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LANSING – State Representative Kate Segal (D-Battle Creek) today voted to restore much of the funding that had been cut from Michigan schools earlier this year and to protect early childhood education for kids around the state. The plan also contains funding to support the Battle Creek-based Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy (MYCA) for another year.

“I’m elated that the MYCA will receive more funding to help change the lives of so many kids from across the state,” Segal said. “The return we receive from the MYCA is well worth our investment. It provides jobs for our residents and helps kids turn their lives around – which, in turn, saves taxpayer dollars by keeping at-risk youths out of jail and turning them into productive citizens. While the situation is not as dire as last year, our fight for the academy is far from over. This is a big victory, but we must completely restore funding so the MYCA can operate at full capacity.”

The plan passed today increases funding for the MYCA by $10,900, which in addition to the more than $640,000 Segal fought to protect for the program, will allow the academy to continue operating at a reduced capacity and work with about half of the number of cadets they traditionally serve. The MYCA is a quasi-military program run by the National Guard that gives at-risk youth from across Michigan a chance to transform themselves into successful adults

The plan restores $65 per pupil of the $165-per-pupil state funding cut that schools saw earlier this year. The restoration applies to this school year and next. The plan also increases funding for early childhood grants and programs that prepare Michigan’s children to succeed in school.

“Investing in the education of our kids – from an early age through high school – is an absolute must for our state,” Segal said. “This plan works together in two ways: it supports early education programs that prepare our kids for success in the classroom and gives our schools the resources they need to provide our kids with a world-class education. By investing in our schools and kids, we are preparing the next generation of Michigan workers who will drive our economy.”

LANSING – State Representative Kate Segal (D-Battle Creek) today voted to save $4.8 million in taxpayer dollars by consolidating administrative services in the Michigan House and Senate and modifying employee benefit plans. The reforms will produce those savings for fiscal year 2011 and yield even greater savings in the following years.

“Our tax dollars are too valuable to waste,” Segal said. “By reducing the size of state government and making it more efficient, we can build the state government we need to turn Michigan around.”

The plan will streamline state legislative operations and reduce costs by:

• Consolidating administrative services in the House and Senate, including the business offices, human resources, finance, facilities, security, information technology, printing and the post office.
• Combining the House and Senate Fiscal Agencies into one entity that serves both chambers.
• Eliminating the state’s matching contribution to employee 401(k) plans for legislators and House and Senate staff.

Consolidating administrative services will save $2.5 million this year and an estimated $4 million each following year. Combining the House and Senate Fiscal Agencies will save $1.2 million the first year and more than $2 million annually after that. Eliminating the matching contribution from 401(k) plans will save at least $1.1 million.

Last year, Segal helped cut $2.3 million from the House budget by taking steps such as reducing legislators’ budgets and requiring legislators and staff to pay more for health care. Segal also fought to reform Michigan’s Legislature by passing plans to cut the pay of elected officials by 10 percent; dock lawmakers’ pay when they don’t show up for work; and eliminate taxpayer-funded lifetime health care for lawmakers.

LANSING – State Representative Kate Segal (D-Battle Creek) announced that her plan to extend a state filing deadline for municipalities to apply for Downtown Development Authority (DDA) monies was signed into law today.

“I was happy to help the City of Battle Creek take advantage of the opportunity to capture this money for needed economic development projects,” Segal said. “In these tough economic times, we need to make sure that our communities have every chance to secure every bit of funding that is available to them.

This is another example of bipartisan and bicameral cooperation to tackle economic challenges in our state and community.”

Segal’s plan ensures that the City of Battle Creek can apply for and retain locally levied State Education Tax funding for 2009 by moving back the filing deadline for certain municipalities to request payments from the Department of Treasury – a one-time only change. The money, which would have otherwise been missed out on, will be used by the city to meet its obligations related to Battle Creek DDA projects.

LANSING – The Michigan House of Representatives today unanimously passed a plan introduced by State Representative Kate Segal (D-Battle Creek) that will help provide much-needed financial stability to the Springfield-based Legion Villa, a nonprofit adult foster care facility that serves disabled war veterans.

“Our veterans deserve the best care possible,” Segal said. “These veterans sacrificed greatly to protect our way of life, and we need to make sure they have access to all the services they need. This innovative plan will help Legion Villa become more self-sufficient, without using any state funding, so it can repair and update its facilities and continue to improve the services it offers to our veterans.”

Legion Villa currently owns the property but cannot rent or sell its excess land due to an outdated law. Segal’s plan updates the law and allows Legion Villa to partner with the state so it can lease or sell part of the land with the proceeds going directly back into providing care to veterans and improving the facility.

“I’ve been working on this initiative a long time, but people told me that it wouldn’t ever work,” said Mike Campbell, Legion Villa Administrator. “I told them that it was just a matter of getting the right person to do it. Rep. Segal has been great at getting it done. Legion Villa has been around since 1921 and I would hate to see us have to close up because this plan couldn’t be accomplished. Our vets need this facility.”

BATTLE CREEK – State Representative Kate Segal (D-Battle Creek) today announced that the Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy (MYCA) in Battle Creek will remain open through 2010. Instead of closing on December 26 as expected, the academy will stay open at a reduced capacity and will accept a new, smaller class of cadets in early January.          

“This is a major step forward in keeping the academy up and running,” Segal said. “Although the fight isn’t over, the academy will still be able to positively change the lives of at-risk youth and save 35 badly needed Calhoun County jobs that were scheduled to disappear the day after Christmas. This gives us a little breathing room to find additional funding to push the program back up to full strength. I will not quit fighting for this program.”

Segal worked closely with the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs so the program can continue operating with the current budget but at a reduced capacity, allowing the MYCA to work with about half of the number of cadets they traditionally serve. The plan also will require a reduction in staff, but 35 of the 51 academy staff jobs will remain safe. The plan also requires that additional funding be found next year.

Segal has been working for the past six months with academy leaders, the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, and the Governor’s office to save the MYCA in its entirety. She was instrumental in acquiring the funding needed to keep it operating through the end of 2009.

In her effort to save the program, Segal introduced legislation (House Bill 5611) last week to fully restore funding for the MYCA with the hope that it will be taken up in early December for a vote. Segal also has been reaching out to private donors and other private funding entities to help defray some of the cost of running the academy.

The MYCA is a quasi-military program run by the National Guard that gives at-risk youth from across Michigan a chance to transform themselves into successful adults. Because this is a program that really works, the demand for it is high. Currently, there are nearly 600 applications from potential cadets from around the state for the January class.

Since its inception in 1999, the MYCA has consistently taken high school drop-outs and turned their lives around. More than 85 percent of academy graduates eventually get a GED or a high school diploma. It is considered one of the most successful of the 34 ChalleNGe academies across the country. After graduation, cadets participate in the MYCA’s award-winning mentorship program to help them achieve continued success.

For more information about the fight to save the MYCA and its importance to the community and state, please visit www.savemyca.com or search MYCA on Facebook.

“This is a big win for Michigan kids,” Segal said. “Two weeks ago the program was set to disappear completely. Now, it will continue to save taxpayer money by shaping at-risk youths into law-abiding, successful citizens. It saves Calhoun County jobs, lets nonprofit groups in our area continue to benefit from community service performed by academy cadets, and reduces the amount of unemployment insurance costs to the state. I want to thank all those who have pitched in to try to save the MYCA. We’ll keep fighting.”

BATTLE CREEK – State Representative Kate Segal (D-Battle Creek) today announced the state has approved a $2.8 million tax credit that gives the green light for New Jersey-based Covance Laboratories to invest $15 million to set up shop in Battle Creek and create high-paying local jobs in growing industries. The tax credit was the final piece needed for the company, a provider of services in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, to choose Battle Creek for its first Michigan location and transform a currently unusable site into a high-tech facility.

“A high-tech company from out of state choosing Battle Creek as its home in Michigan is great for our local workers and our local economy,” Segal said. “Michigan has the best workers in the world but a lot of them are struggling right now in this tough economy. It is important that we continue to attract these types of emerging industries in order to create the high-paying jobs that our citizens need.”

The Michigan Economic Growth Authority (MEGA) board approved the $2.8 million Brownfield Redevelopment tax credit for Covance Laboratories to renovate the former SEMCO Gas building into a high-tech facility that will provide analytical, microbiological, stability and sensor testing for numerous food service customers throughout the United States.

Covance Laboratories is expected to invest $15 million into the project and create 43 jobs that pay an average hourly wage of $22.60.

“Our citizens need these good-paying jobs now,” Segal said. “I will continue working hard to make sure Battle Creek and Michigan are attractive destinations for businesses to set up shop and create jobs that will help turn our economy around.”

LANSING – State Representative Kate Segal (D-Battle Creek) received the Phyllis Levine Legislative Advocacy Award from the Michigan International Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services on Wednesday in recognition of her work to protect vulnerable individuals against elder abuse and identity theft and to give a voice to those with mental illness.

“We chose Representative Segal for the award because of her efforts in working to protect vulnerable people from exploitation and for her support of the development of innovative employment programs,” said association representative Kristin Zwick. “Kate Segal is a knowledgeable, hardworking advocate and we are extremely lucky to have her in the state Legislature.”

In her first term as State Representative, Segal has supported legislation that cracks down on elder abuse and identity theft – both growing crimes that victimize vulnerable citizens – and has fought to make sure people with mental illnesses have a voice in the system.

“I am honored to receive this award, but we still have a lot of work to do to meet the needs of our most vulnerable constituents,” Segal said. “At a time when we are deeply concerned about Michigan’s economic health, we must consider Michigan’s mental health as well. I will continue to work hard to make sure that all individuals are protected against those who would exploit them and have the services and support they need to live full, productive lives in our communities.”

LANSING – A month after enactment of a plan supported by State Representative Kate Segal (D-Battle Creek) that provides a 90-day lifeline to homeowners at risk of losing their homes, the number of foreclosures in the state has plunged 39 percent, even as foreclosures across the country continue to rise amid a still-sluggish economy.

“The drop in foreclosures we’re seeing in just over a month’s time is incredibly encouraging,” Segal said. “It’s encouraging for families, for businesses and for Michigan as a whole as we work to remedy this foreclosure epidemic. Every home we keep out of foreclosure is one more home that won’t become blighted, and one more home that won’t drag down our property values or drive businesses away. These great results are the first steps to helping even more families hang on to their homes and strengthening our community.”

Michigan dropped from seventh to 19th in the nation in foreclosure filings from June to July, a 39 percent decline, according to RealtyTrac, an online real estate information site. The Irvine, Calif.-based company cited the House’s 90-day lifeline plan as a key factor in the dramatic drop in Michigan’s foreclosure rate. Locally, the number of foreclosures plunged 25 percent in Calhoun County. Overall, U.S. foreclosures rose 7 percent in July.

The new law, which took effect on July 5, creates a 90-day lifeline for homeowners in danger of losing their home if they commit to working with their lender and an accredited housing counselor to find a solution. Counselors are available at no cost from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Homeowners can visit Segal’s Web site, www.RepSegal.com, to learn how to get help through the program.

“Foreclosure is a painful reality that we all must deal with,” Segal said. “The loss of a job or a serious illness can put anyone at risk of foreclosure. Today’s news is proof that this new tool is giving homeowners the time they need to find a solution, get back on their feet and save their homes.”