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March 15, 2023
In This Issue:
MI Response to Hate Series
Topic: Creating Schools That Are Safe and Free From Hate
Date: Thursday, March 23, 2023
Time: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Register here: http://bit.ly/3KyLmh3
 Photo of a young child in school learning. Text: Join the Michigan Department of Civil Rights as they discuss state and federal civil rights statutes that are applicable in schools as well as ways to operationalize these laws through practice and policy. Advance registration is required.
South Central Michigan ALPACT
Community Conversations Part 1
Join Advocates and Leaders for Police and Community Trust (ALPACT) for Community Conversations Part 1. Designed to explore how national incidents such as the murder of Tyre Nichols can impact local cities, this discussion will be moderated by John Willis.
The event is scheduled for TONIGHT, Wednesday, March 15, 2023, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at the Martin Luther King Center, 1107 Adrian St., Jackson, MI 49203. Panelists include: Anthony Gittens, Robert Porter, Antonio Parker, Monica Pierce, and Warren Johnson. A light meal and refreshments will be provided.
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 Photo of Portia Roberson, Chair, Michigan Civil Rights Commission. Text: MI Civil Rights Commission Statement on ELCRA Expansion Vote. "... the LGBTQ+ community should be able to live their lives free from discrimination. Now, these long-sought and hard-fought rights are enshrined in ELCRA..." Portia Roberson, Chair, Michigan Civil Rights Commission. Visit www.michigan.gov/mdcr to read the full statement.
 Photo of Executive Director John E. Johnson, Jr. Text: MDCR Releases Statement on the Passing of Judy Heumann. "... Ms. Heumann was a visionary leader whose courage and sustaining passion empowers all those who continue to work toward true equity and full access for all persons with disabilities ..." John E. Johnson, Jr., Executive Director, Michigan Department of Civil Rights. Full statement at www.michigan.gov/mdcr
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The next Michigan Civil Rights Commission meeting is scheduled for April 24, 2023.
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The 2023 Michigan Civil Rights Summit is coming in June 2023! |
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Want to work toward making a difference? MDCR is hiring for a number of staff positions, including:
- Civil Rights Investigators
- Investigative Team Managers
- Attorneys
- Administrative Support
- Interns
Visit State of Michigan Job Openings
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By Jerome Reide, J.D., Ph.D.,
MDCR Legislative Liaison
Each month, Jerome Reide, J.D., Ph.D., Legislative Liaison for the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, will bring you updates and analysis of what's happening in the Michigan legislature -- news of legislation, executive orders and ballot initiatives that relate directly to the MDCR mission and impact the people we serve.
(Image is the Michigan Capitol)
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Bill to Expand the ELCRA to Include LGBTQ+ Protections to Be Signed Into Law Thursday
The bill to include sexual identity and sexual orientation protections in the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act was approved by the House on March 8, 2023, with a 64-45 vote. A matching Senate bill SB-0004 was approved on March 1, 2023, with a 23-15 vote. Governor Whitmer has indicated that the bill is scheduled to be signed on Thursday, March 16, 2023.
Perhaps a statement previously released by Michigan Civil Rights Commission Chair Portia Roberson best captures this event:
"This day was long in coming, but today’s vote is still gratifying. For more than 40 years, the Michigan Civil Rights Commission has publicly called for the expansion of the state’s signature civil rights law, the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. For more than 40 years, nothing changed. Then in 2018, the Commission took bold and decisive action, issuing an interpretive statement that the word ‘sex’ in ELCRA includes sexual orientation and gender identity.
Commissioners knew legal challenges would follow and they did, further cementing the concept that the LGBTQ+ community should be able to live their lives free from discrimination. Now, these long-sought and hard-fought rights are enshrined in ELCRA, and all Michiganders will reap the benefits of our state becoming a more welcoming place for everyone to live, work, and play."
(Image is the equality logo.)
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1931 Abortion Ban Repealed
 Photo of protestors attending an abortion rights rally at the Michigan Capitol Building in Lansing.
On March 2, 2023, the Michigan House voted 58-50 to repeal the 1931 Abortion Ban and a similar ban on medicines to induce miscarriages. A matching bill, SB-0039, passed 20-18 in the Senate on March 8, 2023. The 1931 law made performing an abortion a four-year felony except for in the cases where the pregnancies were life-threatening. The bills are expected to be promptly signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Lowering Michigan Costs
 Photo is a press conference to announce the Lowering MI Costs Plan. Left to right: Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Speaker of the House Joe Tate. Members of the Michigan legislature and AARP watch as Whitmer announces a $1 billion tax plan called the Lowering MI Costs Plan on March 7, 2023. (State of Michigan/WWMT)
The Lowering MI Costs Plan was signed into law on March 7, 2023, by Governor Whitmer. Also known as HB-4001, it will phase out the retirement tax over four years and on average deliver $1,000 to 500,000 Michigan households. The bill will also multiply the Working Family Tax Credit match of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit to 30%, up from six percent.
“I’ve held office in the House for three terms, and each term, I introduced a bill to repeal the retirement tax: I’m so happy for Michiganders that we finally got it across the finish line,” said Rep. Angela Witwer (D-Delta Township). “In addition to repealing the retirement tax, which has been eating away at the finances of older Michiganders for over a decade, we are also expanding the working families tax credit and ensuring that our state is ready to lead in 21st-century green manufacturing. I’m grateful that members on both sides of the aisle could come together, set aside our differences, and do the right thing for our state.”
Supreme Court Arguments on Andary v. USAA
The Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments on March 2, 2023, regarding whether auto accident survivors injured before the 2019 no-fault changes are still eligible for the care they got before the law changed.
In Andary v. USAA, “…The Supreme Court has granted leave to appeal to address whether the Court of Appeals erred when it:
(1) held that claimants injured before the effective date of 2019 PA 21 are not subject to the limitations on benefits set forth in MCL 500.3157(7) and (10);
(2) held that application of the amended statute to such claimants would violate the Contracts Clause of the Michigan Constitution, Const 1963, art 1, § 10; and
(3) remanded the case to the circuit court for discovery to determine whether the no-fault amendments, even when applied only prospectively, pass constitutional muster.”
(Image is an empty Michigan Supreme Courtroom)
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Event Recognizing the Great Migration at Wright Museum of African American History
On March 8, 2023, Jerome Reide, J.D., Ph.D., Legislative Liaison with MDCR gave a presentation on “The Great Migration” at the Wright Museum of African American History for the International Fellows of the National Defense University.
The Great Migration refers to the move of nearly six million African Americans from the rural south to the industrial north between 1910 and 1970.
Dr. Reide discussed how Detroit grew through the period of industrialization, struggled as economic conditions changed, and how the city addressed those challenges to find opportunities for re-development. Reide looked in particular at the impact that people who came through the Great Migration had on the city, the contributions they’ve made to Detroit and the US, as well as the challenges they and their descendants have continued to face.
(Image of Jerome Reide in front of a podium giving a presentation at the Wright Museum)
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