Putting People First Sentator coleman a. young ii

I am honored to be your voice in the Michigan Senate. But sometimes it’s challenging to make your voices heard, especially when people try to silence us at every turn.

This past year we realized the full consequences of running a state like a business: people die, and communities suffer. Our communities are not acceptable losses on some balance sheet.

I am committed to:

  • creating policies that make life better for our families and our communities;
  • helping create better-paying jobs and tax breaks that help real people, not corporations;
  • making it easier and more affordable for our next generation to go to college and get a degree; and
  • keeping our communities safe and clean. This is America, and you deserve better. Contact me at any time with your questions and concerns. I am here to serve you, and I welcome your feedback.

I live in Detroit, and I love this city. I want to give back to the citizens who gave so much to my dad, the Honorable Mayor Coleman A. Young, who served as the mayor for twenty years. The city needs a champion in Lansing, and that’s why I am here.

Here’s an update on where some of my bills are in the legislative process:

SENATE BILL 79

SENATE BILL 79, which would offer small businesses a $3,000 tax credit when they hire a new full-time worker who’d been unemployed for at least 60 days. This bill was referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

All of our communities benefit when local businesses help those who’ve been out of work for long periods of time.

SENATE BILL 269

SB 269, which would apply criminal penalties to businesses that pay differing wages to men and women performing similar job duties. Right now, there’s still a gender pay gap in Michigan, and women are only making 74.6 cents for every dollar a man makes. We need to fix that. This bill was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

SENATE BILL 324

SB 324, which would require specific review policies for any deaths involving a law enforcement officer. This bill was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

SENATE BILL 325

SB 325, which would authorize grants to Wayne County law enforcement agencies to purchase body cameras and provide provisions for the usage of these cameras. Holding our police officers accountable for their actions is important, and this piece of legislation would give our state the opportunity to test out a body camera pilot program. This bill was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Our police officers work hard to keep us safe, but we must ensure we know how and why civilians get hurt.

SENATE BILL 373

SB 373, which would raise the minimum wage for tipped employees to 80 percent of the standard minimum wage by January 1, 2017. Our friends and family members who work in the service industry shouldn’t have to rely solely on the generosity of customers to make a fair living. This bill was referred to the Senate Commerce Committee.

SENATE BILL 643

SB 643, which would assert in statute that every person has a right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water. The public health crisis in Flint has been a terrible wake-up call, and it’s time to guarantee, not assume, that everyone has safe water. This bill was referred to the Senate Government Operations Committee.

SENATE BILL 662

SB 662, which would require the state to conduct a forensic audit of the Detroit school system’s records. A detailed audit would help determine whether or not any laws have been broken and increase transparency and accountability of a system that’s been run into ruin by the state. This bill was referred to the Senate Education Committee.

SENATE BILL 664

SB 664, which would create a pilot program for college tuition payment. Participants in this program could sign a contract that would enable the state to pay for the cost of college up front in exchange for a percentage of their gross income after graduation. This bill was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Every kid deserves the opportunity to attend college, regardless of socioeconomic background.

SENATE BILL 716

SB 716, which would end the exemption that shields lawmakers and the governor from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). We shouldn’t have to rely on a politician’s discretion to release information, especially when lives could be at stake. Michigan deserves the full truth. This bill was referred to the Committee on Government Operations.

We will work toward making Michigan an open and honest state that always works with the peoples’ best interests at heart.

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