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‘Teddy’s Law’ passed in Michigan Senate
LANSING/ST. CLAIR SHORES — Senate bills 148 and 149, known as “Teddy’s Law,” passed in the Michigan Senate on June 28, according to a press release.
The bills would require that cats and dogs used for animal testing would be offered up for adoption instead of being euthanized following their time in the lab, the press release said. The bills were sponsored by state Sen. Kevin Hertel, D-St. Clair Shores, and state Sen. Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia.
Senate Bill 149, sponsored by Hertel, requires dogs and cats be adopted out through a registered animal shelter.
“It also holds both shelters and research facilities harmless, provided they have acted in good faith with the act,” the press release said.
Senate Bill 148, sponsored by Polehanki, “provides the reporting requirements for facilities to send to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) annually.”
“I am grateful to all the advocates and animal lovers throughout the state who have kept the momentum going on these bills throughout the years,” Hertel said in the press release. “Today’s vote is another step in getting this legislation across the finish line and to the governor’s desk.”
St. Clair Shores City Councilman Dave Rubello adopted Teddy, the dog after whom the bill was named, and also testified on the bill.
“People really respond well to Teddy,” Rubello said. “It’s one thing to hear about the bills in theory, but when you have a chance to meet one of the lab beagles and see the type of life they’re able to live once they’ve been adopted, it’s hard to say no to giving other animals this chance.”
South Lake Schools improvement bond on August ballot
ST. CLAIR SHORES — Though there are no primary elections for City Council and mayoral seats in St. Clair Shores, there will be one school bond proposal on the ballot Aug. 8.
The bond is for improvements in the South Lake Schools district and is asking voters for permission to borrow up to $49,750,000, according to the ballot language posted by the Macomb County Clerk’s Office.
The money will be used for the following purposes, according to the proposal language:
Remodeling, equipping, reequipping, furnishing, refurnishing school buildings, athletic facilities, playgrounds and other facilities and the construction of an addition to the existing high school building to create a modern learning environment for students and enhancing health, safety, security and energy conservation.
Acquiring and installing technology equipment and technology infrastructure in school buildings and other facilities.
Preparing, developing and improving sites at school buildings, athletic facilities, playgrounds and other facilities and the purchase of school buses.
According to the proposal language, “The estimated millage that will be levied to pay the proposed bonds in the first year is 2.07 mills (which is equal to $2.07 per $1,000 of taxable value) for a -0- mill net increase over the annual debt millage levied in 2023; the estimated simple average annual millage that will be required to retire each series of bonds is 3.78 mills annually ($3.78 per $1,000 of taxable value); and the maximum number of years any series of bonds may be outstanding, exclusive of refunding, is not more than 30 years.”
The school district currently has $21,095,000 of qualified bonds and approximately $0 of outstanding loans under the School Bond Qualification and Loan Program, according to the language, which also states that the repayment of bonds will be guaranteed by the state if approved by the voters.
For more information, go to clerk.macombgov.org and look under the proposals link for the election on Aug. 8, 2023.
Swimming across America for a cure
DETROIT — At press time, swimmers and volunteers were preparing for the fifth annual Swim Across America-Motor City Mile scheduled for July 7 on Belle Isle in the Detroit River. A 2-mile swim, a 1-mile swim and a half-mile swim were scheduled.
Swim Across America-Motor City Mile benefits cancer research at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, where roughly 500 researchers are working to prevent cancer, improve outcomes for patients and improve quality of life for cancer patients and survivors.
One participant, Julie Brabbs, pictured right with her husband Steve, is the chief administrative officer at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center. Brabbs also is a cancer patient and currently raised $14,232 for cancer research with more donations expected.
Brabbs, 56, of Ann Arbor, is currently being treated with Keytruda, which is an immunotherapy cancer treatment that was funded and created in a Swim Across America lab at Johns Hopkins University.
For more information on Swim Across America, visit swimacrossamerica.org.
