Senator Johnson hand delivered the below letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan this morning at Thirkell Elementary School in Detroit:

Lansing – The Michigan Senate Democrats today slammed the budgets being passed by their Republican colleagues over the past week for continuing their ongoing trend of favoring corporations at the expense of investing in Michigan's schools, communities and working families.

Senator Bert Johnson (D-Detroit) released the following statement in light of reports that the Snyder Administration has convened a secret workgroup to devise a school voucher plan.

Blight is one of the major hurdles which creates an obstacle to living and investing in our urban areas. Five Senators introduced a five-bill package which will add teeth to the enforcement of blight violations, and give Michigan's cities more tools to go after blight violations. They are Senate Bills 35-39 and they have bipartisan support, with Senators Virgil Smith (D-Detroit), Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge), Tonya Schuitmaker (R-Lawton), Bert Johnson (D-Highland Park), and Tupac A. Hunter (D-Detroit) each sponsoring a bill.

DETROIT – Local members of the Senate Democratic Caucus were joined today by Detroit-area tax experts and working families to discuss the devastating effects of the recent tax increases passed by the Republican-led Legislature and signed by Governor Snyder. With the implementation of the Pension Tax, cuts to tax credits such as the Homestead Property Tax Credit and the Michigan Earned Income Tax Credit and the elimination of the child, senior and other deductions, many Michigan families and seniors have been struck hard by a major increase in their taxes.

Senate Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer (D-East Lansing) and members of the Senate Democratic Caucus were joined today by tax experts and working families to discuss the devastating effects of the recent tax increases passed by the Republican-led Legislature and signed by Governor Snyder. With the implementation of the Pension Tax, cuts to tax credits such as the Homestead Property Tax Credit and the Michigan Earned Income Tax Credit and the elimination of the child, senior and other deductions, many Michigan families and seniors have been struck hard by a major increase in their taxes.

enator Bert Johnson (D-Detroit) called legislation introduced by Representative Lisa Posthumus Lyons today to expand the authority of the Governor's Education Achievement Authority (EAA) offensively hypocritical. Johnson pointed out that while Rep. Lyons' praised the supposed success of the EAA as a reason to expand its' authority statewide, the legislation she introduced specifically allows the Grand Rapids Schools to be exempted from the EAA's reach.

LANSING - Senate Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer and members of the Senate Democratic Caucus announced the return of their successful #mi2020 Scholarship Competition today that will award up to $10,000 to one Michigan high school senior graduating this spring. To enter, students are asked to submit a short web video at www.michigan2020.com/competition that explains why Michigan needs to enact the Senate Democrats' Michigan 2020 Plan to offer free college tuition to all students.

Governor Snyder just does not understand. The people of the State of Michigan rejected Emergency Managers at the ballot box in 2012. To not let the will of the people be the law of the land is reprehensible.

Senator Bert Johnson (D-Detroit) praised the announcement of the Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) that Lear Corporation and its subsidiary Integrated Manufacturing and Assembly would be expanding their operations to the cities of Detroit and Highland Park. The total investment between the two facilities is nearly $33 million and is expected to create 1100 new jobs.