Politics & Government
Update from State Sen. Steve Bieda
Sen. Bieda shares his thoughts and updates from Lansing.
Dear Friend,
I am pleased to send you the latest edition of my e-Newsletter. This e-Newsletter is a money-saving way for me to communicate with you and keep you informed about legislative activities. Below you will find information on upcoming events, legislation that has recently been passed by the Senate, as well as other news and updates.
Please feel free to distribute this information to others and contact my office with ideas about what we can do to better serve you. Communication with you is extremely important to me as I consider issues before the Michigan Senate.
Find out what's happening in St. Clair Shoreswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Thank you for allowing me to serve you in the Michigan Senate. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my office.
Coffee Hours:
Find out what's happening in St. Clair Shoreswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
I will be hosting a coffee hour in my district to speak with local residents and hear your questions and concerns. I will be available to discuss the issues I am currently working on in Lansing with constituents on Monday, December 9 at Dovetail Restaurant in Warren.
WHAT:Senator Steven Bieda will host coffee hours to speak with local residents.
WHEN:Monday, December 9, 2013 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
WHERE:Dovetail Restaurant, 29200 Hoover Road, Warren, Michigan.
Hunter Safety
With Michigan’s rich tradition of fall hunting getting under way, conservation officers at the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have offered their top 10 tips for a safe outdoor experience. Michigan’s regular deer firearm season starts Nov. 15. For more information about hunting in Michigan, visit the DNR website www.michigan.gov/hunting.
The top 10 safety tips for hunters to remember are:
Treat every firearm as if it is loaded.
Always point the muzzle in a safe direction.
Be certain of your target, and what’s beyond it, before firing. Know the identifying features of the game you hunt. Make sure you have an adequate backstop; don’t shoot at a flat, hard surface or water.
Keep your finger outside the trigger guard and off the trigger until ready to shoot.
Don’t run, jump or climb with a loaded firearm. Unload a firearm before you climb a fence or tree, or jump a ditch. Pull a firearm toward you by the butt, not the muzzle.
Avoid alcoholic beverages before or during hunting. Also avoid mind- or behavior-altering medicines or drugs.
All firearm deer hunters on any land during daylight hunting hours must wear a hat, cap, vest, jacket, rainwear or other outer garment of “hunter orange” visible from all sides. All hunters, including archers, must comply during gun season.
Camouflage hunter orange is legal, provided 50 percent of the surface area is solid hunter orange. (Exceptions: waterfowl, crow and wild turkey hunters, and bow hunters for deer during bow season).
Always let someone know where you are hunting and when you plan on returning. This information helps conservation officers and others locate you if you get lost.
Carry your cellphone into the woods. Remember to turn your ringer off or set your phone to vibrate rather than ring. Your cellphone emits a signal that can help rescuers locate you when you are lost. If you have a smartphone, go to the settings and enable your GPS to help searchers find you if you get lost. Make sure before you leave for the woods each day that your phone is fully charged. If you have a smartphone, download a compass and flashlight app - there are many versions of these apps that are free to download in the iPhone App Store or on Google Play for Android.
Enjoy A Pure Michigan Winter With Free Skiing For 4th Graders
Winter in Michigan shouldn’t be spent huddled in front of a television. The Michigan Snowsports Industries Association (MSIA) wants everyone to “get out, have fun, get healthy” by enjoying winter on our vast network of Pure Michigan ski slopes and cross-country trails. MSIA has established the statewide “Cold is Cool” program that includes:
A reduced-rate learn-to-ski program for everyone called Discover Michigan Skiing. Throughout January, ski areas across the state invite everyone to “Discover Michigan Skiing.” Participants receive rental equipment, a lift ticket or trail pass and a beginner lesson all at great introductory prices: Discover cross-country skiing, downhill skiing and snowboarding. More information is available at participating McDonald’s restaurants and at goskimichigan.com.
A Cold is Cool Ski & Ride Passport that allows any fourth grader to ski for free all winter long. Fourth graders can obtain a “Cold is Cool” Ski & Ride Passport that gives them up to three free lift tickets or trail passes at each of the 21 participating ski areas. Plus, there are additional coupons for lessons, rental equipment and ski helmet discounts. To learn more, go to goskimichigan.com.
School field trips to ski areas. School field trips are offered at ski areas all across Michigan and include rental equipment, a lift ticket or trail pass and a ski lesson. Learn how students can benefit at goskimichigan.com
All these programs are approved activities of the President’s Challenge program and the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, Health, and Sports endorses them. Now, you have no excuse! Get out, have fun and get healthy this winter on Michigan’s ski slopes and trails!
Lawrence Tech’s RoboFest at Macomb Community College
Macomb Community College is hosting Lawrence Technological University’s 8th annualRoboFest on Saturday, November 23, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Macomb Community College’s Sports and Expo Center, located on the college’s South Campus in Warren. The event is open to the public and admission is free.
This motorized, computer-controlled festival includes the annual Indoor Robot Thanksgiving Parade. The parade features fully autonomous robotic floats built and programmed by teams of 4th- through 12th-grade students. A new addition to the event this year is the Global Robotics Arts Festival (GRAF), which will feature student-built interactive robotics competing in visual and performing arts categories such as robot dancing, robot music and robot skits. GRAF is open to all robotic enthusiasts, including student teams from 4th grade through college, hobbyists and robotics companies.
The goal of this event is to get students building and operating robots with the hope of inspiring them to consider a career in robotics or other STEM (science, engineering, technology, and math) fields. Robofest is one of several opportunities that Macomb provides to pre-college students to introduce and actively engage them in activities that require skills in the STEM disciplines.
For more information about RoboFest, visit www.RoboFest.net.
Legislative Update:
Below, please find information on some of the bills that are currently under consideration by the legislature. The full text of these bills can be found by visiting www.legislature.mi.gov.You can search for information by entering just the bill number.
Senate Joint Resolution CC: Sponsored by Senator Bieda, this resolution would amend the state constitution to require that all general appropriations bills be passed by the legislature and signed by the governor 30 days before the start of the fiscal period. Failure to do so would result in forfeiture of their salaries.
Senate Bills 285-286: Sponsored by Senator Bieda, these bills create a three-tiered penalty system for individuals who knowingly maim, kill, mutilate or disfigure an animal. Prosecutors asked for this legislation to more adequately prosecute cases where a perpetrator is using a family pet in order to control their human victim.
Next: Sent to the Michigan House of Representatives, where the bills were referred to the House Committee on Criminal Justice.
Senate Bills 434-436, 554-556: These bills would require credit unions/banks/savings banks from preventing their ATMs that exist in certain locations from allowing cash withdrawal from bridge cards. Those prevented locations include: strip clubs, casinos, and liquor stores. The bills are required by federal law, and, if not passed, could result in the loss of around $40 million/year in federal funding. The definition of liquor store would be any store that makes more than 50% of their sales on alcoholic beverages. Bridge cards could still be used for point-of-sale food purchases at these stores.
Next: Sent to the Michigan House of Representatives, where the bills were referred to the House Committee on Families, Children and Seniors.
House Bill 4234: This bill would amend the General Sales Tax Act so that sales tax would be charged on the difference between the price of a new or used motor vehicle or a new or used titled watercraft and the agreed-upon value of any trade-in.
Next: Substituted, amended, passed and given immediate effect by the Senate and returned to the House of Representatives, where the substitute was concurred in and the bill was ordered enrolled. It was presented to Governor Snyder on October 25, 2013, and awaits his signature into law.
Sincerely,
Senator Steve Bieda
Senate District 9
This newsletter was provided by Sen. Steve Bieda.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
