HB 6.24.2021 DONE FINAL

The Hastings Banner — Thursday, June 24, 2021 — Page 5

Keeping our promises to America’s seniors

Approximately 15 percent of our popula-
tion here in Michigan’s Third District is made
up of individuals 65 years and older. My own
grandmother recently celebrated her 102nd
birthday, and this incredible milestone caused
me to reflect on the older generations and how
the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportion-
ately impacted their lives.
Now, more than ever, we must double
down on the promises we made to seniors and
ensure the programs they depend on are pro-
tected.
Our parents, grandparents, and great-grand-
parents cared for us, and we have a moral
obligation to take care of them when the time
comes.
Since its creation in 1935, Social Security
has provided guaranteed benefits to America’s
seniors. Many older individuals have planned
for these benefits, and we cannot allow the
system to become insolvent.
When Social Security was created, the
average life expectancy was 61.7 years; today
it is approaching 80.
Furthermore, there are currently fewer than
three workers for every Social Security bene-
ficiary.
These changing conditions have created an
increasingly untenable situation – benefits
distributed exceed the Social Security payroll
taxes collected. To protect Social Security for
current and future retirees, Congress should
consider long-term reforms to the program.
This is a complex issue that must be evaluated
cautiously, but it ultimately must be addressed
to make the program sustainable for future
generations without abandoning the current
seniors who have paid into the system

throughout their lives.

Medicare and Medicaid coverage are equal-

ly as important as Social Security benefits to

many seniors across the country.

Medicare Advantage (MA), also known as

Part C of Medicare, are health insurance plans

offered by private companies approved by

Medicare. MA serves more than 26 million

seniors across the country and more than

74,500 in Michigan’s Third District. MA is an

incredibly popular program, with 98 percent

of beneficiaries expressing satisfaction with

the relatively high quality of care at lower

cost.

These are some of the reasons I recently

joined a bipartisan group of my colleagues in

sending a letter to the Biden Administration

encouraging steps to strengthen and support

the MA program. I oppose any actions that

would weaken or limit this popular program,

and many of my colleagues agree. Seniors

should have access to quality care that meets

their specific needs without an exorbitant

price tag. The flexibility that MA plans offer

seniors across West Michigan is exactly what

they deserve.

Unfortunately, there are people in the world

who try to defraud seniors by posing as gov-

ernment employees reaching out about issues

with Social Security, Medicare, and other

federal programs seniors depend on. I’m sad

to say we have seen these disgraceful scams

increase during the pandemic as seniors have

been more isolated from family and caregiv-

ers over the last fourteen months.

That’s why I proudly voted in favor of H.R.

1215, the Fraud and Scam Reduction Act.

This bill, introduced by my Michigan col-

league Representative Tim Walberg, would

make it easier to prevent these scam callers

from targeting senior citizens by providing

models to companies demonstrating how to

pinpoint and block these calls.

I am pleased to report that this bill passed

the House, and it now awaits review by the

Senate.

The pandemic created unprecedented chal-

lenges for America’s seniors. Now that the

end is in sight, it is critical that we reaffirm

our commitment to the promises our country

made to them. Rest assured, as the representa-

tive for West Michigan in Congress, I will

continue to prioritize our seniors and promote

policies that protect their well-being.

U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer represents

Michigan’s Third Congressional District. He

lives in Grand Rapids with his wife, Gabriela.

Fathers need to take

responsibility for their children

To the editor:
I noticed that the “In My Opinion” article
last week was not about Father’s Day. With so
many single-parent and fatherless homes, and
a revolving door of fathers/boyfriends/
significant others, etc. that these children are
forced to live under, I would think that you
would be shouting from the rooftops for men
to be responsible sexually and for what they
produce in life when they are not.
For children and young people, one of the
biggest roadblocks to having a successful and
fulfilling life is not having a father in the
house. All the problems that plague America

• crime, prison, dropout rates, drug use, and
  so on – are increased tremendously without a
  father in the house.
  One problem is that it seems lots of women
  have lost any powers of discernment in
  choosing a mate, opting for flash over
  substance. Another problem is that the
  government keeps rewarding these
  irresponsible sexual behaviors that produce
  children with long-term government
  assistance.
  It is neither compassionate nor caring to
  enable a practice that has tremendous negative
  consequences on so many millions of children
  and young people in this country. It used to be

called growing up, maturing, taking

responsibility for your life.

Nowadays, everyone is a victim and

everyone else has to pay. That is not right

thinking – and that lack of right thinking has

had devastating consequences on America,

especially in bigger cities.

Joseph Perotta,

Nashville

from our readers

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  be edited heavily.


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  to one for each writer.


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  month.


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County administrator

deserves praise

To the editor:

It seems we don’t see much praise for gov-

ernment workers lately. But I feel it necessary

to publicly praise the Barry County

Administrator Michael Brown.

Every time I’ve contacted him, he has

always been pleasant and helpful. And he

does an excellent job of researching my ques-

tions and always responds.

Barry County is lucky to have him.

Larry Osborne,

Delton

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Board Certified as Family

Nurse practitioner:

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Short-term vacation rental

law bad for Michigan

To the editor:
I am writing to express my opposition to
House Bill 4722 and the identical bill, Senate
Bill 446, dealing with short-term vacation
rentals.
These bills are pending in the Legislature
and, as currently drafted, leave my communi-
ty – and all Michigan communities – unable to
sufficiently regulate non-residential land use
in residential neighborhoods.
Let me be clear: I am not opposed to short-
term rentals. In fact, these vacation rentals
have become a thriving part of Michigan’s
tourism economy, and I wish for them to
remain in our state and communities long into
the future. The bills, as proposed, attempt to
support short-term rentals, but they do so by
imposing a top-down, one-size-fits-all policy
that ignores the unique needs of our individu-
al communities.
Backers of these bills claim short-term rent-
als are a private property rights issue and
appear to be reacting out of fear that some
communities may ban the practice of short-
term renting. This fear is unfounded. I am not
aware of a single community in Michigan that
has been or is seeking to ban short-term rent-
als. In fact, exclusionary zoning is already
against the law.
Some communities have found it necessary
to place reasonable regulations on short-term
vacation rentals to ensure they are balancing
the needs of long-term residents alongside
those of visitors.
There are many places in Michigan facing
an affordable housing crisis where residents
struggle with housing that is too expensive for
their budgets – or they spend more money and
time on long commutes to and from work and
services. When short-term rentals are allowed
to proliferate without oversight, it can further
deplete the available housing supply and drive

up costs for residents. Communities should

decide for themselves how to balance their

housing needs, not Big Government.

The private property rights argument also

fails to recognize that short-term vacation

rental businesses in residential properties are a

commercial activity. They are mini-hotels,

and are increasingly operated by out-of-state

investors. Just as communities set limits on

the amount of other commercial activity in

residential neighborhoods, such as in-home

daycares or home salons, so too should they

be able to decide what level of short-term

rental activity is appropriate to maintain the

residential character of a neighborhood.

Short-term rental regulation also is an issue

of public safety. Local fire marshals have

found these properties lacking smoke and car-

bon monoxide detectors, gasoline and liquid

propane stored in the basement, as well as

other serious hazards. As currently written,

House Bill 4722 and Senate Bill 446 would

impede a local government’s ability to inspect

these mini-hotels to ensure they are being

operated safely.

Again, I strongly believe that short-term

rentals are a vital part of Michigan’s tourism

economy and I do not want to see them

banned.

Instead of House Bill 4722 and Senate Bill

446, I urge state lawmakers to seek compro-

mise legislation that balances the basic rights

of homeowners to rent their properties on a

short-term basis with the individual needs of

our local communities. Such a compromise

also should create a more level playing field

between these predominantly commercial

short-term rentals with the hotels and resorts

that invest and operate in our communities.

David Field,

Holland

GUEST COMMENTARY

Hastings school district

preps for budget review

Monday’s public

hearing will provide a

look back – and ahead

- at spending plan
Benjamin Simon
Staff Writer
The Hastings Area School System Board of
Education will meet Monday, June 28, to
consider and approve the district’s 2020-
and 2021-22 budgets.
The finance committee will start the public
hearing at 5:30 p.m. by reviewing both
budgets. At 6:45 p.m., Assistant Superintendent
of Operations Tim Berlin will offer a
presentation on the 2021-22 budget. The final
steps will begin at 7 p.m. when the budgets go
to the board of education for approval.
The 2020-21 and 2021-22 budgets will
look a little different than in past years as a
result of COVID-19-related funding, Berlin
said.
The school district already has started
receiving funds through the Elementary and
Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund
(ESSER). These sub-grants were developed
to address the impact the coronavirus has had,
and continues to have, on elementary and
secondary schools across the nation, according
to the Office of Elementary and Secondary
Education.
Berlin said the district has received about
$250,000 from the first ESSER payment,
which it put toward pandemic-specific
additions, such as shields in classrooms, hand
sanitizer stations and Wi-Fi hotspots.
“That was extremely expensive, and the
district would not have been able to do that on
its own without those funds,” he said.
The next two ESSER payments will funnel
in to the district during the 2021-22 school
year. The school has received about $400,
of the second allotment, which Berlin

estimated will increase to about $1 million.

Berlin said he is unsure of the exact amount

and time frame of the remaining grants. The

school district will use ESSER II and III, as

they’re commonly called, to support general

classroom technology, he said.

Despite the increased revenue, Berlin said

people should not expect a drastic change in

the 2021-22 budget because of higher

expenses, such as hiring an assistant principal

at the high school and a dean of students at the

middle school. Those positions were cut

during the pandemic.

But, for the exact numbers of next year’s

budget, it’s all a guessing game. The budget

must be approved by the board by June 30,

but Berlin said he still doesn’t know for sure

how much funding the district will receive. As

a result, he expects that they will be making

adjustments to the budget as the school year

progresses.

At Monday’s meeting, the district also will

seek approval of its final revision to the 2020-

21 budget. As of April 26, the district estimated

just under $27.3 million in revenue for the

2020-21 year. If that stands, it would be the

highest total revenue the district has recorded

since 2007.

The jump can be attributed to the increase

in federal and state funding. While school

officials estimated at the beginning of the year

that the district would receive about $18.

million from the state and $434,430 from the

federal government, it ended up receiving

$21.16 million and $1.82 million, respectively.

Berlin attributed the increase to both

COVID-related funding and the state having

more money to hand out than expected.

“The state was unpredictable when we first

started, but, eventually, we did get more than

we anticipated,” Berlin said. “We thought

there were going to be cuts because, when

they were discussing the budget, the pandemic

was really strong.

“We thought we would see more cuts – and

we didn’t necessarily see those cuts.”

Most workplaces

in state drop

COVID

restrictions

Bridge Magazine

Michigan’s rollback of COVID-19 restric-

tions reached the workplace this week, as

state officials updated safety rules to give

many employers a choice in whether to con-

tinue pandemic-related health guidelines.

Effective Tuesday, the Michigan

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration adopted regulations that fol-

low federal guidelines and only affect health

care employers.

That leaves the rest of the state’s employers

free to choose whether they’ll continue with

daily health screenings, masks and social dis-

tancing requirements, among other measures

that had been enforceable rules during most

of the pandemic.

The decision was announced by Gov.

Gretchen Whitmer on the same day that

COVID-related restrictions — including lim-

itations on indoor capacity for places like

events venues and restaurants — ended across

the state.

“As we continue to get Michigan back to

work, our priority remains keeping workplac-

es safe for employees and protecting custom-

ers as they support these businesses,” Whitmer

said in a statement.

“With our state at full capacity, we can ...

ensure businesses can emerge from the pan-

demic stronger than ever while keeping their

workers safe.”

Many of the state’s business advocates

wanted officials to change workplace orders

in May, when businesses and their employees

still had to operate within the state’s pandem-

ic regulations set months earlier. The rules

required masks, social distancing, health

screenings despite the easing of the general

public’s restrictions, including the end of the

mask mandate for fully vaccinated people that

took effect May 14.

By May 24, the state announced some

changes for workplaces, adding flexibility for

vaccinated workers and ending a push to

make the heightened safety rules permanent.

However, at that time, the state also left in

place until October some pandemic require-

ments that changed day-to-day business prac-

tices, including a requirement for non-vacci-

nated workers to continue social distancing

and a rule that employers maintain a written

COVID-19 preparedness plan.

Those rules have now ended.

In health care settings, though, federal

guidance on masks, disinfection and other

measures remain in place due to higher likeli-

hood of people carrying or being exposed to

the virus.

Despite the lifting of rules, the state still

encourages workplaces to follow the guide-

lines from the U.S. Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention and to observe recent

recommendations from the federal

Occupational Health and Safety

Administration for non-health care settings,

according to the state.

“It’s important that all employers recognize

that they have a general duty to provide a safe

workplace,” Michigan COVID-19 Workplace

Safety Director Sean Egan said in a statement.

Since the pandemic began, MIOSHA

received more than 15,000 complaints from

employees who said there were uncontrolled

COVID-19 hazards in the workplace. At dif-

ferent points in the pandemic, outbreaks have

raged in nursing homes, prisons, manufactur-

ing facilities and other workplaces.

Employers have reported 61 workplace

deaths from COVID-19 in Michigan and 173

hospitalizations that may be related to work-

place exposure.

Statewide, 60.8 percent of Michigan adults

are vaccinated and cases have dropped dra-

matically in recent weeks.

The state reported 327 cases on Monday

over the past three days, the fewest-ever

reported over three days since April 2020.

Slightly more than 1 percent of more than

41,000 tests came back positive, the lowest

since the pandemic began.