LANSING, Mich — After winning her midterm election earlier this month, State Senator Winnie Brinks was elected Senate Majority Leader by the Michigan Senate Democratic Caucus.
As she prepares for her new role and the upcoming Democratic control of the state legislature, she shared some of her party's priorities for the upcoming legislative session.
Brinks told 13 ON YOUR SIDE that she is honored to have been selected for her new role and thinks it is a fantastic opportunity for Democrats to lead in Michigan.
"You'll see us working very closely with the governor to continue to work on things like economic development for our state, making sure families are supported, making sure we have a really strong emphasis on education, making sure our kids have a foundation, that's an excellent K-12 education, but also looking at what comes after that, so that they can build their lives here and have careers that allow them to do that," Brinks explained.
She also made it a point to say that Democrats would work to repeal the 1931 criminalization of abortion, saying that it is an important step to take that off the books.
And while Brinks does point out several priorities for her party, she also said that there is still a lot of planning to do moving forward.
"You'll see a start with some of those things. But we've got a lot more to do. We're putting our heads together with the Speaker of the House and the governor's office, and we'll come out with a really solid policy agenda in coming weeks."
The Democrats will control both houses of the legislature and the governorship, which is a first in four decades, so showing the people of Michigan they can govern is a challenge she says they are ready for.
"You will see us working on a people-first agenda, you'll see us being practical about things. We're going to be thoughtful about how we pursue our agenda. And I know there's a lot of people who are really impatient right now because we waited 40 years for this opportunity. But we're going to be very deliberate and thoughtful about that."
Brinks also talked about plans to have conversations about possible legislation to increase the Earned Income Tax Credit, repealing the retirement tax and providing incentives for electric vehicles.
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