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Tuesday, February 11, 2025

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A potent winter storm is thumping 1,500 miles of the US. Two more are right behind it; Amid scientists' warnings, Trump admin. sued over medical research cuts; Mississippi communities find local solutions to rural education challenges; CT groups rally against gas pipeline expansion.

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President Donald Trump approves 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum. Democrats who oppose dismantling the agency have been denied access to the Department of Education. And some places buck policy trends on sex education and immigration.

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Medical debt, which tops $90 billion has an outsized impact on rural communities, a new photography book shares the story of 5,000 schools built for Black students between 1912 and 1937, and anti-hunger advocates champion SNAP.

Lawmaker fights for better health, housing for Michiganders

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Friday, January 17, 2025   

More Michigan residents need access to affordable housing and health insurance, according to a lawmaker pushing for change.

Rep. Carrie Rheingans, D-Ann Arbor, a public health policy expert, marks the issues as priorities. This week, she introduced House Bill 4009 to repeal Michigan's 1988 ban on rent stabilization. She said it would restore local control and allow cities to consider measures like rent control.

Rheingans shared her personal experience of the financial strain on renters in cities like Ann Arbor, where many spend over half their income on housing.

"I'm a renter in Ann Arbor. I've been a renter there for over 20 years, because I can't afford to buy a house in the area," Rheingans explained. "My rent went up 33% from my last lease year to this lease year and there's nothing prohibiting that."

The bill has been referred to the Committee on Government Operations for review. Rheingans added she is also a strong advocate for expanding the MiCare program, created under the Affordable Care Act, to become publicly funded insurance covering all Michiganders without co-pays or coverage limits.

Nearly 500,000 Michigan residents, including 80,000 children, lack health insurance. Rheingans emphasized if MiCare could be expanded, they would be eligible for comprehensive coverage, from hospital stays and prescriptions to mental health care. With a background in public health, she called it her passion.

"I believe that every policy issue is a health issue," Rheingans outlined. "The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and the access we have to medical care. All those kinds of things are items that we can work on in the world of policy."

Rheingans now represents the area of Michigan where she grew up in Jackson County. Her great-grandfather served as a minister there nearly a century ago. Her legislative tenure began two years ago this month.


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