{"id":5961,"date":"2022-02-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-10T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/senatedemssandbox.com\/mccann\/2022\/02\/10\/senatedistrict20newslegislativeupdates-2\/"},"modified":"2022-02-10T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-02-10T00:00:00","slug":"senatedistrict20newslegislativeupdates-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.senatedems.com\/mccann\/2022\/02\/10\/senatedistrict20newslegislativeupdates-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate District 20 News & Legislative Updates"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dear Friend, <\/p>

It has been a busy week in the Michigan Senate. My Senate Bill 813, prompted by the ongoing sediment disaster in our Kalamazoo River<\/a>, received a hearing in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources on Wednesday morning. Later that same day, Governor Gretchen Whitmer unveiled her executive budget recommendation<\/a> for the year ahead. And on Tuesday, I voted in favor of budgeting $1.2 billion toward public health response and supporting school testing and safety regarding COVID-19. <\/p>

Please read on for more important information about these developments and my February coffee hour. As always, please contact my office<\/a> to let me know your thoughts or if we can be of any service to you. <\/p>

Sincerely, <\/p>

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<\/a>\"example<\/a><\/div><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>
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Sean McCann
<\/b>State Senator
<\/span>20th District<\/span><\/p>

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BILL TO CLEAN UP KALAMAZOO RIVER GETS A HEARING <\/b><\/p>

On Wednesday, I testified before the Senate Committee on Natural Resources about my bill, Senate Bill 813<\/a> that would amend the Michigan Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to give the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) the authority to issue written emergency orders when inland lakes and streams are threatened with harm to \u201cpublic health, safety, welfare, property, or the natural resources or the public trust in those natural resources.\u201d <\/p>

My bill (along with an identical version introduced by Rep. Julie Rogers in the House, HB 5661) would allow for state environmental regulators to order responsible parties to conduct the immediate cleanup of spilled sediment in the Kalamazoo River and similar situations, without the need for long periods of negotiation or litigation while mud chokes the river\u2019s ecology. <\/p>

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<\/a>\"Kalamazoo<\/a><\/div><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>
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<\/p>Kalamazoo River Watershed Council Executive Director Cheryl Vosburg testifies in support of SB 813.

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<\/a>\"Kalamazoo<\/a><\/div><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>
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Kalamazoo River Alliance President Ryan Baker testifies in support of SB 813.

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<\/a>\"Sen.<\/a><\/div><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>
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Sen. Sean McCann and Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy personnel testify before the Senate Natural Resources Committee on Feb. 9, 2022.
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<\/i>Cheryl Vosburg from <\/span>Kalamazoo River Watershed Council<\/a> and Ryan Baker from <\/span>Kalamazoo River Alliance<\/a> joined me and shared their testimony on just how necessary this legislation is in situations like this. While no vote has taken place yet, committee chair Sen. Ed McBroom expressed interest in continuing our discussion as early as next week\u2019s committee meeting.<\/span><\/p>

I thank my fellow committee members for being receptive during this initial hearing and look forward to working with them, Rep. Rogers, and administration officials to solve this problem. <\/p>


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GOV. WHITMER PROPOSES FISCAL YEAR 2023 BUDGET\u202f <\/b><\/p>

On Wednesday, Feb. 9, Gov.\u202fGretchen Whitmer\u202freleased her\u202ffourth\u202fexecutive budget\u202frecommendation,\u202fone that\u2019s committed to making strong investments in\u202feducation and\u202fputting Michigan citizens first by putting money back in their pockets\u202fand\u202fdelivering on\u202fthe\u202fissues\u202fthat matter most to Michigan families.\u202f\u202f<\/p>

The governor\u2019s budget recommendation invests in the success of students and teachers, enhances Michigan\u2019s economic momentum and supports our workforce, rebuilds the state\u2019s roads, bridges, and pipes, improves the health of residents, and bolsters public safety. \u202f \u202f<\/span><\/p>

At $74.1 billion ($14.3 billion General Fund), the governor\u2019s recommendation represents a 6% increase from the current fiscal year, with departmental funding also seeing average proposed increases of 20% or more.\u202f\u202f<\/span><\/p>

For K-12 schools, she has also proposed a 5% increase in per-pupil funding, or $435 more per student, which equates out to funding of $9,135 per pupil. The K-12 School Aid Budget would increase by 8.1%, with $1.5 billion set aside as financial incentives for teachers who agree to work for their school district for the next three years, in addition to $600 million proposed to be used for teacher recruitment. The state’s 15 public universities, such as Western Michigan University, would see a 10% increase (5% ongoing and 5% a one-time adjustment), along with an almost 9% increase for community colleges such as Kalamazoo Valley community College.<\/p>

Other noteworthy highlights of the budget proposal include:\u202f<\/span><\/p>

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