Mid-April 2025 Newsletter

Whitmer Signs Directive for DHHS To Investigate Impact of Possible Medicaid Cuts
Governor Gretchen Whitmer instructed the Department of Health and Human Services to report on the potential impact of large slashes to Medicaid – and slammed congressional Republicans for being willing to trade millions of Americans' health care coverage for a drastic reduction in federal spending.

In the wake of budget discussions that are ongoing in Washington, D.C. and a proposal from U.S. House Republicans to cut up to $880 billion in Medicaid and other health care funds from the federal budget, Whitmer has directed DHHS to study how those cuts would impact Michiganders and report back to her.

"Medicaid provides a lifeline to 2.6 million Michiganders, whether they need their annual physical or their third round of chemotherapy," Whitmer said. "Cuts to Medicaid could take health care away from 750,000 of our friends, neighbors, and families. That's why I'm proud to support access to Medicaid in our state by signing this executive directive. I'm committed to helping folks get the care they need without worrying about the bill, because here in Michigan, getting sick shouldn't mean going broke. I'll work with anyone who is serious about protecting access to affordable health care."

Whitmer signed the directive in Royal Oak at Corewell Health's Beaumont Hospital, where she was joined by medical professionals and U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor), U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham). The congresswomen said Democrats in Washington are working to illustrate how devastating any cuts to Medicaid would be for people who rely on the program for health coverage.

"Let me make this very clear, we will make sure every Republican is on record that what they are cutting (is) children's health care, disability health care and long-term care for seniors," Dingell said.

Whitmer's directive asks DHHS to prepare a report on the number of Michiganders who would lose health care if the proposed cuts go into effect, the effect of the proposed cuts on hospitals, especially in rural and underserved communities, the impact on timely access to care and the ways in which reductions in federal money would impact the state's budget.

Stevens said the improvements Michigan has made in securing access to health care could be undone if Medicaid is slashed by Congress.

"Here in Michigan, we boast some of the lowest levels of uninsured in the country, and we still want to see everyone get insured, but somehow, very strangely and very upsettingly, we have to have this press conference and pay witness to our governor signing an executive order to say that we won't let Medicaid get rolled back," Stevens said. "How is that happening five years after a COVID-19 pandemic? I think we can reject that, and I think that we can recognize this seriousness of what this moment represents; that people deserve better, that they deserve stability and consistency and access to medical benefits."

The congresswomen said although some Republicans in congress have begun to break away from the party line on Medicaid and say they won't vote for a budget that includes vast Medicaid cuts, it's necessary to put a human face on the data behind health care access to further convince their colleagues across the aisle not to support the reduction in spending.

"Behind every single number, every single percentage cut, every single proposal, is a life for many of our neighbors. I've never seen so many breakdowns at town halls as I have seen in the past few months – this is life or death for many of our neighbors and our family and loved ones," Tlaib said. "I'm incredibly proud of Governor Whitmer for leading with compassion, knowing, again, the humanity that is behind again these proposed cuts. We're going to continue to fight together and continue to share those stories."

Whitmer, who said her husband's first grandchild was born at a Corewell Health facility on the west side of the state last week, pinned the potential for rising health care costs squarely on congressional Republicans, saying Democrats need to make them and state level Republican lawmakers "hear loud and clear" their opposition to Medicaid cuts.

"Right now, Republicans in Washington, D.C. are trying to terminate access to health care by slashing $880 billion from Medicaid so they can deliver a $4 trillion tax cut, primarily for the rich," Whitmer said. "That's what we're talking about. If this goes into effect, the cost of health care will go up for every single American."

Bills to Change Michigan Merit Curriculum Pass House
Bills that would modify the requirements of the Michigan Merit Curriculum and make changes to K-12 testing cleared the House on Thursday.

HB 4156 would expand the list of classes that meet graduation requirements under the Michigan Merit Curriculum. The bill passed on a 57-43 party line vote.

"We have to offer a buffet of options to these kids that they can customize in education," Rep. Jaime Greene (R-Richmond) said. "We can customize education without compromising quality … Lansing doesn't know every child's story, but their teachers do, and their parents do, and they deserve more than a one size fits all curriculum."

The bill would also add requirements for students to take classes that fulfill a future skills requirement, which would encompass a personal finance class and a workforce development class that would require students to learn skills like resume building.

Four floor amendments modified the number of credits required for foreign language and science classes, lowering them from the number of credits required by the version of the bill which passed out of committee.

The amendments reduced the number of foreign language credits from two to one and science credits from four to three.

Rep. Timmy Beson (R-Bay City) said he wanted to see the change because he didn't support increasing the number of credits required to graduate high school because that could hold students back.

HB 4159, which passed 65-40, would change the standards used by the State Board of Education to recommend curriculum related to reading.

Rep. Joey Andrews IV (D-St. Joseph), Rep. Kelly Breen (D-Novi), Rep. Jennifer Conlin (D-Ann Arbor), Rep. Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth), Rep. Denise Mentzer (D-Mount Clemens), Rep. Reggie Miller (D-Van Buren Township), Rep. Joe Tate (D-Detroit), Rep. Angela Witwer (D-Delta Township) and Rep. Mai Xiong (D-Warren) voted with the Republican majority.

The House also passed HB 4157 and HB 4158 in a 57-43 party line vote. The legislation would create a pilot program for new state standardized testing options, potentially to replace the M-STEP.

During a floor speech, Rep. Jamie Thompson (R-Brownstown Township) said the bills would increase accountability for Michigan schools.

"Michigan ranks 41st in the nation – 41 out of 50 states. This is completely unacceptable," she said. "Michigan has reached record highs for per pupil funding, and we have the resources to do this … but do we have the will to do this, the courage and the accountability to ensure that those dollars actually are translating into results for our kids. We need better outcomes. This takes real steps towards transforming what we know is a very broken system."

Democrats who opposed the bill package said that instead of creating more flexibility, the legislation limited options for students and teachers.

"No one, I think, will argue the fact that our education system is in need of supporting," Rep. Carol Glanville (D-Walker) said. "Rather than prescribing more specific course names in the Michigan Merit Curriculum, you should be removing courses … The name of the course is irrelevant. It is mastery of course content – standards – that leads to earning the credit."

Last term, Glanville sponsored a bill that would remove the requirement for Algebra II from course requirements, but it ultimately died in the Senate during lame duck.

Koleszar said that although he supported the spirit of the bills, adding course names was not the right way to go about adding flexibility.

"If you talk to superintendents, school administrators, this is not what they want," he said. "They want one that allows for maximum flexibility with standards, not necessarily a buffet of course options. They want that ability, with standards, to be able to personalize their curriculums. So, while I appreciate the spirit of what Representative Greene is trying to do, it's missing the mark."

Koleszar said that by adding course names and requirements, students' options would actually be constricted.

"Students already have a very full list of requirements that they have to do," he said. "It limits that ability for CTE, or something else they may want to do, and I'm afraid this would further limit that."

State Canvassers Approve Summary for Proof of Citizenship Petition
After several hours of discussion and public comment that at times became tense, the Board of State Canvassers approved a 100-word summary of a petition to put on the 2026 ballot the question of whether documentary proof of U.S. citizenship should be required to vote.

Canvassers themselves were initially split on what information ought to be included in the summary: Democrats Mary Ellen Gurewitz and Heather Cummings felt it should include language making it clear that the constitutional amendment proposed in the petition could make it harder for many people to vote, while Republicans Paul Cordes and Richard Houskamp felt the summary put forth by the Bureau of Elections at the beginning of the meeting was adequate.

"(The summary) needs to give people whose signatures are being sought an accurate understanding of what this is going to do to their right to vote," Gurewitz said. "In 2018 and in 2022, we had ballot proposals which expanded the right to vote, which made it easier to register, made it easier to vote, and this is the first time that, to my knowledge, that we are presented with a constitutional amendment that takes away some of the rights that people already have."

Ultimately, the board spent nearly two hours amending Director of Elections Jonathan Brater's proposed summary until attorneys from the Committee to Protect Voters' Rights, which backs the petition, and Promote the Vote Action, which opposes it, were satisfied.

The final 100 words summarized the proposal as a constitutional amendment to "add requirement to verify citizenship by showing a birth certificate, passport, and/or other documents for voter registration; eliminate affidavit alternative for those without photo-ID when voting; add requirements to provide photo-ID, or driver's license or partial social security number to receive or vote an absentee ballot; require Secretary of State to review voter rolls to verify citizens and remove non-citizens using documents in government records; prohibit counting ballots from voters without citizenship documents and photo-ID unless voters show documents within 6 days after election; require hardship program for obtaining required documents at state expense."

Supporters of the proposed amendment argued for the removal of listing specific examples of the documents required to vote under a proof of citizenship amendment, which the board rejected. Mark Brewer of Goodman Acker, who represents Promote the Vote, argued the proposal itself is so vague that the summary was rendered nearly meaningless.

"This proposal contains solutions in search of problems – far from protecting voter rights, this proposal, like proposals like this in other states, will disenfranchise millions of Michigan voters, including millions of married women who change their names, elderly and rural voters, among many others," Brewer said. "Incidents of non-citizens registering and voting are extremely rare. But in addressing this nonexistent problem, eligible voters, eligible citizens in the state, are going to pay an extremely high price."

Charlie Spies of Dickinson Wright, representing the Committee to Protect Voters' Rights, said including language in the proposal suggesting it would take away people's rights would violate the statutory obligation for summaries to be unbiased and objectively true, pointing to data from other states like Florida or Ohio, which have adopted similar amendments and seen increased voter participation.

Gurewitz, however, eschewed the example of other states having success with a proof of citizenship requirement.

"I don't want to be like Ohio or Florida," she said.

Brewer argued that in still other states which have implemented proof of citizenship requirements for voting, like Kansas and Arizona, data shows tens of thousands of legally eligible voters were disenfranchised.

A packed audience in the Binsfeld Senate Office Building at times cheered Gurewitz and laughed down Spies, leading to Houskamp, who currently chairs the board, to request decorum among members of the public there to observe. The crowd included Rep. Bryan Posthumus (R-Rockford), who is the sponsor of HJR B, which aims to institute the same proof of citizenship amendment.

After extensive public comment and back-and-forth over which documents can prove U.S. citizenship and how difficult it would be for most people to obtain them, the canvassers approved the new summary.

Now that the summary has been approved, the Committee to Protect Voters' Rights may begin gathering signatures to place it on the 2026 ballot.

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