Updates from the Michigan Legislature

Protecting Michigan Kids, Consumers, and Communities

Safeguarding Your Personal Privacy You deserve the right to privacy and control over your personal information, yet we’ve too often witnessed companies using personal data as a form of digital currency — stealing from us without our knowledge or control.

That’s why I’m spearheading data privacy legislation at the Capitol to protect children’s privacy online and prevent their data from being shared with or sold to third parties that you, or they, know nothing about — data that might then be weaponized to manipulate them. This legislation boosts transparency for data collectors, requiring that they clearly outline how and why they process consumer data; it also empowers the Attorney General’s office to enforce these measures and hold companies accountable.

During Gun Violence Prevention Month, Senator Bayer joined community advocates and other state policymakers on the Capitol steps to talk about the Senate’s work to pass commonsense gun safety legislation.

Safe Storage Saves Lives
How You Can Help Build Safer Communities

While my colleagues and I in the Legislature work to advance gun safety policies — we all have a part to play in building safer communities. Under our state’s new Secure Storage Law, Michigan gun owners are legally responsible for ensuring their firearms are stored in a safe manner.

Safe storage can reduce the risk of both intentional and unintentional injuries and deaths, as well as lower the rates of firearm theft. Next time you store your firearm, ensure it’s unloaded, locked, and kept separate from ammunition. If you don’t have a gun lock but need one, free locks can be obtained through Project ChildSafe police partners across the state. Find one near you at ProjectChildSafe.org.

Tackling Michigan’s Housing Crisis

Along with securing the state’s first continuous, dedicated funding for affordable housing in years as well as investments to build new long-term housing solutions, I’ve remained committed to ensuring Michigan’s renters have the tools and resources needed to find and keep a place to call home.

Breaking Barriers for Renters

As rising costs intensify our state’s existing housing crisis, it’s critical for us to take action to protect Michigan renters. I reintroduced legislation to strengthen protections and lower costs for Michiganders trying to access rental housing by:

• Capping application costs and requiring that landlords provide one fee-free method for paying rent;
• Prohibiting landlords’ ability to charge for “junk” fees beyond rent, like fees for landscaping or snow removal; and
• Allowing for the sealing of eviction records under certain circumstances.

Signed into Law: Preventing Income-Based Housing Discrimination

I’m proud to have worked alongside my Senate and House Democratic colleagues to pass legislation that helps those receiving forms of assistance gain greater access to housing. By eliminating source-of-income discrimination in Michigan, this new law prevents landlords from denying someone an apartment simply because they receive housing assistance, child support, veterans benefits, or other non- employment types of income.