funds were intended to be used for.”

The bills have yet to receive a hearing in the House Oversight Committee despite the Committee taking testimony on this issue twice this month.

Since Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson took office in 2019, wait times in SOS branches have decreased, and the percentage of transactions residents complete from the comfort of their home by mail, online or at a kiosk have increased from 26 percent to 60 percent. Each bill in the package would help the Secretary of State continue to improve customer service for Michigan residents and address the COVID backlog created on March 31 by the Republican-controlled Legislature.

Source: https://housedems.com/lawmakers-introduce-bills-to-waive-and-refund-late-fees-improve-customer-service-at-secretary-of-state/