POLICY

A Democratic Michigan state senator whose passionate Senate Floor speech went viral last week is saying that her Republican colleagues are creating problems that don’t exist in an effort to rile up their supporters and avoid addressing “real issues.”

The American Dream relies on the idea that anyone in the U.S. has the opportunity to become prosperous and climb the social ladder if they just work hard enough.But is that true for all working people?

Two health experts join us this week to discuss pandemic policies in the U.S. and in Canada, and how they intersect.

U-M announces a new policy protecting school community members who report wrongful conduct from retaliation.

U-M updated its campus COVID safety policies on Monday.

Due to a decline in Michigan COVID-19 cases statewide and increased vaccination rates all Beaumont Health hospitals are allowing patients to have one support person or visitor each day regardless of vaccination status.

The class-action lawsuit seeks a series of reforms, including the appointment of an independent monitor to enforce the steps.

On Wednesday, Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit issued a Prosecutor’s Office’s Directive on respecting the gender identity of transgender, intersex and gender-nonconforming community members.

WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – The Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office will no longer pursue charges against those who work consensually in the sex industry. They said that when sex work is legal, sex trafficking tended to increase and not decrease. Indeed the criminalization of sex work actually increases the risk of sex work adjacent harm. Accordingly, the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office will henceforth decline to bring charges related to consensual sex work per se. READ: Human trafficking survivor takes fight for change to LansingChrissy Hemphill is an advocate for human trafficking survivors.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The juvenile justice system is no longer Washtenaw County’s go-to option when children and teens are accused of minor crimes. Since his term started, Savit has introduced sweeping policy changes to the county’s justice system, including rescinding the county’s no-tolerance policies, scrapping cash bail and combatting racial profiling. “All of this gives rise to a simple conclusion: Our justice system needs to treat kids like kids. Fights involving injuries and/or weapons on or off school property will be dealt with at the discretion of the prosecutor’s office. Petitions can be authorized by APAs if a continued threat to the safety of others is indicated or if the case is “more severe than typical school-related misbehavior.”Find the full policy directive here.

Vance: The majority of hospitals changed policies to limit visitation to one parent/caregiver at the bedside. Several hospitals restricted all parents, caregivers and others required that only one parent be designated as the ‘visitor’ for the duration of the hospitalization. I am hopeful that with this statement and the attention it may garner, that hospital administrators review visitation policies to ensure they aren’t overreaching. Vance: The term “essential care” came directly from parents who stated this is how they wanted to be viewed. The specific phrasing of “essential care” is new in this context, but for a long time, there have been many advocates for family-centered care which integrates family involvement.

ANN ARBOR – Robert Hampshire, associate professor at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, has been appointed to work in the U.S. Transportation Department under the Biden administration, it was announced Thursday. He was appointed principal deputy assistant secretary for research and technology at the Transportation Department. The office, which receives an annual investment of $1 billion for transportation research and development, coordinates technology and research programs. He will oversee the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the Transportation Safety Institute in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Hampshire was a research associate professor at U-M’s Michigan Institute for Data Science and Transportation Research Institute’s Human Factors group.

ANN ARBOR – Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit has made his mark in his first 21 days in office. “I am a believer in the justice system based on what you did and not who you are,” said Savit. Three days later, Savit put Washtenaw County on the map by making it the first county in Michigan to scrap cash bail. Kids aren’t just mini adults and we shouldn’t be trapping them in the criminal legal system for adolescent or childhood mistakes. For instance, he said he’d rather see people deal with drug use through the health system rather than the legal system.

WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – The Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office will no longer pursue charges against those who work consensually in the sex industry. “We are focused on crime that really harms the community,” said Washtenaw County prosecutor Eli Savit. Charges will not be filed against consensual sex workers, officials said. The prosecutor will still work cases against human traffickers and those who may be holding people against their will. READ: Washtenaw County Prosecutor no longer pursuing charges for consensual sex work

ANN ARBOR – Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit announced Thursday that his office will no longer press criminal charges in consensual sex work cases. Savit said that his office will continue to “vigorously pursue” sex work crimes, including sexual and physical assault, human trafficking and crimes involving children. “The criminalization of sex work actually increases the risk of sex work-adjacent harm,” reads the 8-page policy directive issued to Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys. Furthermore, research papers in the world’s leading independent medical journal, The Lancet, conclude that decriminalizing sex work can reduce new HIV infections. “Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the American Civil Liberties Union have all called for the decriminalization of sex work,” reads the directive.

ANN ARBOR – As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Michigan, experts say the need for efficient and rapid testing remains critical. According to a new University of Michigan study, promoting incentives to quicken turnaround, having public health officials monitor testing operations in real-time and coordinate testing across state lines could prevent more deaths. Although diagnostic testing has increased in Michigan, many experts say that compulsory testing capacity and turnaround times to keep the spread at bay is lacking. The study’s lead author, Ravi Anupindi, said that although Michigan outperforms many states in testing, more needs to be done. For the study, researchers interviewed more than 20 public health experts, state leaders, epidemiologists and laboratory directors.