Press Releases
Senators Peters, Stabenow Applaud Senate Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Keep Plastic Beads Out of Great Lakes
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow today applauded the U.S. Senate's unanimous passage of the bipartisan Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015, which will protect the Great Lakes from pollution caused by small, plastic microbeads that are ingredients in certain soaps and personal care products. The legislation, which was sponsored by Congressman Fred Upton (R-MI), passed the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month. It will phase out the manufacturing of products… Continue Reading
12.18.15
Peters Applauds Extension of Tax Credit for Businesses Employing Military Reservists & National Guardsmen
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), a former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, today applauded the expansion and permanent extension of a tax credit for employers that provide differential pay to military reservists and National Guard members called to serve on active duty. The tax credit, which was included in an end-of-year government spending and tax bill, would apply to all businesses, but the extension is particularly helpful for small businesses that may find it mo… Continue Reading
12.17.15
Peters Statement on Arrival Syrian Refugee Dr. Refaai Hamo & His Family to Michigan
Washington, DC - Below is a statement from U.S. Senator Gary Peters following the arrival of Syrian refugee Dr. Refaai Hamo and his family to Michigan. Dr. Hamo and his story were recently featured on Humans of New York. "Like so many people across the world, I was heartbroken to learn of the profound loss and tragedy Dr. Refaai Hamo and his family have endured. But I was also deeply inspired by his determination - his passion to make a difference in the world. The Hamo family's perseverance in… Continue Reading
12.17.15
Peters, Stabenow, Dingell Legislation to Award Medal of Honor to Ypsilanti Vietnam Veteran Included in Government Funding Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Gary Peters (MI) and Debbie Stabenow (MI), and U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) today announced that legislation they introduced, which would allow Major Charles S. Kettles of Ypsilanti to be awarded the Medal of Honor, will move forward as part of the fiscal year 2016 government funding bill. The legislation was introduced in November following a request from the Ypsilanti Rotary Veterans History Project to review Major Kettles' actions during the Viet… Continue Reading
12.17.15
Led by Senators Peters, Stabenow and Congressman Kildee, Members of Michigan Delegation Announce New Opportunities to Revitalize Cities, Neighborhoods
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and Congressman Dan Kildee (D-MI), along with Congresswoman Candice Miller (R-MI), Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) and Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) today announced new opportunities to help cities across Michigan and the country revitalize neighborhoods and keep communities safe. The end-of-year spending bill, which will fund the federal government through September 2016, gives the U.S. Department of… Continue Reading
12.16.15
Senators Peters, Stabenow Announce Over $1 Billion to Protect Great Lakes
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow today announced new funding and support that will bolster ongoing efforts to protect the Great Lakes. The end-of-year spending bill, which will fund the federal government through September 2016, includes $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The Initiative is a multi-year plan to restore and preserve the Great Lakes by eliminating toxins, combating invasive species, restoring habitats, and promoting the general … Continue Reading
12.16.15
Peters, Stabenow Applaud Facility for Rare Isotope Beam Funding in Government Spending Bill
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow applauded the year-end government spending bill released today includes $100 million in federal funding to continue constructing the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University. The appropriations bill, the Fiscal Year 2016 Omnibus Appropriations Act funds the government through September 30, 2016, and Peters and Stabenow worked with their Senate colleagues to ensure this funding would be included in the final… Continue Reading
12.09.15
Peters, Cassidy Introduce Legislation to Reform IT Management Systems, Save Taxpayer Dollars
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Gary Peters (MI) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (LA) introduced the Making Electronic Government Accountable By Yielding Tangible Efficiencies (MEGABYTE) Act of 2015 to reform the federal government's management of information technology (IT) software licenses. The non-partisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that implementing oversight and management policies of federal software licenses saved a single agency $181 million tax dollars per year. If implemented,… Continue Reading
12.09.15
Peters Education Measures to Be Signed into Law
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) today applauded Senate passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), bipartisan legislation to reform the No Child Left Behind law and reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The bill, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week and will be signed into law by the President, includes a bipartisan amendment Peters introduced with Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) supporting dual and concurrent enrollment in schools. Two addi… Continue Reading
12.09.15
Peters Pipeline Safety Provisions Move Forward in the Senate
WASHINGTON, DC - The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee today approved bipartisan legislation U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) introduced with his Commerce Committee colleagues to reauthorize the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) through 2019, and improve pipeline safety and oversight. The legislation, known as the Securing America's Future Energy: Protecting Our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety (SAFE PIPES) Act, included several pipel… Continue Reading
12.08.15
Peters, Senate Dems Urge Congress to Work in Bipartisan Fashion to Address Devastating Impacts of Climate Change Ahead of Senator Cruz-Led Congressional Hearing to Continue Denying Climate Change
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, in advance of a controversial hearing designed to question the existence of climate change, U.S. Senators Gary Peters, Tom Udall, Brian Schatz and Ed Markey called on Republicans to work with Senate Democrats to take action to mitigate the devastating impacts of climate change. While leaders from over 190 countries are gathered in Paris to negotiate an international plan to address climate change, Senator Ted Cruz is holding a Space, Science and Competitiveness Subcommitt… Continue Reading
12.04.15
Peters Applauds Army Investigation into Wrongful Discharge of Servicemembers with Mental Health Disorders
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), a former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, today applauded the U.S. Army's announcement that they will conduct a thorough, multidisciplinary investigation into allegations that the Army has, since 2009, wrongfully dismissed more than 22,000 soldiers for misconduct after they returned from deployment and were diagnosed with mental health disorders. The Army's announcement comes after Peters joined 11 of his Senate colleagues in requesti… Continue Reading
12.04.15
Peters Applauds Passage of Highway Bill Including Vehicle-to-Infrastructure Technology Provision
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) applauded the passage of a five-year highway bill in the Senate last night that includes language from his bipartisan Vehicle-to-Infrastructure Safety Technology Investment Flexibility Act of 2015. The provision allows states to use existing surface and highway transportation funds to invest in vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication technology that has the potential to help reduce traffic congestion and accidents. "As we upgrade our nation… Continue Reading
12.03.15
Peters, Stabenow, Miller Urge Obama Administration to Support Funding for Blue Water Bridge
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow (MI) and Rep. Candice Miller (MI-10) today wrote to Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and Director of the Office of Management and Budget Shaun Donovan urging the Administration to make the expansion of a customs plaza for the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron a high priority for funding in the Fiscal Year 2017 budget. Despite land being cleared and property demolished in Port Huron for the expansion, funding for the customs p… Continue Reading
12.02.15
Peters, Gardner Introduce Bill to Expand Access to Telehealth Services
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Gary Peters (MI) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) today introduced the Telehealth Innovation and Improvement Act, legislation that would expand access to health care in rural areas by paving the way for Medicare to cover additional telehealth services. Currently, Medicare covers limited telehealth services, setting a poor industry standard, discouraging innovation, and restricting access to specialized services. "Telehealth has revolutionized healthcare, helping more pati… Continue Reading
12.01.15
Senate Passes Peters, Stabenow Resolution Recognizing Rosa Parks’ Courage, Contributions to the Civil Rights Movement
WASHINGTON, D.C.- U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow applauded the Senate's passage last night of a bipartisan resolution to honor the 60th anniversary of when civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery, Ala., bus. Parks' December 1, 1955 arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which was a turning point in the fight for civil rights. She and her husband, Raymond, relocated to Michigan in 1957 where she lived until her death in 2… Continue Reading
11.20.15
Peters, Stabenow Urge Funding for Great Lakes Heavy Icebreaker
WASHINGTON, DC-U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow sent a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Homeland Security calling for robust funding in the fiscal year 2016 appropriations legislation for the U.S. Coast Guard to design and build a new heavy icebreaker for the Great Lakes region. Heavy ice cover seen in recent winters has seriously impaired commercial shipping and economic activity in the Great Lakes. Last winter, cargo … Continue Reading
11.20.15
Peters Introduces Legislation to Encourage Charitable Foundation Investments to Boost Economic Recovery
WASHINGTON, DC-U.S. Senator Gary Peters announced today that he joined Republican Senator Cory Gardner (CO) to introduce the Philanthropic Facilitation Act, legislation to streamline the approval process for charitable foundations to expand investments in local communities, increase economic development and create jobs. In Michigan, private organizations like the Kresge Foundation, Skillman Foundation, Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Family Foundation and W.K. Kellogg Foundation have helped boost … Continue Reading
11.18.15
Peters Applauds $2.7 Million Project with University of Michigan for Study of Connected Vehicles and Fuel Efficiency
WASHINGTON, DC-U.S. Senator Gary Peters today applauded the announcement of a $2.7 million project with the University of Michigan's Mobility Transformation Center (MTC), the Transportation Research Institute and the College of Engineering to study how connected vehicle technology can make driving more efficient. The project was announced today by the Department of Energy's Vehicle Technologies Office. Connected vehicle technologies like vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2… Continue Reading
11.17.15
At the Urging of Senators Peters and Stabenow, Obama Administration Approves $1.35 Million to Help Upgrade Soo Locks
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow today applauded the Obama Administration for approving $1.35 million to review critical upgrades to the aging locks at Sault Ste. Marie. In June, the Senators called on Office of Management and Budget Director Sean Donovan to approve the Army Corps of Engineers' request to help replace the Davis and Sabin Locks with a lock of similar size to the Poe Lock. Currently, 70 percent of cargo vessels, including all of the large lake freig… Continue Reading
