New Legislative Sessions Begin

At the beginning of the month, federal, state, and local legislators were sworn into office and Governor Gretchen Whitmer was sworn in for her second term.

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (12th district), Debbie Dingell (6th district), and Congressman Shri Thanedar (13th district) for our service area were sworn in to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Legislators in the State House and State Senate were sworn in and appointments were made to standing committees and subcommittees. The Senior Alliance will be following the committees listed below. Legislators representing communities served by The Senior Alliance are listed with their committee appointments.

State Senate standing committees:

Appropriations: Rosemary Bayer, Sylvia Santana, Darrin Camilleri, Mary Cavanagh

Finance, Insurance, and Consumer Protection: Cavanagh, Bayer

Housing and Human Services: Santana, Cavanagh, Bayer, Erika Geiss

Health Policy: Santana, Geiss

Veterans and Emergency Services: Santana

State Senate appropriations subcommittees:

DHHS: Santana, Cavanagh, Camilleri, Bayer

State House committees:

Appropriations: Jason Morgan, Ranjeev Puri

Family, Children, and Seniors: Stephanie Young

Health Policy: Karen Whitsett, Alabas Farhat, Reggie Miller, Jamie Thompson

Insurance and Financial Services: Young

State House appropriations subcommittees:

Health and Human Services: Puri

Military, Veterans, and State Police: Morgan

To find your State House Representative, click here.

To find your State Senator, click here.

Insulin Cap in Effect

Nationwide, older adults on Medicare won't pay more than $35 per month for their insulin starting January 1, 2023. This legislation comes as a part of the Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed in August 2022 by President Joe Biden.

In his statement, President Biden says, "I promised to lower costs for families and ensure that all Americans have access to quality affordable health care... Because of this landmark legislation, on January 1^st, Americans will start to see the benefits of additional cost-saving measures in the Inflation Reduction Act. That includes seniors seeing a month’s supply of insulin capped at $35, Medicare beneficiaries paying $0 out of pocket for recommended adult vaccines covered by their Part D plan, and prescription drug companies needing to pay Medicare a rebate if they try to raise their prices faster than inflation for drugs administered at a doctor’s office."

The Senior Alliance thanks those who worked on this life saving benefit for many. We will continue to advocate for continued lower costs in Medicare and Medicaid.

Bill Introduced to Repeal the Retirement (pension) Tax

Governor Whitmer and members of the state legislature have introduced a measure to repeal the Retirement (pension) Tax, which was placed on pensions beginning with the 2012 tax year.

Version of bills on these two measures have been submitted in the State Senate and State House. In the State Senate the Retirement Tax repeal bill is SB 1 and was introduced by State Senator Kevin Hertel (D-St. Clair Shores). The State House version of the Retirement Tax repeal is HB 4001, introduced by State Representative Angela Witwer (D-Delta Twp.). 

The Retirement Tax reduction bill would create a four-year phase-out of the tax on retirement income. In 2026 pensions and retirement income from public sector jobs would be fully exempt and residents with retirement income from private sector jobs could deduct $42,240 for a single return and $84,480 for a joint return. Repealing the retirement tax could save up to $1,000 a year for half a million Michigan households.

The Senior Alliance will continue to follow these bills and support repeal of this retirement tax.

Working Families Tax Credit Legislation Introduced

Governor Whitmer and members of the state legislature are also moving to increase the Working Families Tax Credit (formerly known as the earned income tax credit or EITC).

The Working Families Tax Credit bill, SB 3, was introduced by State Senator Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City). In the State House, the Working Families Tax Credit bill, HB 4002, has been introduced by State Representative Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights).

The Working Families Tax Credit would increase the state's match of the federal EITC from 6% to 30%, resulting in an annual income increase of approximately $600 per household. The EITC was lowered from 20% to 6% in 2011.

An Advocacy Action Alert was sent earlier this month by The Senior Alliance urging advocates to contact to their state legislators to pass the increase in the Working Families Tax Credit. We will continue to advocate and track the Working Families Tax Credit on behalf of older adults in our region.

The Senior Alliance Advisory Council

The Senior Alliance is accepting new members to join our Advisory Council. The Council's purpose is to advise the Board of Directors and staff on matters related to older persons, including community perspectives on activities and issues related to the agency.

Advisory Council's are mandated by the State of Michigan Operating Standards for Area Agencies on Aging under the Older Americans Act. Members are composed of those age 60 or older, persons with disabilities, community members, caregivers, veterans, minorities, service providers, elected officials, and general public. The Council meets seven times per year at The Senior Alliance office in Wayne, Michigan. Each member is appointed by our Board of Directors.

Duties include reviewing our annual implementation plan/multi-year plan for Older Americans Act funded programs and being an advocacy voice for older adults in our community.

If you or someone you know, are interested in applying to be on our advisory council, email Emma Olson at eolson@thesenioralliance.org.

"Inside The Senior Alliance" Podcast

Our podcast series, "Inside The Senior Alliance," provides to-the-point information about our programs and services. Just search for "The Senior Alliance" to find it on Spotify, Amazon, Apple, Stitcher, Google and other podcast platforms. Most episodes are less than 15 minutes long.

The first episode answers the question, "What is The Senior Alliance?" Other installments provide overviews of our programs and services, the Michigan Senior Advocates Council, our Advisory Council, the Meals-on-Wheels Program, Direct Care Workers, Advocacy Overview, State Representative Laurie Pohutsky, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan, the Alzheimer's Association of Michigan, AARP of Michigan, Jewish Family Service, our Board of Directors, the Future of Aging, Gerontology, and Combating Fiscal Abuse.



Click the button below to listen via our website.

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Annual Input Survey

Our annual input survey helps us gain input on the needs of our community to help our older and disabled adults live safely, confidently, and age well in the environment of their choice. Responses will influence how federal and state dollars are distributed and prioritized among services and programs for older adults, individuals with disabilities, and caregivers.

The survey is completely optional and anonymous. Please click the button below to complete.