In the News
Detroit Free Press: Levin's advice to Peters: build relationships
by Carol Cain
Gary Peters is in a league of his own. As the only Democrat in the nation to win an open U.S. Senate seat in November, Peters, 56, who served as a U.S. representative representing suburban Detroit, has been immersed in the transition to the Senate. Peters has also just crisscrossed the state on a economic listening tour that included stops in Traverse City, Flint, Grand Rapids and Detroit to find out what's on constituents' minds. I had a chance to catch up with him to pose some questions on … Continue Reading
02.26.15
Detroit News: 12 senators push for crackdown on campus assaults
by David Shepardson
Washington - A bipartisan group of 12 U.S. senators introduced legislation Thursday that would do more to protect students from sexual assault and require colleges and universities to do more to investigate allegations. The Campus Accountability and Safety Act "would flip the current incentives of a broken system to provide real accountability and transparency from higher education institutions. The legislation would professionalize the response to and reporting of sexual assaults that occur on… Continue Reading
02.26.15
Detroit Free Press: Bill could protect Great Lakes from invasive species
by Todd Spangler
WASHINGTON - Vessels entering the Great Lakes through the St. Lawrence Seaway would have to flush their ballast water while still at sea - reducing the likelihood of bringing invasive species into the Lakes - under a measure approved by a Senate committee this morning. U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., won approval of an amendment to legislation proposed by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to set uniform standards for regulating ballast water and other discharges from vessels. The bill was passed b… Continue Reading
02.25.15
Detroit Free Press: Peters introduces auto parts legislation
by Todd Spangler
WASHINGTON - Michigan's newest U.S. senator has introduced his first piece of legislation in that chamber, repurposing a bill he and its other sponsor had previously proposed in the U.S. House. That's appropriate, too, given that it's a bill encouraging the use of remanufactured auto parts as a less-expensive alternative to new parts on the federal fleet. U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat and former U.S. representative who was elected in November to the state's open Senate seat, had introduced… Continue Reading
02.25.15
Detroit News: Sen. Peters proposes to cut U.S. vehicle repair costs
by David Shepardson
Washington - Sen. Gary Peters is introducing his first bill in the Senate Wednesday - a measure to reduce the nearly $1 billion in annual federal vehicle repair costs by encouraging the use of remanufactured auto parts. The Bloomfield Township Democrat, who took office in early January, and Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., introduced the proposal last year when they were both in the U.S. House. "Upkeep on federal vehicles is a nearly $1 billion annual expense, and remanufactured auto parts are no… Continue Reading
02.24.15
Detroit Free Press: Peters joins China commission
WASHINGTON - Michigan's newest U.S. senator is joining a federal commission that monitors China's compliance with human rights standards and has been sharply critical of it in the past. U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., announced today that he had been named to the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, a bipartisan group that includes members of both the U.S. House and Senate and senior administration officials appointed by the president.… Continue Reading
02.23.15
Detroit News: Peters named to congressional China panel
by David Shepardson
Washington - U.S. Sen. Gary Peters is being named to the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, a bipartisan panel that monitors the Asian nation's compliance with international human rights standards and compliance with international trade laws. The commission issues an annual report with its findings. The appointment of Peters to replace retired Sen. Carl Levin, the Detroit Democrat who was a commission member since 2001, comes amid growing concern about currency intervention by major e… Continue Reading
02.17.15
Grand Rapids Press: Sen. Gary Peters tours GVSU's engineering college, says 'innovation' is future of Michigan's economy
by Brain McVicar
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - It was billed as his economic listening tour, and there was plenty for U.S. Sen. Gary Peters to hear Tuesday as he made his way through Grand Valley State University's College of Engineering. Peters, led by GVSU President Thomas Haas, visited classrooms and watched students tinker on machines and computers. He listened as Haas described the growth in the college's student body, the university's geographic footprint and numerous partnerships with local employers. Peters, a fi… Continue Reading
02.16.15
WMUK: Sen. Peters Stresses Medical Education On Tour Of WMU School of Medicine
by ROBBIE FEINBERG
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters stressed the importance of medical training and research on a stop in Kalamazoo earlier today. Peters, who was elected to the Senate in late 2014, arrived in the city to tour Western Michigan University's new Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine. The senator met with business and university leaders, but it was Stryker Dean Hal Jenson who led the tour, demonstrating cutting-edge technologies in the school like an eight-classroom simulation center, with life-like mannequins… Continue Reading
02.11.15
Michigan Radio: Sen. Gary Peters co-sponsors legislation to prevent veteran suicide
It's estimated that in the United States some 22 veterans commit suicide every day. "It is a tragedy, one that we have to deal with," Michigan Democratic Senator Gary Peters said. "In my mind we have a sacred obligation to take care of those who have served us overseas, so we need to address it immediately." Peters spoke with Stateside host Cyndy Canty today to discuss legislation he is co-sponsoring.… Continue Reading
02.01.15
CBS Detroit: Sen. Peters Joins Great Lakes Task Force, Appointed To Homeland Security Subcommittees
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, recently announced his appointment to the Senate Great Lakes Task Force and two subcommittees overseeing federal spending and services Peters joins fellow Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow on the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, a bipartisan working group made up of Senators representing the states bordering the Great Lakes. "Michigan is blessed with abundant natural resources like the Great Lakes, and I look forward to working with my colleagues from across the re… Continue Reading
01.28.15
Michigan Radio: Senator Gary Peters on his proposed amendments to the Keystone XL bill
With national attention being paid to the Keystone XL pipeline, Michigan Democratic Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters have introduced amendments to the controversial legislation. The first is the petroleum coke, or pet coke, amendment. Pet coke is the material left from refining oil. Senator Peters says the pet coke amendment would require studying the material to better understand the potential health effects and how to handle it properly. The second proposed amendment calls for a revi… Continue Reading
01.22.15
WBUP: Peters co-sponsors Senate human trafficking bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Human trafficking is emerging as a human rights problem in Michigan, and Senator Gary Peters has signed on as a co-sponsor of a new Senate bill to address the issue. It's a bipartisan bill to create a program through the Department of Health and Human Services to give grants to accredited medical schools with experience studying and treating human trafficking victims.… Continue Reading
01.21.15
Detroit Free Press: Michigan senators propose Keystone bill changes
Michigan's U.S. senators introduced two amendments to pending legislation intended to authorize the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, though it was a long shot that either proposal would be passed in the Republican-dominated chamber. The Senate is currently considering the legislation, which President Barack Obama's administration has already signaled he could veto despite support in both chambers of Congress. The bill would authorize a pipeline crossing into the U.S. from Canada to move oil … Continue Reading
01.15.15
WMUK: Michigan's New Senator Says He'll Work With the Other Side
There is only one Democratic U.S. Senator in this year's freshman class. Gary Peters won the seat left open in Michigan by the retirement of fellow Democrat Carl Levin. But Republican won enough seats in other states to take control of the upper chamber. Peters tells WMUK's Gordon Evans that he will work in a bi-partisan way on issues important to Michigan. The Senate is beginning debate on legislation that would pave the way for building the Keystone XL Pipeline. Peters plans to introduce a c… Continue Reading
01.12.15
Observer & Eccentric: Peters: ‘We can compete with anyone’
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, gave a major shout-out to the state's labor force Monday as he toured the floor of the North American International Auto Show. "When I go to the West Coast, I've had the privilege of traveling through Silicon Valley and seeing high-tech and touring some of the businesses there," Peters said. "And when I go there, the thing that strikes me is everything I see there we have here in Michigan. "So we can compete with anyone in this country. We can certainly compe… Continue Reading
01.12.15
Detroit Free Press: Lawmakers at auto show welcome industry's resurgence
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters said he's impressed with the technology on display at Cobo Center for the auto show and expects it will also help make cars safer. "These are just cutting-edge vehicles," Peters, of Bloomfield Township, said Monday while touring the North American International Auto Show in downtown Detroit. "Best-in-class vehicles that are being made here in Michigan or in the United States, and so I'm very, very proud of what I'm seeing." U.S. auto industry sales reached 16.5 million la… Continue Reading
