Lansing SERA

Good to know - Fall vaccine advice

Vaccine advice as fall arrives - Detroit News Most pharmacies in Michigan have received - or are soon to get - shipments of newly formulated vaccines for seasonal flu and COVID-19, and are advertising no-cost immunizations by appointment or on a walk-in basis.

The September 2, 2026, SERA Lansing Chapter membership meeting will be held at the DELTA TOWNSHIP DISTRICT LIBRARY, 5130 Davenport Dr., Lansing. It starts at 1:30 p.m.

Our speaker will be former East Lansing City Clerk Marie McKenna-Wicks whose presentation "Election Education for Everyday People" provides factual, non-partisan information on how secure and transparent our elections are intended to be.

We hope to see you there!

THE 2026 ELECTION IS IMPORTANT FOR THE FUTURE OF SOCIAL SECURITY. Ask Michigan's U.S. Senate candidates what their position is about saving Social Security for the future.

2026 is the 91st anniversary for Social Security and a pivotal moment for its future. Social Security is most definitely on the ballot in this year’s midterm elections. In fact, U.S. Senators elected in 2026 still will be in office when the projected trust fund depletion date rolls around in 2032. If nothing is done, Social Security benefits will be reduced by about 20%.

The best way to honor Social Security’s successful 91-year legacy is to vote for candidates who support strengthening the program by bringing in more revenue – not by cutting benefits. If the next Congress listens to the American people and acts accordingly, FDR’s crowning achievement and its 70 million beneficiaries will enjoy many more anniversaries to come.

MICHIGAN SILVER ALERT BILL SIGNED INTO LAW

SB 456 , sponsored by Sen. Mallory MCMORROW (D-Royal Oak), creating a statewide Silver Alert system for missing seniors and vulnerable adults, was signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer on July 23, 2026. It will allow the Michigan State Police to send emergency notifications directly to cell phones similar to Amber Alerts for missing children.

Michigan State Employee Retirees Association supported the bill in committee deliberations. Join Michigan SERA to keep up with news affecting state employee retirees and Michigan seniors.

Home - Retiree News Hub Empowering Your Retirement Journey Stay Informed with SERA News Welcome to the home of the Michigan State Employee Retirees Association ✓ SERA Plus Benefits ✓ SERA Council Directory ✓ REsources for retirees Access article archives UPDATE ON SCRAP THE CAP(ANNUAL COLA IMPROVEMENT FOR DEFINED BEN...

New Laws Put Guardrails On Moving Senior Wards, Selling Their Homes

(From MIRS News 7-23-26) Guardians will face new restrictions before moving an incapacitated person out of their home or selling their real estate under a bipartisan package signed today by Gov. Gretchen WHITMER.

SB 585, sponsored by Sen. Jeff IRWIN (D-Ann Arbor), requires a recent professional appraisal before a court approves the sale of real estate belonging to a protected individual.

SB 586, sponsored by Sen. Ruth JOHNSON (R-Holly), generally requires a guardian to receive court approval before changing an incapacitated person's residence, with the court determining whether the move is in the individual's best interest.

Both bills were recommendations of the Michigan Attorney General's Elder Abuse Task Force.

Johnson said the legislation grew out of stories from families whose loved ones were removed from their homes without a hearing or notice, sometimes followed by the property being sold for substantially less than its market value.

“This reform is the result of hearing dozens of heartbreaking stories from families who were forced to endure a loved one being removed from their home — without a hearing or notice,” Johnson said. “Compounding the ordeal, the loved one’s home is often sold for well below market value, and families have no voice or recourse.”

Johnson said the new protections are intended to ensure decisions are based on the interests of the person under guardianship rather than the convenience of the guardian.

“With the governor’s signature, these new protections will ensure the best interests of our most vulnerable residents — not the convenience of their guardians — will drive important decisions like moving someone out of their home and selling their house,” she said.

Irwin said requiring an appraisal before property is sold provides another layer of accountability.

“Vulnerable adults placed into guardianship deserve to have their rights protected,” Irwin said. “Now signed into law, my bill requires a professional appraisal before the sale of real estate owned by an adult placed in guardianship. This measure provides accountability and clarity, protecting the assets of people placed under guardianship.”

Johnson called the legislation a bipartisan effort to add “meaningful accountability and oversight” to Michigan’s guardianship system and thanked Irwin for working with her on the package.

The guardianship bills were among a larger collection of public safety and other measures Whitmer signed Wednesday.

Older adults are more likely to participate in civic activities like voting, donating or attending religious services, while younger adults engage more in online spaces.

Younger and older Americans engage in public life in different ways Older adults are more likely to participate in civic activities like voting, donating or attending religious services, while younger adults engage more in online spaces.

A Note from Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum

Greetings all!

The August Primary Election is on August 4th, 2026, and we are now less than a month away. Absentee ballots went out in each community in Ingham County about 2 weeks ago and many more have been requested since, so I thought I might offer a quick explainer!

Michigan voters do not register by party and the August ballot will have both Democrats and Republican columns alongside a non-partisan & proposal section. When voting, voters must “stay in your lane” and vote in the Democratic contests or the Republican contests. If voters cross over and vote for some of each, all of the partisan votes in the Democratic and Republican columns will be invalidated.

Regardless of which partisan column you choose, everyone may vote in the non-partisan & proposal section.

Please note that in Ingham County, all ballots have a front and back side, so make sure to turn the ballot over to vote in all available contests and questions.

If a voted ballot has already been returned and the voter changed their mind, voters have until July 24th to contact their local clerk and ask to spoil that ballot and be sent a new one. If the voter has not yet returned the ballot, the voter may request a new ballot with their local clerk until July 31st.

US mail has been delayed so be sure voted absentee ballots are mailed back to your local clerk as soon as possible. You may also choose to place your absentee ballot in your community’s secure drop box or bring it to the early vote site during the mandatory 9 days of early voting or polling location on Election Day and feed it through the tabulator.

Finally, there have been reports that federal election monitors may be present at some select precinct locations in Lansing and East Lansing. Please know that Michigan elections are safe, secure and accurate. We have over 1500 local clerks, 83 County Clerks and thousands of Democrats and Republicans that serve their neighbors in administrating elections. In addition, there are often watchers from organizations at polling locations. Federal election monitors are not common, but please know your local clerks and I are committed to running safe and secure elections and providing a worry-free experience for voters wishing to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed right to vote. If you are concerned on Election Day, please reach out to your local clerk or to me and we will do everything in our power to ensure that the voting process continues to run smooth and easy.

Please feel free to contact me if I may be of further assistance.

Sincerely,
Barb Byrum
Ingham County Clerk

clerk.ingham.org
(517) 676-7201

BREAKING NEWS, 7-10-26, 2:23 p.m.

Whitmer vetoes 9 bills hours after Supreme Court allows them to be presented; accuses House of ‘political gamesmanship’

By Alethia Kasben, Gongwer State Affairs, Jul 10, 2026

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer this afternoon vetoed the nine bills leftover from the 2023-24 legislative session just hours after a Michigan Supreme Court order allowed a ruling requiring their presentment to stand.

Whitmer, in a veto letter, said the effective date of the bills would be retroactive to April 2, 2025, and they would present an administrative burden if they were signed now.

The bills would have required public employers to pay a larger share of the health insurance premium for public employees; allowed Detroit history museums to seek a property tax millage from Wayne County voters; put corrections officers into the State Police pension system; and exempted public assistance, disability and worker's compensation from garnishment to repay debts.

“Implementing these bills retroactively would impose an insurmountable administrative burden on the state and all Michiganders affected,” Whitmer wrote. “It would give rise to endless litigation. It would overwrite law that has since gone into effect. Many of these bills have statutory deadlines that have long since passed. Lastly, many of these bills have significant fiscal impacts now spanning three fiscal years that have not been accounted for in the newly negotiated and passed budget for fiscal year 2027.”

Whitmer blamed the House in her veto letter, saying the end result would look different if the House had presented the bills immediately.

“I must regrettably veto these bills,” she said. “This was political gamesmanship at its worst. Michiganders deserved better from the House.”

BREAKING NEWS - MI Supreme Court orders release of bills that help SOM employees and retireees

The Michigan Supreme Court won’t take up the application for leave to appeal regarding the nine bills the Michigan House under a new Republican majority refused to present to Governor Whitmer in early 2025, and effectively orderd the House to present the bills.

Four of the bills will allow Michigan Corrections Officers to join the State Police hybrid pension system. Another bill removes the 80% ceiling on the amount Michigan public employers can pay for public employee retiree health care premiums and makes it a floor that is required.

The Supreme Court in an order released this morning declined to take up the question of whether the House should have presented the nine bills leftover from the 102nd Legislature to the governor, leaving a lower court ruling ordering the bills’ presentment in place.

In Senate v. House, the Court of Appeals ordered the Court of Claims to order the House to present the bills. Without leave to appeal granted from the Supreme Court, that order remains.

The Supreme Court (SC Docket No. 169381, link below) in an unsigned order said it was not persuaded the questions presented should be reviewed by the court. Justice Brian Zahra, the sole GOP-nominated justice, dissented. The court heard oral argument in May.

www.courts.michigan.gov

The League of Women Voters provides a great resource for information about candidates and elections in your precinct and state at

VOTE411 Election information you need. Brought to you by The League of Women Voters Education Fund.