FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 27, 2023

Contact: [email protected]

Governor Whitmer Makes Appointments to Boards and Commissions

LANSING, Mich. — Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the following appointments to the Michigan Strategic Fund Board of Directors and Michigan Indigent Defense Commission.

Michigan Strategic Fund Board of Directors

Randy Thelen, of Grand Rapids, is the president and CEO of The Right Place, Inc. He joined The Right Place in 2021, after serving as senior vice president of economic development at the Downtown Denver Partnership. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Alma College and a Master of Arts in Applied Economics from Binghamton University. Previously, he also held leadership positions at the Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and Lakeshore Advantage. Mr. Thelen is appointed to represent a member submitted by the Senate Majority Leader representing individuals within the private sector with experience in private equity or venture capital investments, commercial lending, or commercialization of technology, for a term commencing April 27, 2023, and expiring July 31, 2026. He is succeeding Ronald Beebe whose term has expired.

Leon Richardson, of Bloomfield Hills, is the founder, president, and CEO of the Chemico Group. For over 30 years, he has led one of the largest minority-owned chemical management and distribution companies in the United States. He is a United States Marine Corps veteran, having served as a non-commissioned officer. He attended the University of Maryland and the Detroit College of Business. Mr. Richardson is appointed to represent a member submitted by the Speaker of the House of Representatives representing individuals within the private sector with experience in private equity or venture capital investments, for a term commencing April 27, 2023, and expiring July 31, 2026. He is succeeding Paul Gentilozzi whose term has expired.

The Michigan Strategic Fund Board of Directors was created by Executive Order No. 2019-13. The Board’s responsibilities include approval of the use of private activity bonds, authorizing the submittal by local governments of Community Development Block Grant applications, and approval of Tool and Die Renaissance Recovery Zones.

These appointments are subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.

Michigan Indigent Defense Commission

Thomas Adams, of Detroit, is the president of Chance For Life Organization. He received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Tuskegee University. Mr. Adams is appointed to represent the general public for a term commencing April 27, 2023, and expiring April 1, 2027. He succeeds Nathaniel Crampton whose term has expired.

Tracey Brame, of Grand Rapids, is a licensed attorney and associate dean of experiential learning at Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and her Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan. Ms. Brame is reappointed to represent members submitted by the Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, for a term commencing April 27, 2023, and expiring April 1, 2027.

Andrew DeLeeuw, of Manchester, is the interim deputy county administrator for Washtenaw County. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and English from Michigan State University and his Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. Mr. DeLeeuw is reappointed to represent the Michigan Association of Counties, for a term commencing April 27, 2023, and expiring April 7, 2027.

James Krizan, of Allen Park, is city manager for the City of Lincoln Park. He received his Bachelor of Social Work and his Master of Public Administration from Eastern Michigan University. Mr. Krizan is reappointed to represent the Michigan Municipal League, for a term commencing April 27, 2023, and expiring April 1, 2027.

Margaret McAvoy, of Owosso, is the president and CEO of McAvoy & Associates Consulting. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Saginaw Valley State University. Ms. McAvoy is reappointed to represent the Michigan Association of Counties, for a term commencing April 27, 2023, and expiring April 1, 2027.

Christine Green, of Ann Arbor, is partner and president of Green, Green, Adams and Kent Law Firm.  She received her Bachelor of Arts in General Studies as well as her Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan. Ms. Green is reappointed to represent the State Budget Office, for a term commencing April 27, 2023, and expiring April 1, 2027.

The Michigan Indigent Defense Commission was created as a result of efforts to improve legal representation for indigent criminal defendants. The Commission develops and oversees the implementation, enforcement, and modification of minimum standards, rules, and procedures to ensure that indigent criminal defense services providing effective assistance of counsel are delivered to all indigent adults in this state consistent with the safeguards of the United States Constitution, the State Constitution of 1963, and with the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission Act.

These appointments are not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 26, 2023

Contact: [email protected]

Gov. Whitmer Leads Letter from Governors to Congressional Leadership Against Budget Cuts to Health Care, Child Care, Job Training, Food Assistance

LANSING, Mich. — Governor Gretchen Whitmer led a group of governors to send a letter to congressional leadership opposing any cuts to health care, child care, job training, and food programs as federal budget negotiations continue. Recently, Republicans in the House of Representatives released a proposal that would gut critical programs states and local governments rely on to feed families, protect access to quality health care, empower workers with the skills they need, ensure families have a roof over their heads, and help parents go back to work with affordable child care options.

“As national leaders debate the federal budget, we governors are speaking with one voice—do not cut health care, child care, food assistance, or housing that so many of the families we serve rely on,” said Governor Whitmer. “Millions of Michiganders rely on these programs to feed their kids, keep a roof over their heads, go back to work, learn new skills, or get better when they’re hurt or sick. These vital programs are nonnegotiable. Any cuts to them would devastate working families across America and jack up their costs.”

The full text of the letter can be found here and below.

Dear Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Speaker McCarthy, and Leader Jeffries:

We write today to express our firm opposition to any efforts that would cut funding for programs that hundreds of millions of Americans pay into and rely on for their health care, retirement benefits, and more. While Congressional leaders have clarified that Medicare and Social Security will not face any cuts, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, and discretionary spending – literal lifelines for millions of Americans nationwide – are on the chopping block. As Governors, we speak with one voice: any federal funding cuts or fundamental changes to the spirit and intent of these programs will have dangerous repercussions for Americans across the nation, regardless of what political party is in power at the state level.

Several high-profile members, including those holding influential committee leadership positions, have endorsed efforts to target Medicaid, which provides health care to nearly 85 million children, adults, people with disabilities, and seniors. One of these proposals includes weakening or rescinding the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid Expansion, reversing a decade’s worth of benefits to states that expanded coverage for their residents. Any effort to target this expansion could impact the 18 million Americans who have gained coverage thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Changes to Medicaid financing – in the form of a block grant, per capita cap, or limiting how states can finance their share of Medicaid—would have the same damaging impact: states would be forced to scale back crucial benefits and services due to financial uncertainty. Of course, it is worth noting that many of these misguided efforts are happening as states are navigating the unwinding of the Medicaid Continuous Enrollment Provision to ensure that those who gained coverage over the last three years are in a position to maintain health coverage. Collectively, these proposals would shift significant costs to states and undoubtedly lessen or eliminate coverage for millions of our residents.

As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity remains an acute concern for many of our residents. Nationwide, more than 41 million Americans receive SNAP benefits, including approximately 15 million children. In March, nearly two dozen House Republicans supported legislation to expand SNAP’s existing work requirements and eliminate the federal government’s ability to waive work requirements for states in areas of high unemployment. According to estimates from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, more than 10 million people, or one-in-four participants, would be at risk of losing food assistance under this proposal, including millions of children. These threats to SNAP come just months after a minimum of a $95 per month reduction in SNAP benefits following the conclusion of pandemic-related benefits in February. At almost the same time, another filed bill would impose work requirements for individuals seeking to remain eligible for both Medicaid and SNAP benefits. 

As Governors, we are uniquely positioned to best understand the needs of our residents, and waivers represent a needed tool to meet those needs. We are united in our opposition to expanded work and work reporting requirements in any crucial safety net program, such as SNAP, TANF, and Medicaid. We urge you to work in a bipartisan manner to find a solution that preserves funding for crucial programs that benefit all of our constituents.