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EG 6th Congressional District Newsletter 353

Friday, January 26, 2024

Michigan Presidential Primaries: Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Who Gets Relief from Student Debts?

From firefighters to government workers to those with disabilities and many more!

After the Supreme Court ruled against the Biden administration’s comprehensive proposal to cancel student debt for about 44 million borrowers, President Biden has been incrementally providing relief through executive actions. So far more than 3.7 million have benefited from this continuing effort by the administration to provide debt relief.

There are several federal student aid programs available through the US Department of Education. The maximum monthly payment and maximum repayment periods can be found here . After completing the repayment plan, the remaining balance is to be forgiven.

The primary recipients of debt relief thus far have been those on Income-Driven Repayment Plans (IDR) and those on Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) plans. They include:

mostly those in government jobs, and some at nonprofits
graduates on IDR plans who have been paying on their student loans for 20—25 consecutive years but have not received their promised forgiveness
students who have been defrauded by their schools, e.g., through deceptive marketing or abrupt school closures
those who borrowed less than $12,000 and have been paying on their loans for at least 10 years
teachers, nurses, firefighters, and others in public service who qualify for relief under existing programs that have been plagued by bureaucratic and other problems for years
loan recipients affected by years of mistakes by the loan servicers who collected payments on behalf of the government

The administration is now attempting to create a new student debt relief process through the Higher Education Act (HEA).

To further assist in debt relief, a new plan called SAVE has been instituted. It is an “income-driven repayment (IDR) plan that calculates payments based on a borrower’s income and family size—not their loan balance—and forgives remaining balances after a certain number of years.”

The Biden administration plans to continue its work to relieve student borrowers from the burdens of debt.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design in Flint

Since the 1960s, 90% of auto industry jobs in Flint and Genesee County have disappeared. Subsequently, there has been a 50% population decline, leaving thousands of vacant properties and extremely high crime rates. Flint has the potential to re-establish itself as a safe and proud city and is being aided by a program entitled Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED, pronounced “sep-ted”). A term first coined in 1971, CPTED refers to a crime prevention strategy that applies core design principles to neighborhoods, creating communities in which people feel “safe and invested.” Details of the impact CPTED is having in Flint in the selected neighborhood can be found through this interactive website.

The guiding principles, along with a few examples, are listed below:

Security
volunteers working to board up abandoned buildings
a new apartment management company ensuring that all doors had working locks
concerted effort by police to interact with residents while enforcing codes that make the neighborhood feel safer for walking
Territorial Reinforcement
road diet
traffic calming
rebranding the main roadway
turning a vacant lot into a park
Maintenance
mowing, sweeping, and painting
Surveillance
improved lighting in parks, trails, neighborhoods, including neighbors participating in a “Light Up the Ave” campaign
Access Control
using fences, sidewalks and vegetation to help people move through spaces in an intentional way
Social Management
creating spaces for gathering, interacting and holding events in areas that are otherwise neglected, such as a turning an abandoned golf course into a recreational park for the community
Capacity Building and Sustainability
training neighborhood residents
establishing coalitions
gathering residents into working groups
recognizing these actions’ importance to the on-going work of transforming physical and social environments

Congratulations, Flint, on your work to transform your city!

Job Alert! Communications and Staff AssistantThe office of Shri Thanedar (MI-13) is seeking a Communications and Staff Assistant. Responsibilities include managing and curating content for the Congressman’s social media accounts, drafting written materials, preparing interview memos and contribute to direct constituent communications, encompassing e-newsletters and franked communication projects, tackling overflow work with efficiency and attention to detail, adapting to diverse tasks as assigned, welcoming visitors, assisting with appointments, coordinating with the Member’s Scheduler to ensure punctuality and more. To apply, please send a resume, cover letter, a no-more-than-1-page writing sample, and three examples of digital work to hr.thanedar@mail.house.gov with the subject line “Communications and Staff Assistant – Last Name.”

Are you a Graphic Designer with 10-20 hours to support a new app to mobilize volunteers?If so, the Washtenaw Dems are looking for a designer to create a library of reusable images and artwork for their new Mobilize app, which helps recruit and organize volunteers. Contact volunteer@washtenawdems.org for more info!

Tuesday, January 30 thru Wednesday, February 7. Empower Young Voters

Join NextGen America in contacting young voters in preparation for the 2024 primary elections. Building the power of the youth vote is crucial to our democracy, and that starts by providing youth with the information they need to get out and vote. Here are some ideas on how you can help:

Text young Nevada voters ths week! Tuesday, January 30, Thursday, February 1, and Monday, February 5. Sign up here . 1—3 pm
Join the social media team! Sign up here. 3—4 pm
If you’ve never texted with Nextgen or want a refresher, sign up for Wednesday’s text training. 4—5 pm
Follow Jessica Craven on Chop Wood and Carry Water

Saturday, February 3. Turn Voices into Votes with Field Team 6

Join Field Team 6 in making phone calls to unregistered likely Democrats… and turning them into registered Michigan Democrats! Sign up here.

Wednesdays. America at a Crossroads Virtual Series

January 31. Ron Brownstein, a CNN political analyst, and Stuart Stevens strategist for Mitt Romney and on the media team for G.W. Bush, with Patt Morrison discuss “Election 2024: The Countdown Begins” (Register here.) 8 pm ET
February 7. Bret Stephens in conversation with Madeleine Brand: “Anti-Semitism: From Harvard to Gaza.” (Register Here.)
February 21. Rick Hasen, a professor of law at UCLA Law and the Director of UCLA Laws Safeguarding Democracy, with Larry Mantle: “A Real Right to Vote: How a Constitutional Amendment Can Safeguard American Democracy.” (Register here.)

Tuesday, February 13. The Exchange: Public Health Approaches to Ending Gun Violence

The University of Michigan School of Public Health, in collaboration with the Institute of Firearm Injury Prevention, is proud to present a trio of events on February 13 to explore solutions to this public health crisis. Save your seat for these critical conversations. Join all of the events or just one. RSVP here.

SAVE the DATE! PEG Community Partner Event

Sunday, March 10. Ann Arbor 2nd Annual Climate Teach-in, featuring Debbie Dingell

The annual A2 Climate Teach-in provides an easy and meaningful entry point for those who want to get more involved in climate action. Various workshops and discussions throughout the day culminate in the keynote address, “What We Can Do Together for Climate Action,” delivered by United States Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, Michigan’s 6th District. Register here. 1—5 pm

Visit the PEG Events Page for more upcoming events at www.equalityingov.org/events!

While HBCUs have small endowments compared with other colleges, have seen an increase in donations since the racial justice protests spurred by the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. The financial disparity between HBCUs — which include land grant, public and private schools — and other institutions of higher education in many ways mirrors the racial wealth gap. “We are invigorated and inspired by this incredible act of generosity,” said Dr. Helene Gayle, president of Spelman College during an interview on CBS Mornings. “This gift is a critical step in our school’s mission to eliminate financial barriers to starting and finishing a Spelman education .

Spelman College (for Women) has been ranked #1 Historically Black College and / or University by U.S. News for 17 consecutive years.. The college also produces the most graduates who pursue a PhD in science, technology, engineering or math, according to The National Science Foundation.

Other recent multimillion dollar gifts and pledges include: Lilly Endowment Inc., MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Reed Hastings Founder Netflix and his wife, Patty Quillin, and Michael Bloomberg.