In the News
WJRT ABC 12 Flint: 200 more federal workers helping with Michigan’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout
LANSING, Mich. (WJRT) - Another 200 federal workers are coming to help administer COVID-19 vaccine at three of Michigan largest community clinics. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the U.S. Department of Defense, Coast Guard and Forest Service are sending additional employees to help with vaccination efforts at Ford Field and the TCF Center in Detroit, along with DeVos Place in Grand Rapids. Federal support also will allow the state to provide additional ambulance personnel for each of the three site… Continue Reading
04.22.21
WLNS CBS 6 Lansing: Michigan to receive additional federal aid for vaccine effort
by Wells Foster
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) - More than 200 federal personnel will be arriving in Michigan to assist three mass vaccination sites, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced in a press release. The federal workers came after Governor Whitmer requested aid from the federal government. "We appreciate the support from our federal partners, especially adding additional boots on the ground to allow for more shots in arms more quickly," said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the release. "We are still fighting this viru… Continue Reading
04.22.21
Arab American News: Senate overwhelmingly passes bill to target hate crimes against Asian Americans
by Hassan Abbas
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill that targets hate crimes directed towards Asian Americans on Thursday. The legislation comes amid an increase in discrimination and violence against Asian communities in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. Officially titled the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, the legislation will expedite the review of violent hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and seek to prevent such incidents from occurring. It would appoint… Continue Reading
04.21.21
Detroit News: Democratic lawmakers urge Air Force clean up PFAS from Wurthsmith base
by Leonard N. Fleming
Two Michigan congressional leaders on Wednesday lambasted the Air Force for its reported failure to clean up PFAS contamination near the long-closed Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda, saying that time for action has passed and the military branch needs to act. U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, and U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint, led a virtual news conference with local environmental group members called Need Our Water Now to tell the Air Force brass they have lost patience with the … Continue Reading
04.17.21
WSJM 94.9 FM Benton Harbor: Peters Urges Everyone To Get Vaccinated
Senator Gary Peters is urging everyone to get a COVID-19 vaccine. He's released a new PSA reminding everyone the vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer are safe and effective. "We're getting closer to beating this pandemic, but we all need to do our part to get there," Peters said. "That means that we'll need to get vaccinated as soon as possible. I got my shot, and you should too." Peters notes it's free to get a vaccine, and anyone in Michigan age 16 or older is eligible. In February, he joine… Continue Reading
04.15.21
InsideCyberSecurity.com: Sen. Peters leads bipartisan effort on federal cyber workforce, offers bill to create ‘rotation program’ across agencies
by Charlie Mitchell
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Gary Peters (D-MI) is leading a bipartisan effort on bolstering the federal cybersecurity workforce with a bill to create a voluntary "rotation program," allowing the government's cyber employees to serve at multiple agencies and expanding both their skills and cyber expertise across government. "Agencies across the federal government face growing cyber threats, but struggle to hire and retain qualified cybersecurity employees," Peters'… Continue Reading
04.14.21
WLNS CBS 6 Lansing: New legislation to bolster U.S. cybersecurity
by James McKinnie
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) - A group of bipartisan senators, including Gary Peters, is reintroducing legislation that is designed to improve the federal government's cybersecurity system. Tech experts say, that it's tough for the federal government to attain the best workers in the security industry due to a lot of systems acquiring workers from Silicon Valley and other big tech firms. The bill would create a rotation program for civilian cybersecurity personnel which would allow them to be employe… Continue Reading
04.14.21
WSYM FOX 17 Lansing: Peters, Stabenow announce $175M in federal funding for Michigan businesses
by Bianca Cseke
WASHINGTON - Michigan U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow announced on Wednesday more than $175 million in federal funding for the state's small businesses. It's part of the State Small Business Credit Initiative, which is also part of the American Rescue Plan signed into law last month, according to a news release. "As we work to emerge from this unprecedented public health and economic crisis, it has never been more important to ensure that Michigan small businesses have the resou… Continue Reading
04.13.21
WLNS CBS 6 Lansing: Lawmakers urge Biden to fund initiatives to increase U.S. semiconductor production in bipartisan push
by Samana Sheikh
Washington D.C., Mich. (WLNS)-U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) , U.S. Representatives Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Haley Stevens (MI-11) and Peter Meijer (MI-03) are asking Biden to fund initiatives to restore and increase semiconductor manufacturing in the United States. The lawmakers requested this as part of an effort to address the semiconductor shortage facing car manufacturing. They wrote a letter to President Biden where it stated, ""We write today to encourage you to prioritize securing funding… Continue Reading
04.07.21
Holland Sentinel: Peters co-sponsors bill to crack down on robocalls
WASHINGTON - Legislation introduced in Congress by Sen. Gary Peters would stiffen penalties against robocallers using illegal caller-ID to scam people. Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, was among the lawmakers introducing the Anti-Spoofing Penalties Modernization Act of 2021 in the Senate Thursday. The bill is similar to legislation Peters co-sponsored in Congress' previous session in 2019. The bill would raise the fine for deploying caller-ID schemes from $10,000 to $20,000 per violation and inc… Continue Reading
04.07.21
WJRT ABC 12 Flint: Sen. Peters resurrects bill aimed at limiting robocalls and spoofing
WASHINGTON (WJRT) - Sen. Gary Peters has re-introduced a bill aimed at cracking down on widespread and invasive robocalls. The Anti-Spoofing Penalties Modernization Act of 2021 would increase penalties for scammers who use illegal caller-ID tactics to trick people into answering the phone, which is known as "spoofing." If passed, Peters' bill would double the fines to $20,000 per violation and to $2 million for people organizing illegal campaigns. "The millions of robocalls that Michiganders … Continue Reading
04.06.21
WLNS CBS 6 Lansing: Sen. Peters calls for answers for military vaccination abroad
by Andrew Birkle
DETROIT, Mich. (WLNS) - U.S. Senator Gary Peters wrote a letter to the Secretary of Defense to ask how the department plans to vaccinate service members and others at U.S. military installations abroad. "While the vaccination effort is well underway domestically, I am concerned that those Americans serving abroad will be left behind on vaccination efforts - and this is a concern I have heard from Michiganders as well. Many of these installations are located in areas which continue to suffer fro… Continue Reading
04.05.21
Alpena News: Peters reintroduces bus safety legislation
by Crystal Nelson
ALPENA - When it comes to bus stop safety, the greatest risk to a child is not riding a bus, but approaching or leaving one. That's among the reasons U.S. Senators Gary Peters, a Democrat from Oakland County and Todd Young, a Republican from Indiana, reintroduced bi-partisan legislation that would require the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration to conduct a comprehensive review on existing school bus passing laws, school bus safety technology, and recommend changes to improve … Continue Reading
04.03.21
USA Today: Congress' most effective lawmakers aren't generally its household names
by Sarah Elbeshbishi
Despite high approval ratings or wide popularity, well-known members of Congress are not the most effective lawmakers, according to a report from the Center for Effective Lawmaking. The center recently released its effectiveness scores for members of the 116th Congress, which ran from Jan. 3, 2019, to Jan. 3, 2021. The bottom line: The lawmakers often in the news - particularly from the House of Representatives - aren't generally the ones sponsoring bills that make significant headway through C… Continue Reading
03.30.21
Marquette Mining Journal: Bay Mills, Upper Great Lakes Family Health Center receive funding from American Rescue Plan
by Ryan Spitza
MARQUETTE - Over $4 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan will be distributed to two Upper Peninsula entities to help fight COVID-19, United States Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters announced Friday. Almost $4.9 million in funding will go to the Bay Mills Indian Community and Upper Great Lakes Family Health Center. Bay Mills will receive $1,044,500 in funding, while UGLFHC will receive $3,840,000. The funds can be used by health centers for staffing, personal protective equipment… Continue Reading
03.29.21
Marquette Mining Journal:
Bipartisan legislation supported by U.S. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Hills, to expand free COVID-19 vaccine access to veterans and their families has been signed into law by President Joe Biden. The SAVE LIVES Act, which Peters cosponsored earlier this month, will permit the Department of Veterans Affairs to allocate free vaccination services to all veterans, veteran spouses, caregivers and recipients of the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs SAVE LIVES sta… Continue Reading
03.26.21
WLUC NBC 6 Marquette: U.P. receives money from American Rescue Plan
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WLUC) Press Release U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (MI) and Gary Peters (MI) today announced $4,884,500 in funding to help health centers in the Upper Peninsula respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding can be used by health centers for staffing, personal protective equipment, screening, testing, or other needs for fighting the coronavirus pandemic. This funding comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and was included in the American Rescue Plan that was sig… Continue Reading
03.24.21
Detroit News: Who was most effective U.S. senator? Hint: He's from Michigan
by Melissa Nann Burke
Researchers have ranked U.S. Sen. Gary Peters as the "most effective" senator at lawmaking for the last Congress, citing his coalition-building with GOP colleagues. The nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking ranked Peters, a Bloomfield Township Democrat, at the top of its Senate list overall, despite his being a freshman in the minority party and engaged in a bitter reelection fight last term. The center scores lawmakers based on metrics having to do with the number of bills they introduce… Continue Reading
03.22.21
Holland Sentinel: Peters reintroduces bill to evaluate national school bus safety
WASHINGTON - Legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters would order a national evaluation over school bus safety at loading zones where children get on the bus. Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, introduced the Stop for School Buses Act in the Senate Wednesday, March 17. The bill would require the National Highway Transportation Safety (NHTSA) to review and report on existing school bus passing laws and current school bus safety technology to prevent illegal passing. NHTSA would be required to… Continue Reading
03.22.21
Detroit News: Federal, state officials get a look at Ford Field vaccination site ahead of Wednesday opening
Detroit - State and federal officials got a look Monday at the mass COVID-19 vaccination site at Ford Field that will open Wednesday with the capability of distributing 6,000 doses a day. Protect Michigan Commission Director Kerry Ebersole Singh led the tour with Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, U.S. Sens. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, and U.S. Reps. Elissa Slotkin, Haley Stevens, Andy Levin, Brenda Lawrence, Debbie Dingell and Rashida Tlaib. Other officials on hand included Federal Emergency … Continue Reading
