URGENT: Your Assistance is Needed to Save the Michigan FIRST Grant in the School Aid

[Swan217]

URGENT: Your Assistance is Needed to Save the Michigan FIRST Grant in the School Aid Bill (99H)

Last week the grant provided by the State to help start new teams was eliminated from the Senate version of the School Aid Bill. Monday, October 29th a joint committee is meeting to discuss it. Here is the list of the legislators who sit on that committee:

Name District Areas Email Phone Team in Area Senators:
Cameron Brown R 16 Fawn River Twsp sencbrown@senate.michigan.gov, (866) 305-0316
66, 470, 830, 1015, 1502, 1549,
Ron Jelinek R 21 Three Oaks senrjelinek@senate.michigan.gov, (866) 305-2121 1940, 1254
Michael Switalski D 10 Roseville senmswitalski@senate.michigan.gov, (866) 303-0110 453, 217
Congressmen:
Bruce Caswell R 58 Hillsdale, Branch brucecaswell@house.mi.gov, (866) 362-8812
George Cushingberry D 8 Detroit gcushingberry@house.mi.gov, (888) 347-8008 1701,
Matthew Gillard D 106 Oscoda matthewgillard@house.mi.gov, (866) 628-8106

If you or your team is located in one of these districts, PLEASE help by sending an email TODAY to the appropriate committee member in your district. If not, please find your senator and congressman(woman) here by putting in your home address and send them a letter:
www.senate.mi.gov
www.house.mi.gov

All you need to say is:


Please preserve the FIRST Robotics Grant made possible in Sec 99h of the School Aid Bill. FIRST Robotics is working to grow the future technology workforce by encouraging high school students to pursue careers in science, engineering and technology.



Please add whether you are from a sponsoring company in the area, or the school itself. You must include an address so they know you are in their district.

Detroit teams, I am not sure which of you are in Congressional District 8. Please check your school address, again at:
www.senate.mi.gov
www.house.mi.gov

If you would like to send a note to all on the committee, here is the group email:
sencbrown@senate.michigan.gov , senrjelinek@senate.michigan.gov ,
senmswitalski@senate.michigan.gov , brucecaswell@house.mi.gov,
gcushingberry@house.mi.gov, matthewgillard@house.mi.gov,

Ask all of your sponsors, team members and school administrators to send the email as well.
I figure each team is worth at least 15 emails.
I'd love the committee members to be bombarded with emails on Monday.

Be sure to copy me on the letters so I can tell how many emails they receive.

Let our voice be heard loudly. Thanks
--
Best Regards,

Gail Alpert
tel. 248-425-4148
fax. 248-737-3356

[Swan217]

For all of those of you that feel the need to lawyer the FIRST rules every year, chew on this: This is the House bill referred to above. Meanwhile, I'm going to bed.

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(0zn...e=2007-HB-4359