Latest news with #AlabasFarhat
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers, advocates, police call for state violence prevention fund
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – According to the FBI, Michigan is home to four of the 20 most violent cities in the nation, with nine cities in the top 100 list. Thursday, state representatives came together to present a bipartisan plan they believe will bring violent crime rates down. Lawmakers were joined by advocates and law enforcement officials to discuss plans for a Public Safety and Violence Prevention Trust Fund, where a portion of state sales tax revenue would be reallocated towards public safety in Michigan communities. Mich. Rep. Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn) is at the forefront of the plan and says it is the perfect way to put aside partisan differences and accomplish 'big things' for the state. Farhat says the main goal of the trust fund is to make Michiganders feel safe in their neighborhoods again. The funding package, according to Farhat, would ensure law enforcement and community violence intervention groups have the resources and equipment needed to curb crime and bring down high recidivism rates. It's important to note that there will be conditions for receiving this money. 'It's about trusting our local leaders who are closest to the pain, who are closest to the issues, closest to the violent crime to get results,' said Farhat. 'If they don't, this isn't a blank check, we're gonna take money away from cities that fail to meet our standards and give it to cities that are bringing down crime. We're gonna continue investing in cities that are bringing down that trend because that's what we want to see.' The representative went on to say that if communities expect the best policing services, they should expect to pay for them. 'These bills are about neighborhoods struggling with violence,' said State Rep. Mike Harris (R-Clarkston). 'They're about police departments that are struggling with thin numbers of staffing. They're about doing something real and right now, and these are things that will make a real difference to our communities.' With nineteen drafts of the plan so far, supporters say they hope it has lasting effects on the state and becomes a national model for other states to follow. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House Reps. introduce plan to finalize boost to public safety spending
State Reps. Mike Harris (R-Waterford) and Rep. Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn). Michigan House photo. With Michigan Speaker of the House Matt Hall (R-Richland) announcing in January that House Republicans would focus on recruiting, retaining and supporting police, two lawmakers have crafted a bipartisan plan to create a fund focused on public safety after a previous effort failed to reach the governor's desk. Reps. Mike Harris (R-Waterford) and Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn) introduced House Bills 4260 and 4261 last week, which will deposit a portion of the state sales tax revenues into a new Public Safety and Violence Prevention Fund to distribute to local law enforcement agencies — projected to be more than $100 million annually — focused on communities with higher rates of violent crime. The funding would go toward local public safety initiatives, such as officer recruitment and retention, equipment purchases, and department operating expenses with the bills requiring local governments use the new public safety funding to expand support for public safety, as opposed to replacing existing police funding and freeing up resources for unrelated programs. 'This is a national model for keeping neighborhoods safe,' Farhat said in a statement. 'We're putting record funding into hiring more police officers, mental health services, and empowering local communities to reduce violent crime. Michigan has some of the highest rates of violence in the country. This fund directly supports the work of grassroots community violence intervention groups which has proven to reduce these rates.' While the Legislature previously allocated $75 million for a public safety trust fund in the Fiscal Year 2025 state budget, members of the House and Senate did not approve identical versions of the bills to create the fund in state law. According to a statement from Harris' office, 96% of the the first $75 million in the Public Safety and Violence Prevention Fund will be allocated to public safety efforts in cities, villages and townships based on their violent crime rates, with future funding calculated based on results. Of the remaining 4%, half will go to the Crime Victim's Rights Fund and the other half will be used for grants to public health programs aimed at preventing community violence. Any excess funds beyond $75 million will be distributed to county sheriff's offices. Both bills were referred to the House Committee on Government Operations, where Harris serves as majority vice chair. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
LGBTQ+ advocates call 8 Democratic votes on transgender sports a betrayal
Two years ago, Michigan Democratic state lawmakers stood united to update the state's civil rights law to ban discrimination based sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. But on Wednesday, a small group of Michigan House Democrats broke with the majority of their party to vote for a resolution urging the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSSA) to ban transgender girls from girls' sports. LGBTQ+ advocates called the measure an attack on the transgender community and blasted Democratic support for it as a betrayal by a party that has tried to establish itself as the political home for LGBTQ+ people. "The shift in how Democrats are positioning themselves on issues concerning trans rights is troubling," said Equality Michigan Executive Director Erin Knott on Thursday. "It's time to act decisively to take a firm stand and to make it clear we will fight to protect the LGBTQ+ community no matter what, and unfortunately we're not seeing that same vigor that we did even just last year." While Republicans in the Michigan House issued a flurry of statements celebrating their vote on the resolution, the Democrats who supported it stayed silent. State Reps. Alabas Farhat, of Dearborn, Peter Herzberg, of Westland, Tullio Liberati, of Allen Park, Denise Mentzer, of Mt. Clemens, Reggie Miller, of Van Buren Township, Will Snyder, of Muskegon, Angela Witwer, of Delta Township, and Mai Xiong, of Warren, were the Democrats who voted for the GOP transgender athletes resolution. None responded Thursday to a request for comment on their votes from the Detroit Free Press. The House resolution, which does not carry the weight of law, called on the MHSAA to adhere to President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at banning transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports, which calls for rescinding funding from educational programs that don't comply. Every Republican lawmaker in the Michigan House voted for the resolution in addition to the eight Democrats. Republicans hold a 58-52 majority in the House. But in the Michigan Senate — controlled by Democrats — Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, expressed no interest in seeing lawmakers in her chamber follow the House with their own resolution on transgender athletes. "We will not be attacking kids. We will not be taking this up," Brinks said in a statement Thursday. WHAT HAPPENED: 8 Democrats join GOP in voting to urge MHSAA to ban transgender kids from girls' sports The Michigan Democratic Party's platform on its website includes several references to protecting the LGBTQ+ community, including support for the "full inclusion of LGBTQ+ families in the life of our state." Michigan Democratic Party spokesperson Tommy Kubitschek did not respond to a request for comment on House Democrats' support for the transgender athletes resolution. Jerron Totten, who chairs the party's LGBT & Allies Caucus, called it a huge disappointment to see some House Democrats support the resolution on transgender athletes. "There are so many other issues that are more pressing, more concerning more alarming than trans kids playing sports. And I think we as voters are looking for legislators that will address those issues and not scapegoat marginalized communities," he said. Totten and Knott said they have heard concerns from LGBTQ+ people who don't feel like they have a home in either political party right now. More: Whitmer to Michigan lawmaker trying to overturn same-sex marriage: 'Hell, no' "The Democratic Party chose a different way than what we normally would think they would," said Jeffrey Pienela president of Muskegon Pride, a LGBTQ+ advocacy organization that also hosts a yearly gay pride festival. "It's surprising. It's almost like who has your back when neither party does?" Snyder — the Democrat who represents Muskegon in the Michigan House — joined Republicans to support the transgender athletes resolution. The Democratic vote breakdown on the resolution in the House didn't show any clear electoral pattern. While some of the eight Democrats who voted for it hail from politically competitive districts, the group includes those from safely Democratic districts, too. 'My assessment of yesterday's vote is that we have a number of Democrats who were concerned that voting 'no' on the resolution would hurt their own chance of reelection and hinder their community from supporting them. And there were some folks that are in very safe seats that also voted 'yes' on the resolution," said Emily Dievendorf, D-Lansing. They said they pleaded three times with members of their caucus to vote 'no' on the resolution. "I think that there is a lack of understanding around how much our communities support (LGBTQ+) rights. There is no evidence to support the assumption that we would lose the support of our … constituencies if we stood up for trans and nonbinary folks," said Dievendorf, who is nonbinary. Meanwhile, other Democrats from swing districts voted against the resolution. And some House Democrats have made moves to stand up for LGBTQ+ rights in Michigan. Last week, state Rep. Jason Morgan, D-Ann Arbor — who is a married gay man — proposed an amendment to the Michigan Constitution to remove the state's unenforceable ban on gay marriage. State Rep. Jennifer Conlin, D-Ann Arbor Charter Township, introduced a resolution Thursday to support the U.S. Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which guaranteed marriage equality. Conlin called the issue a personal one, noting that she has a daughter in the LGBTQ+ community and daughter-in-law. "But no one should need a personal connection to care about equality," she said in a statement. "Michigan must continue to stand on the side of inclusion and ensure that discrimination has no home in our laws or in our communities." Trump's executive order: Michigan's transgender community terrified about Trump order rescinding rights The MHSAA issues waivers on a case-by-case basis to transgender athletes who wish to compete in girls' sports. It issued waivers allowing two transgender girls to participate in fall 2024 sports. It received no waiver requests for the 2024-25 winter season and has not issued any waivers for the spring. Republican women lawmakers who voted for the legislation condemned MHSAA Thursday, saying the association has continued to defy Trump's executive order. "We are hoping they listen to common sense and agree to the demands in my resolution," said state Rep. Jaime Greene, R-Richmond, in a statement Thursday. She called the association's actions illegal and said they risk federal funding and a fair and safe environment for girls who play sports. The MHSAA "follows and will continue to follow all applicable state and federal laws," MHSAA Director of Communications Geoff Kimmerly said in a statement, which went on to say that the association is "monitoring developments in this regard closely, including federal litigation challenging the recent Executive Order and potential changes to state law that have been introduced in the Michigan legislature. ... Until those matters are resolved, the MHSAA is not in a position to change its current rules or policies, which again comply with applicable state and federal law." According to a report by the Williams Institute, a UCLA law school think tank that studies gender identity and sexual orientation law and policy, there are about 300,100 transgender youth ages 13-17. It estimates that as many as 122,000 trans youth may be participating in sports at the high school level. It does not have breakdowns for how many of those athletes are transgender boys and how many are transgender girls. 'We do know with certainty that a lot of these attacks coming down from the federal level and being echoed at the state level are meant to create chaos and distract from other things, put us at war with each other while our democracy is … being unraveled," Dievendorf said. Contact Clara Hendrickson at chendrickson@ or 313-296-5743. Contact Georgea Kovanis: gkovanis@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan Democrats show shift in vote on transgender athletes
