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Rep. Hornberger helps spearhead House COVID-19 recovery plan offering hope for Michigan students, parents and teachers
RELEASE|January 28, 2021

State Rep. Pamela Hornberger detailed a comprehensive recovery plan she helped introduced in the Michigan House on Wednesday to help the state bounce back from COVID-19.

The plan initially provides about $3.5 billion in federal and state funds to get kids back in school and allow them to participate in sports, help struggling families and job providers, and bring accountability to the governor’s floundering vaccine distribution program.

“A one-size-fits-all plan has been forced on our students and educators. One person should never have unilateral control over all the schools in our state,” said Hornberger, a former public school teacher and chair of the House Education Committee. “Decisions about in-person instruction should be made at the local level based on data from area health departments. My legislation is based on our Return to Learn plan that the governor signed last year but quickly threw out the window.”

Hornberger delivered testimony on her portion of the House Republican plan during Wednesday’s House Appropriations Committee. Highlights of the plan include:

Getting kids back in school: Grant funding will help local school districts provide in-person K-8 summer school and before-and-after school programs – enabling kids to catch up on lost learning. The program is supported by stipends to help families cover costs, and financial incentives for participating teachers and staff.  Additional assistance of up to $250 per student will help districts committing to reopen in-person instruction by Feb. 15. Federal Title I support also will be distributed, and more money will support benchmark assessments to figure out where kids stand academically after this tumultuous past year.  The $2.1 billion education plan is contingent upon approval of a law moving power to close in-person learning and sports activities away from the governor’s administration to local health departments, which would have that authority following health metrics.

“As a former school teacher, I know being in school is just as important as what they are learning. For some kids, it is the only stability they have in their lives,” Hornberger said. “Teachers pick up on abuse and neglect in many cases, and now those kids are falling through the cracks.”

Helping struggling families and job providers: Families forced to the brink will benefit from federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program support. Other assistance includes funding for meals for seniors, child care and development, mental health, and substance abuse prevention and treatment. The plan also includes rent and utility relief to ease pressure on family budgets, and property tax relief for job providers. Restaurants and other businesses crippled by the governor’s economic shutdown orders would be supported by a $415 million grant program, $38.5 million to reimburse liquor license and health department fees, and investments to support the unemployment benefits trust fund while providing relief for afflicted job providers who pay into the system.

Distributing COVID vaccine more effectively and efficiently: Additional resources would be allocated periodically as needed – rather than all at once — to allow more legislative review of the process and ensure funds aren’t squandered. The Legislature approved more than $50 million for vaccine distribution in December. This new plan goes beyond that with an additional initial investment of $22 million for vaccine distribution, and $144 million for COVID testing. Other resources will be held in reserve for when they are needed.

The plan does not include money for items the governor proposed – such as Capitol metal detectors and corporate giveaways for new job creation – because those issues aren’t related to COVID.

The recovery plan requires transparency and accountability, forcing the governor’s administration to finally start delivering real and measurable results. 

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