As a follow-up to my most recent posting on Medicaid expansion, I am posting this targeted list of House Members to help make contacting them easier. If you live in one of these districts it is especially important that you contact your elected official. This information is provided by Michigan Consumers for Healthcare. You can email them or call (517) 487-5436 with questions. TARGETING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MICHIGAN HOUSE MEMBERS STRENGTHENING MEDICAID Michigan Consumers for Healthcare, in their continuous efforts to ensure that consumers in Michigan have access to quality and affordable health care, is making recommendations to Coalition partners in regards to prioritizing advocacy efforts in the Michigan House related to strengthening and expanding Medicaid coverage for the uninsured. The first list is of lawmakers who MCH believes have the potential to support the Governor’s position on Medicaid expansion. The second list is of additional termed out lawmakers who may vote with us on strengthening Medicaid under certain circumstances and therefore warrant continued communication. District 24 - Anthony Forline (R) – Macomb- S.E. Shoreline (517) 373-0113 | AnthonyForlini@house.mi.gov District 32 – Andrea LaFontaine (R) – N.E Macomb/ Center St. Clair (517) 373-8931 | AndreaLaFontaine@house.mi.gov District 40 – Michael McCready (R) – S.E. Oakland (517) 373-8670 |MikeMcCready@house.mi.gov District 41 – Martin Howrlak (R) – S.E Oakland (517) 373-1783 | MartinHowrylak@house.mi.gov District 46 - Bradford Jacobsen (R) - North Oakland (517) 373-1798 | BradJacobsen@house.mi.gov District 61 – Margaret O'Brien (R) – Western Kalamazoo (517) 373-1774 | MargaretOBrien@house.mi.gov District 70 – Rick Outman (R) – Montcalm/N/E. Ionia (517) 373-0834 | RickOutman@house.mi.gov District 72 – Ken Yonker (R) – S. Center Kent (517) 373-8040 | KenYonker@house.mi.go
District 74 – Rob VerHeulen (R) – N.E. Ottawa (517) 373-8900 | RobVerHeulen@house.mi.gov District 88 – Roger Victory (R) – Allegan (517) 373-1830 | RobVerHeulen@house.mi.gov District 97 – Joel Johnson (R) – Gladwin (517) 373-8962 | JoelJohnson@house.mi.gov
PRIMARY TARGETS District 19 – John Walsh (R) – N. Wayne (517) 373-3920|JohnWalsh@house.mi.gov District 43 – Gail Haines (R) – Central Oakland (517) 373-0615 | GailHaines@house.mi.gov District 59 – Matt Lori (R) – St. Joseph/Cass (517) 373-0832 | MattLori@house.mi.gov District 104 – Wayne Schmidt (R) – Kalkaska/Grand Traverse (517) 373-1766 | WayneSchmidt@house.mi.gov The list below is comprised of House of Representative Republican members who are within their third and final term and would be considered a point of interest. These representatives are equally important to contact. SECONDARY TARGETS
District 38 – Hugh D. Crawford (R) – S.E Oakland (517) 373-0827 | HughCrawford@house.mi.gov District 42 – Bill Rogers (R) – S. Macomb (517) 373-1784 | BillRogers@house.mi.gov District 44 – Eileen Kowall (R) – West Oakland (517) 373-2616 | EileenKowall@house.mi.gov
District 45 – Tom McMillin (R) – East Oakland (517) 373-1773|TomMcMillin@house.mi.gov District 47 – Cindy Denby (R) – Outer Livingston (517) 373-8835 | CindyDenby@house.mi.gov
District 58 – Kenneth Kurtz (R) – Hillsdale/Branch (517) 373-1794|KennethKurtz@house.mi.gov District 63 – Jase Bolger (R) – Kalamazoo/Calhoun (517) 373-1787 | JaseBolger@house.mi.gov District 80 – Bob Genetski (R) – Vna Buren (517) 373-0836 | BobGenetski@house.mi.gov District 82 – Kevin Daley (R) – Lapeer (517) 373-1800 | KevinDaley@house.mi.gov District 90 – Joe Haveman (R) – S. Ottawa (517) 373-0830 | JosephHaveman@house.mi.gov District 98 – Jim Stamas (R) – W. Saginaw/S.E Midland (517) 373-1791|JimStamas@house.mi.gov The district map outlines each district so you will have a better understanding of the district borders. Please feel free to contact your local regional coordinator if you have any questions.
Eli Isaguirre – Western Michigan Coordinator
Cell: 810-516-5260 Email: Eli@consumersforhealthcare.org
Brett Williams – Central Michigan Coordinator
Cell: 517-230-3717
Email: Brett@consumersforhealthcare.org
Steven Hernandez – Southeast Michigan Coordinator Cell: 734-612-8795
Email: Steven@consumersforhealthcare.org
Ryan Sullivan – Flint/Saginaw Area Coordinator
Cell: 989-780-3093
Email: Ryan@consumersforhealthcare.org
The Michigan State Legislature is about to walk away from $600 million in savings over the next three years and health care access for 400,000 hard working, low income adults, children, and people with disabilities. Michigan hospitals will lose almost $85 million in payments for uncompensated care. Michigan will become a “donor state” by sending Michigan tax dollars to other states like Texas, California and Florida. We will lose precious Graduate Medical Education funding that would help keep doctors practicing in this state. Michigan could receive all these benefits and it wouldn’t cost a dime; in fact, the state would save over $1 billion dollars over the next ten years (House Fiscal Office). All the Legislature needs to do is expand Medicaid. The Michigan Hospital Association supports the idea. Governor Snyder supports the idea. He has included Medicaid expansion in his budget. Conservative governors from such states as Florida and Arizona have supported the idea. Really, this is a Republican plan, a Republican alternative proposed by Republicans twenty years ago during the Clinton Presidency. So what is wrong with the Michigan State Legislature? That’s a good question. We must expand Medicaid now. There are no excuses. A survey by the American Cancer Society showed Michigan voters support expansion nearly 3 to 1. We need to act. You need to act. Send your lawmakers a message today. Let them know you support Medicaid expansion. Take the next step and please call: House Speaker Jase Bolger: 517- 373-1787 House Appropriations Committee Chairman Joe Haveman: 517-373-0830 Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville: 517- 373-3543 Senate Appropriations Chair Roger Kahn: 517- 373-1760 Senate Appropriations Community Health Subcommittee Chair John Moolenaar: 517- 373-7946 For more information go to: http://consumersforhealthcare.org/
The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), which has 75 members, is the largest group within the House Democratic Caucus. The Caucus members promote an agenda called “The Progressive Promise”. The core values of the Progressive Promise are: 1. Fighting for economic justice and security for all 2. Protecting and preserving our civil rights and civil liberties 3. Promoting global peace and security 4. Advancing environmental protection and energy independence These values are supported by The People’s Budget 2014: The People’s Budget will reduce the deficit by $6.8 trillion. It puts Americans back to work and restores America’s competitiveness through direct-hire programs, private sector tax incentives, and wide spread domestic investments. It creates a fairer tax system. The budget will: • Eliminate corporate welfare for oil, gas and coal companies • Enact a financial speculation fee • End the exclusion of foreign-earned income • Enact the Fairness in Taxation Act The People’s Budget will protect health care and prevent any cuts to Medicare physician payments for a decade. It also will allow Medicare to negotiate cheaper prescription payments with pharmaceutical companies. The People’s Budget will also safeguard Social Security for a least the next 75 years. It will cut defense spending by bringing our troops home and reducing procurement and other programs. The Congressional Progressive Caucus budget is a governing vision for all Americans. It should be a reflection of America’s priorities and voices. The bottom line is that only by implementing this plan will we be able to reach the American Dream for All Americans. The People’s Budget will: • Reduce the deficit by $6.8 Trillion • Enact primary spending cuts of $749 billion • Provide $2.9 trillion in public investment and job creation This budget will provide a way forward of shared responsibility and prosperity for America. But the only way we can move in the direction of a People’s Budget is if we start seriously talking about it. We must share it with your friends, talk about it in our communities, and encourage your elected officials to support it. We must commit ourselves to achieving economic justice and security. Without our commitment it will not happen.
A couple of weeks ago I went to a presentation on Right to Work organized by Americans for Prosperity. The presentation was slick and well organized. First, they said with Right to Work Michigan will better be able to compete for jobs with other states. That businesses will bring 1000s of new jobs to Michigan. Then a union worker got up and said that unions were holding him back and with Right to Work he will be able to earn more. Workers will be better off. Somehow, this didn’t seem right so I couldn’t help but ask, “OK, if workers are going to be able to earn MORE, why are businesses going to come to Michigan.” There was no answer. The truth is, they are not. They will only come if wages are less and the corporations can make more. Research shows that workers in Right to Work states make over $1500 less and the median income for workers is over $6000 less. There are more people that are uninsured. Fewer employers, even small employers with less than 50 employees, offer health insurance. Right to Work states spend less per pupil on education, over $3000 less, and have higher poverty rates. So how is Michigan going to be better off? We won’t be! This affects all of us in every area, every neighborhood. This affects every working family. We all need a good educational system and good health care. We need everyone to make a livable wage so they can afford and maintain a good house. We need people to have good paying jobs so that they can support neighborhood businesses. Right to Work is not just an attack on unions; it is an attack on the middle class. This is not an attack on union wages; this is an attack on workers wages. Right to Work is an attempt to drive all wages down. We need to support all working families, to fight for good jobs that pay a livable wage, for strong educational systems, and for good health care programs. These are the things that make for a strong middle class and are the backbone of our communities. Right to Work is wrong for all of us and it’s wrong for Michigan.
On March 18, community leaders in Grand Rapids held a press conference at a local Verizon store pressing for a fairer tax system. The local leaders urged Senators Levin and Stabenow to close corporate tax loopholes that allow companies like Verizon to avoid paying U.S. taxes. Here's a look at what they had to say.
There is so much going on and so much to do. How do we stop a runaway corporatist ideology and begin to advance a social democratic agenda? We need to get organized. This past week, I have begun to talk to progressive groups to see what they are doing and how we can come together to build a movement for change. On Monday, Michigan Citizens Action and MoveOn held a press conference at a local Verizon store in support of a plan to close corporate tax loopholes. Verizon hasn’t paid a cent in taxes in the last three years. That doesn’t seem right (More to follow). I met with the Community Action Team (CAT), an open group of labor organizations, focused on systems change through the electoral process. They are standing with working families and are fighting for good jobs, healthcare and education. A large part of their effort is focused on educating and training activists. Definitely a progressive agenda. On Thursday, I met with a provider of home health services whose funding was being cut. People living on $680 a month were losing support so corporations, like Verizon, didn’t have to pay taxes. That’s not right. In the evening, the Salon met to discuss empowerment. Now there is something we need. The Salon is a group of progressive, mostly young, adults focused on urbanism and envisioning what Grand Rapids could look like in the future. More discussion about planning and the future took place on Friday when United Growth of Kent County held their annual meeting and planning session to further Farm Land Preservation. Who could be against Farm Land Preservation? These are all progressive causes. They are winnable. So how do we make that happen? We need to work together. We need to do our research. We need to run creative, multifaceted, strategic and comprehensive campaigns. We need to unite; the County and nation needs a united movement to take on the corporate right. United we can win; divided we have no chance.
On Thursday, I was honored by a great celebration as I retired. Over a hundred people, mostly Progressives, came to wish me well, as I left Disability Advocates of Kent County. It was a great celebration of accomplishments with lots of fun twists. They even showed the video of my visit to Karl Rove’s house. Good times. And the number one question was “What are you going to do now?"
So today I embark upon a new path. What am I going to do now? Well, I want to do much more hiking and kayaking, and definitely some traveling. I want to investigate new things that I haven’t been able to do until now. But I'm not going to leave this community and I will definitely stay involved. Even today I plan to meet with a MoveOn group to rally against corporations not paying their fair share of taxes. Corporate profits have never been higher, yet we continue to cut taxes to corporations while increasing taxes on senior citizens. Progressives are on the defensive. Everyday, we are losing ground, cuts in services, the right to organize, and our right to vote. We need to organize. We need to come together to respond to these attacks. We need to get organized to protect the Middle Class. That is the mission of OrganizeGR. OrganizeGR will attempt to work with groups to set goals, strategies, and tactics to address these and many more issues that effect people's everyday lives. In order to win, we need to build strong organizations and coalitions to fight back. OrganizeGR will work with organized groups to effect the incremental changes that are so necessary to restore the American Dream. One step at a time. Thanks for your support, Frank
