On Monday, Michigan Governor Gretchen
Whitmer signed two bipartisan bills to better protect foster care children in
Michigan and ensure they are receiving a high-quality education. She also
signed a trio of bills to cut red tape and improve the environmental rules
promulgation process.
“Today’s commonsense, bipartisan bills
will help us better protect young Michiganders and cut red tape,” said Whitmer.
“We must ensure that our kids have the support they need and monitor the effectiveness
of our child care programs. Also, let’s continue streamlining permitting by
cutting out duplicative steps without compromising community voices. Together,
we can make state government work better for Michiganders and keep delivering
tangible results that make a real difference in people’s lives.”
—Child Care Facilities
House Bill 4677, sponsored by state
Representative Stephanie Young (D-Detroit), requires the Department of Health
and Human Services (DHHS), the Department of Education (MDE), and the Center
for Educational Performance and Information to provide an annual report to the
Legislature that contains information on foster children in the education
system.
“It is a great day for foster youth all
across our state. I was proud to sponsor House Bill 4677, which requires more
detailed and regular assessments and tracking of youth in care,” said state
Representative Stephanie Young (D-Detroit). “This bill also requires an annual
report back to the House and Senate standing committees and appropriations
subcommittees for the DHHS budget. Everyone who’s making decisions about these
young people are about to get on the same page with better information to help
guide our decision-making. I want foster youth to know we are committed to
putting them first and to making their lives better, providing them the
resources they need for success; we see them and we hear them.”
House Bill 4678, sponsored by state
Representative Kimberly Edwards (D-Eastpointe), requires the MDE to regularly
review educational programs provided in child caring institutions to ensure
compliance with the Revised School Code and rules promulgated under the Code.
“My years as a child welfare specialist
exposed me to the challenges many foster youth face in and out of the
classroom. There are all too many stories from foster youth who persevered on
classwork through unstable situations and found out too late that classes they
took didn’t count toward a diploma. These students’ educational triumphs should
not be stunted as a result of a broken system,” said state Representative
Kimberly Edwards (D-Eastpointe). “This package to require regular review and
assessment of the educational programs provided in child caring institutions is
crucial to ensure every student in foster care is set up for success. We must
continue putting children first — and that means all children.”
—Cutting Red Tape
House Bills 4824, 4825, and 4826 remove
authority from the Environmental Rules Review Committee (ERRC), an inefficient,
duplicative link in the environmental rules review chain. EGLE's robust
stakeholder input process for rule-making already brings in diverse expertise
related to the issues before the department. A more streamlined rule-making
process that ensures EGLE can move forward utilizing sound science would better
protect public health and the environment while helping the state be more
efficient.
House Bill 4826, sponsored by Rep. Sharon
MacDonell (D-Troy), repeals sections of the Administrative Procedures Act (APA)
that establishes the ERRC.
House Bill 4825, sponsored by Rep. Jenn
Hill (D-Marquette), removes references to the sections of the APA that
establish the ERRC in another part of the Michigan state code.
House Bill 4824, sponsored by Rep.
Donovan McKinney (D-Detroit), removes references to the sections of the APA
that establish the ERRC in Part 201 of the Natural Resources and Environmental
Protection Act. .
“My bill is about making the government more
efficient and cutting the unnecessary entities that hinder the delivery of
good, fair and timely services,” said state Representative Donavan McKinney
(D-Detroit). “The dissolution of the Environmental Rules Review Committee is
the right thing to do for the future of protecting our environment and for the
commitment we’ve made to putting people first. Over the years, we’ve seen
countless examples of the committee becoming an overbearing obstacle in the
process of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. This
legislation removes this barrier and paves the way for us to meet the cleaner,
renewable energy the people of Michigan want and deserve.”
“By eliminating this panel, we're
allowing EGLE to more effectively do its critical job,” said state
Representative Jenn Hill (D-Marquette). “This streamlined approach ensures
quicker responses to environmental challenges, safeguarding public health and
our state’s precious natural resources.”
“I’ve always been an advocate for
protecting our environment. By removing the Environmental Rules Review
Committee — a committee mostly made up of corporate polluters — from statute,
we are able to ensure that the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes,
and Energy can fulfill its mission of protecting our air, water, land and
people,” said state Representative Sharon MacDonell (D-Troy). “I’m glad to see
this bill make its way to the finish line. We are putting the health and
well-being of Michiganders before corporate profit.”
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