In the News
Detroit Free Press: Peters measure aims to help traumatized vets
by Todd Spangler
WASHINGTON - A proposal by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters would help traumatized veterans maintain their G.I. benefits after being discharged for minor infractions linked to what he called "the invisible wounds of war." Peters, D-Mich., is proposing an amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act that would address veterans being issued administrative discharges making them ineligible for certain benefits and Department of Veterans Affairs home loans. He said those discharges are often th… Continue Reading
06.09.15
Detroit Free Press: Corps wants study on big shipping lock Up North
by Todd Spangler
WASHINGTON - Michigan's U.S. senators are pressing the White House to sign off on a report that would look at the economic benefits - and need - for the federal government to build a new super-sized shipping lock at a key choke point on the Great Lakes at Sault Ste. Marie. U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, both Democrats, sent a letter today to Office of Management and Budget head Sean Donovan, urging him to accept a request by the Army Corps of Engineers to swap funding so it can pay… Continue Reading
06.09.15
National Journal: Driverless Cars Are Coming. Is Congress Ready?
by Jason Plautz
Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan has seen the future, and it is a driverless Uber. Auto companies are quickly working on equipping cars with software that can connect to each other and to the roads around them, paving the way for, say, traffic lights to respond to traffic in real time. Eventually cars could be fully automated, paving the way for hands-free trips and-yes-car services that pick you up and drop you off without a human at the wheel. "I'm a guy who likes to drive and be in control, so … Continue Reading
06.03.15
MLive: New bills urge more talking-highway technology; Sen. Gary Peters hopes Michigan will be leader
by David Muller
DETROIT, MI - Several new cars are already equipped with early forms of automated driving, and projects are afoot in Michigan to speed potentially life-saving road-to-car communication technologies forward. U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Township) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) have introduced legislation that will help states move more quickly in adapting vehicle-to-infrastructure, one key aspect in evolving technology that should lead to safer roads. The so-called "V2I" technology involves us… Continue Reading
06.03.15
Detroit Free Press: Peters proposes funds for vehicle-to-infrastructure technology
by Todd Spangler
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan today said he has introduced legislation which could help promote and pay for technology which will someday give drivers and their vehicles infrastructure updates on safety conditions and traffic jams. Peters, a Democrat, is sponsoring the measure along with U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., which would allow states to use existing federal transportation funds doled out to programs for highway safety and certain other improvements for vehicle-to-infrastr… Continue Reading
05.29.15
Detroit Free Press: Senators call for action to save Isle Royale wolves
by Todd Spangler
WASHINGTON - Michigan's U.S. senators today urged the National Park Service to shorten its timetable for addressing a sharp decline in the wolf population at Isle Royale and to consider importing more of the species onto the remote Lake Superior island to bolster its numbers. The letter to National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis comes after reports, including that in the Free Press, that only three wolves remain on Isle Royale, down from nine last year, according to the winter survey con… Continue Reading
05.28.15
MLive: Proposed tax cut for small distilleries could help Michigan's spirit business grow
by Kyle Feldscher
MACKINAC ISLAND - A tax cut for small distilleries might help Michigan grow from the Great Beer State to the Great Alcohol State by lowering costs for new businesses. U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, fresh off a tour of craft distilleries in the Traverse City area, is part of a bipartisan group of senators who introduced a bill to lower the excise tax on distilled spirits. The bill would lower the excise tax rate on distilled spirits from $13.50 per proof gallon to $2.70 for the first 100,000 gallons pro… Continue Reading
05.27.15
WWTV: Small Distilleries React To Proposed Tax Cut Legislation
By Brittany Wright A new proposed law could be a big help to small craft distilleries. Last week, Senator Gary Peters introduced the distillery excise tax reform. If passed, it would reduce federal taxes for distilleries by more than $10 per proof gallon on the first 100,000 gallons they produce per year. "It will help us grow and help us put away more product," said Jared Rapp, Traverse City Whiskey Company Co-Owner. That's all any business wants to do, but small distilleries li… Continue Reading
05.27.15
Interlochen Public Radio: Tax break would help micro-distillers in northern Michigan
by David Cassleman
Small distillers in northern Michigan would get a big tax break under a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate last week by Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI). He visited Traverse City Whiskey Company on Tuesday to promote the legislation, which would lower the federal excise tax on liquor from $13.50 per gallon to $2.70. "This allows entrepreneurs to start [in] this business, get it going and create these jobs in our local communities," Peters said.… Continue Reading
05.27.15
WXYZ: Senator Gary Peters talks about technology that could eliminate 80% of car crashes
// MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. (WXYZ) - U.S. Senator Gary Peters says new vehicle-to-vehicle technology could eventually eliminate 80 percent of all car crashes. He spoke to Chuck Stokes at the 2015 Mackinac Policy Conference.… Continue Reading
05.27.15
MLive: Sen. Gary Peters 'very concerned' about Enbridge pipeline in Straits of Mackinac
by Kyle Feldscher
MACKINAC ISLAND - The 62-year-old pipeline carrying oil through the Straits of Mackinac is getting lots of attention here this week, and one of Michigan's senators says the issue is on his radar. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, told MLive Wednesday he's ready to look into the safety of Enbridge Energy's Line 5. That particular line has been the subject of protests both before and at the Mackinac Policy Conference, the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce's annual event on Mackinac Island. Peters… Continue Reading
05.26.15
Detroit Free Press: Senators propose bill to stop microbead pollution
by Todd Spangler
WASHINGTON - Michigan's U.S. senators are proposing legislation which would phase out the use of microbeads - tiny, synthetic beads used in cosmetics and personal care products which environmentalists say get flushed through treatment facilities and into the Great Lakes. The bill by U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, named the Microbeads Free Waters Act of 2015, is companion legislation to that cosponsored in the House by U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, the chairman of the Energy a… Continue Reading
05.20.15
Battle Creek Enquirer: Peters pens support for missile defense at Fort Custer
by Jennifer Bowman
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters has urged the Department of Defense's Missile Defense Agency to select Fort Custer as the site of a missile defense system. Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, wrote a letter to Vice Admiral James D. Syring, director of the Missile Defense Agency, touting the Fort Custer Training Center's benefits for the mission: its access to major highways, the W.K. Kellogg Air National Guard Base's 11,000-foot runway and its recognition for environmental stewardship. Fort Custer is one of … Continue Reading
05.19.15
Detroit Free Press: Trafficking bill passes with Sen. Peters' measure
WASHINGTON - A measure to create a program to train health care workers to recognize victims of human trafficking proposed by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters was included in legislation that received final passage in Congress today. The U.S. House voted 420-3 today on a wide-ranging piece of human trafficking legislation that included the proposal for a pilot program to train health care workers proposed by Peters, D-Mich., and U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La. Their measure calls for the federal government… Continue Reading
05.15.15
Macomb Daily: Ex-astronaut encourges students to find their passion through learning
by Frank DeFrank
A Wyandot Middle School student asked retired U.S. astronaut Col. Charles Precourt to describe some of the sights he witnessed during his four space shuttle missions. Precourt told the student and his classmates of watching a shooting star pass below him. He spoke of the vast darkness of space, and how the sun appears as little more than a small dot in the distance. And then he described his first view of Earth. "Earth is glowing from the inside," Precourt said. "... Looking out the window a… Continue Reading
05.15.15
Saginaw News: Navy vets exposed to Agent Orange covered by Sen. Gary Peters bill
by Mark Tower
WASHINGTON - Agent Orange, an herbicide used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War, has been linked to health issues ranging from rashes to heart conditions and certain types of cancer. U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, is cosponsoring legislation to expand health care benefits to Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange who served aboard deep-water naval vessels. "Agent Orange has affected the health of thousands of service members who fought in the Vietnam War, and it is un… Continue Reading
05.12.15
Oakland Press: Legislation proposes path to clear defaulted student loans from private lenders
by Charles Crumm
College students who default on student loans from private lenders like banks would have the same opportunity to repair their credit as those who default on federal student loans, under legislation pushed by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters from Michigan. The Bloomfield Township Democrat said Tuesday that there are more than 800,000 student loans from private lenders in default nationwide valued at more than $8 billion. "Michigan's going to have a pretty good percentage of the private student loans that … Continue Reading
05.11.15
Detroit Free Press: Peters' bill would help students rehabilitate credit
by Todd Spangler
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Gary Peters today said he will reintroduce legislation that could help students who default on private loans rehabilitate their credit. "It is simply unfair to deny some graduates the ability to get their finances back on track after a default simply because their loans are private instead of public," said Peters, D-Mich., who will introduce the legislation with U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.… Continue Reading
05.11.15
Detroit News: Private lenders could restore student credit under bill
by Melissa Nann Burke
It should be easier for borrowers to repair their credit after defaulting on private student loans, Democratic U.S. Sen. Gary Peters said Monday at Michigan State University. Peters, with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, is introducing a bill that would allow lenders to restore borrowers' good credit following a consecutive series of on-time payments over nine months. Under current law, federal student loans may be rehabilitated once, and borrowers may repair their credit after the … Continue Reading
05.11.15
Lansing State Journal: Peters bill would dash private student loan defaults
by Christopher Behnan
EAST LANSING - A bipartisan proposal expected to be introduced in Congress Tuesday would erase private student loan defaults from credit reports after college graduates make nine consecutive payments. U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, announced the legislation Monday at the Michigan State University Union. Peters said the bill, which he will introduce Tuesday, would help graduates stay current on private loans while starting their careers and families. He said payment plans are alr… Continue Reading
