Today Sen. Jim Barcia called for a review of the tragic death of Marvin E. Schur, a 93-year-old World War II veteran who froze to death in his Bay City home after Bay City Electric Light & Power placed a device on his home to limit his electric use.

Barcia said, "Under no circumstances should a person suffer what Marvin Schur did. We need to know what happened and what we can do to prevent this from happening anywhere in our state, ever again. In the meantime, Bay City Electric Light & Power should suspend all shut-offs and use of regulators for the remainder of this winter season."

Barcia is working with Rep. Jeff Mayes to draft legislation to protect vulnerable citizens like seniors and the people with disabilities during the winter months. For the full press release and more information, click here: http://www.senate.michigan.gov/dem/pr.php?id=1167

Even in 1964, we knew cigarette smoking was unhealthy. This past weekend marked the 45^th anniversary of the Surgeon General’s report citing cigarette smoking as the principal cause of lung cancer and cancer of the larynx, and Surgeon General Luther Terry said, “I would advise anyone to discontinue smoking cigarettes.” Forty-five years after that initial announcement, we know even more about the dangers of smoking to our health. Children exposed to secondhand smoke are at a greater risk of developing asthma, and the New York Times recently reported that chemicals clinging to hair and fabric from cigarette smoke also pose a danger to young children, even if the air is clear (http://tiny.cc/1waaf). In Colorado, after the city of Pueblo instituted smokefree workplaces, hospitalizations from heart attacks dropped 41% in three years (http://tiny.cc/ZhL0g).

Americans have the freedom to choose whether they smoke or not, but considering the health implications associated with secondhand smoke, workers should not be exposed to this kind of unhealthy environment at their place of employment. During the last legislative session, and for the past ten years, Sen. Ray Basham has fought hard to bring smokefree workplace legislation to Michigan (http://tiny.cc/KtylT). In the new legislative session, he’s committed to making this issue a priority so workers will not have to put their health at risk just to make ends meet.

As he builds his plan of attack, Sen. Basham has announced that he will be creating a bicameral, bipartisan Smokefree Air Caucus and is asking all lawmakers to sign a pledge that they will work on the smokefree workplace issue. He’ll share information with the public about who signs the pledge, as well as who does not, in an effort to hold the legislature accountable for protecting the health of Michigan workers. Sen. Basham has seen tremendous public support for this issue (http://tiny.cc/Xh9Xu) and has expressed that he would back a ballot proposal if the bill doesn’t pass before the 2010 election. Hopefully Michigan workers won’t have to wait that long to see action on this commonsense legislation to protect their health, and Sen. Basham and his colleagues can gain enough support to move smokefree workplace legislation now!

With the holidays upon us, we are often so busy with shopping and embracing the holiday spirit that we get distracted from what’s going on around us. Stores and malls are filled with decorations and holiday joy as people succumb to the giving mood, but unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that crime comes to a halt. This is one of the busiest times of the year and it’s important to take extra precautions to be sure you have a safe and happy holiday.

The Federal Trade Commission offers the following tips for protecting your identity this season:

• Safeguard your belongings: It’s wise to keep your purses and wallets close by. You should always double check to make sure you have your credit card with you before leaving a store.

• Keep tabs on your receipts: Remember to keep all your receipts in a safe place while you are shopping and be sure to shred any unwanted receipts.

• Use the Internet wisely: Be sure to keep your passwords safe, never answer "yes" to any popup screen asking if you wish them to save your password and be sure to know the company you are dealing with online.

For more tips on how to protect yourself from identity theft, visit: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/.

Protecting yourself against identity theft goes hand in hand with ensuring your charity donations are going to the right place. The holidays are a great time to donate to those in need, however, some charities that contact you may be fraudulent. To make sure your donation ends up where it’s needed the most, follow these simple tips:

• When solicited for a donation, ask how much of your contribution goes towards paying for overhead versus how much will go directly to the cause you wish to support.

• Don't provide any credit card or bank account information until you have reviewed all information from the charity and made the decision to donate.

• When in doubt, call the charity yourself and ask them if they're aware of the solicitations being done in their name.

For more information about how to make your donations count, visit: http://www.ftc.gov/charityfraud/

In addition to protecting your pocketbooks, it’s important to protect the children you are shopping for. While you are taking care of some last-minute holiday shopping, refrain from buying toys that contain lead, mercury or harmful chemicals such as phthalates. Research has shown that phthalates, chemicals found in most soft plastics, can cause liver damage and harm to the reproductive system. If you don't know about a toy that is made of soft plastic, the general guideline is the stiffer it is, the fewer phthalates it is likely to have. Some top-selling toys likely to contain phthalates include rubber duckies, teethers, and soft plastic books.

Visit http://www.healthytoys.org/ to learn more and search toys’ safety by brand and type. 

By following these simple, easy tips you can avoid unwanted problems and have a safe, stress-free holiday!

As cool fall weather moves into Michigan many citizens face another tough winter of keeping up with their heat and electricity bills. Along with groceries and gasoline, energy costs also have increased. Heat and electricity always cost more in the winter as we turn up the thermostat and turn on the lights earlier each evening after the sun sets. The winter months are hard but there is a lot of help out there for people struggling to pay their utility bills. If you know that you will need help, then using these resources now will help you keep warm and ahead of your bills this winter.

Both DTE Energy and Consumer’s Energy offer programs to help customers with their energy bills. Their shut-off protection plans spread future bills out over the year while also including equal monthly payments on an unpaid balance. Both companies also have programs to cover medical emergencies. Written proof from a doctor, public health official, or social services agency explaining that a shut-off will cause more harm to an existing medical emergency will allow you to postpone a shut-off for a short period of time.

Customers who meet income guidelines, and senior citizens regardless of their income, are eligible for the Energy Winter Protection Plan offered by DTE Energy and Consumer’s Energy. This program offers protection from a shut-off between November 1 and March 31. Customers must pay a portion of their estimated bill plus regular payments on any past-due bills. After March 31, the required bill payments will increase to cover winter bills. For more information on any of these programs call Consumer’s Energy at 800-477-5050, and DTE Energy at 800-477-4747.

You can find other energy assistance programs by calling 211 at the United Way. These programs include THAW, the Heat and Warmth Fund for people who are facing a shut-off and have exhausted all available help from state and federal funding programs. Through the Department of Human Services (DHS), Michigan offers energy assistance through the State Emergency Relief Program to DHS clients and non-DHS clients. For more information call the Energy Assistance Hotline at 800-292-5650, or visit your local DHS office.

Calling 211 can also put you in touch with weatherization programs that help income-eligible people winterize their homes. Fixing leaks around walls and doors, sealing off windows and improving the insulation in your home will keep you warmer while offering you some relief from high heating bills.

There are many things that we can all do to save energy and money. Turning down your thermostat a few degrees and wearing warm clothing inside can save you money. Replacing a dirty air filter with a clean filter will help your furnace work more efficiently. Turning off lights when you leave a room, and changing your light bulbs to energy-saving Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs can also save you money. These are small but important steps toward energy efficiency and manageable energy bills.

It may take some phone calls and paperwork, but there is help out there. If you’re having trouble, asking for help before a shut-off happens will save you a lot of stress and hardship. If you aren’t facing a shut-off, there are still things you can do to improve your energy use and save money. There’s help for the asking, and no one should ever hesitate to take advantage of it.

You have probably seen a novelty lighter before, though you might not have known it. Displayed in the checkout lane at your local convenience store or at a gas station with the racks of sunglasses and key chains, you may not recognize them if you saw them, because they look like small toys. And it’s due to this misleading appearance that they pose such a threat to our kids, and should be pulled off the market.

Novelty lighters can look like almost anything but a fire-starting device. They appear in the form of small cars or motorcycles. They can be musical instruments, tiny rubber animals, shoes, cell phones, or even fire hydrants. They come with sound affects, flashing lights, and may even play music.

But these novelty lighters are not toys—they are dangerous tools that can inadvertently entice your child into playing with fire. They don’t meet child safety standards required of other lighters. They rarely have child locks, and are easily ignited even by someone who has never seen one before. They cause accidents, injury, and even in some cases each year, death.

Yesterday, I testified before the House Regulatory Committee at a hearing on House Bill 6130, a bill that allows the State Fire Marshall to ban the sale of novelty lighters. This bill is identical to Senate Bill 1194, a bill I introduced earlier this year that would protect families in Michigan from the dangers of these lighters.

Parents, teachers, fire fighters and police officers all do their part to teach kids about the dangers of fire and urge them NOT to play with matches or lighters. But while these novelty lighters are still for sale and can easily fall into the wrong hands, they will continue to undermine our efforts as adults to keep our kids out of harm’s way. It’s time that we put a stop to selling dangerous and deceptive toy-like lighters, and I urge my legislative colleagues to pass these bills to do so.

Friends, as you may know, untold millions of dollars in public and private property have been stolen and lives have been lost because of the recent rash of copper thefts.

That’s why I introduced a bill (Senate Bill 720) that would regulate scrap metal processors, the people who purchase copper and other valuable metals. Most of these business owners are honest but we must make sure that they are not endangering lives by dealing in illegal copper and other scrap metal.

Copper theft in our region has reached epidemic proportions. In 2007, for example, more than 400 copper-related thefts involving telephone lines occurred in Detroit, according to AT&T Michigan officials. That represents an increase of more than 140 percent over 2006 numbers. Already in 2008, telephone wire has been cut 60 times in Detroit by people who strip the wire of its copper molding. Every time a phone is cut, residents are cut off from the emergency services they may need.

My bill demands that scrap metal processors be licensed the same way Michigan regulates its second-hand shops and junk dealers. The bill requires that:

• Local governments establish licensing fees;
• Processors provide written records of all transactions; and
• Any material purchased must be kept for 15 days.

We must make sure that scrap metal is clean and sold legally. Please join me tomorrow, Friday, February 22 when the Senate Committee on Economic Development and Regulatory Reform will consider and hear testimony on my bill. The meeting, which begins at 11:00 a.m., will be held at Northwest Activities Center, located at 18100 Meyers Road on the city’s northwest side. Call my office at (517) 373-7918 for more information.

Let me know what you think. I want to hear from you.