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Register now for Advocacy Day

Group of people marching at the Michigan State Capitol

Advocacy Day is March 12, and this year’s topic is the crisis in care resulting from the 2019 auto no-fault insurance changes in Michigan.

JAMES DEATON
Content Editor

The Michigan Conference announces Advocacy Day 2025, to be held Wednesday, March 12, in Lansing. Once again, Central United Methodist Church will be our home base across the street from the State Capitol. This year’s topic focuses on modifications to state auto insurance laws enacted in 2019 that have created a crisis in access to care.

Registration is now open. Click the button below to access the registration page. Then, get ready for the Advocacy Day Launch event on Monday, January 27, at 7 pm Eastern / 6 pm Central. The Zoom link, provided upon registration, will be used for the launch event and all future trainings.

Are you curious about Advocacy Day and want to learn more before registering? Email [email protected] to receive the Zoom link to watch the January 27 launch event for free.

This year’s Advocacy Day is being offered on a sliding scale. A fee of $30 per person is recommended, and includes refreshments, lunch, and materials. Additional funds will be used for future Advocacy Days.

Following the success of the Michigan Conference’s 2023 and 2024 Advocacy Days, which dealt with gun violence prevention and improving mental health access, respectively, conference leadership hopes that Michigan United Methodists are growing in their faith-filled confidence in speaking up for justice advocacy matters affecting the people they love here in Michigan.

On average, six people suffer serious injuries in crashes on Michigan roads every single day. Driving or riding in a car is likely the riskiest activity people engage in on a daily basis.

Lawmakers passed legislation in 2019 that changed Michigan’s longstanding laws that protected people seriously injured in a vehicle crash by providing coverage regardless of who was at fault. Unfortunately, because of these changes in law, Michigan drivers must select from Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage options that can be confusing and have terrible consequences when a vehicular crash causes serious injury requiring long-term care.

Available care for survivors has become drastically reduced and is often unavailable. As a result, seriously injured Michiganders are being stripped of their inherent worth and dignity and even dying. Faith leaders have been asking state policymakers to resolve this humanitarian crisis, amplifying the concerns of medical professionals.

Our Advocacy Day will focus on two pieces of legislation that would (1) provide sustainable reimbursement rates for medical providers and (2) increase the number of hours that family caregivers can be reimbursed. This is a bipartisan and moral issue. The facts are clear, but legislation to correct the 2019 laws has yet to pass. We believe bringing people of faith together will help raise awareness and get this done.

What Can You Do Now?

  1. Register and get ready for the Advocacy Day Launch event on Monday, January 27. It will be held online at 7 pm Eastern / 6 pm Central. The Zoom link, provided upon registration, will be used for the launch event and two trainings on February 24 and March 3. The time for both of these trainings is also 7 pm Eastern / 6 pm Central. On Advocacy Day, there will be worship at Central UMC and opportunities to volunteer in various supporting roles, pray silently in the Rotunda, tour the Capitol, and more. Find details and sign up on the registration page and learn more on the Advocacy Day home page. This home page will be updated regularly over the coming weeks, so be sure to bookmark it.
  2. Research the topic and think about people with a story to tell. Watch this 4-minute video, which explores the auto no-fault crisis and those behind the legislative changes impacting Michiganders. Examine this chart comparing the various types of insurance coverage alongside Michigan’s auto no-fault unlimited/lifetime PIP coverage. This resource was created to help drivers and families make crucial decisions when purchasing insurance. Do you know anyone impacted by current Michigan laws who has a valuable story to tell? If so, email the Advocacy Day team at [email protected].
  3. Make cars out of paper plates for an art display on the lawn of the State Capitol. Click to download simple instructions. The cars will represent all of us who take this risk each day, as well as those impacted by car crashes. Be as creative as you like with your car (but please refrain from using glitter). We encourage you to add one or more of the following elements: (1) Band-Aids representing healing and hope following car crashes, (2) hearts symbolizing love and care, (3) names of the people you transport in your car each day, whom you want to be able to receive care after a catastrophic crash, and (4) names of loved ones who were either injured or killed in a car crash (first names only, please). Mail them to the church beforehand or bring them with you on Advocacy Day. Here is the church’s mailing address: Central UMC, 215 N. Capitol Ave., Lansing, MI 48933.
  4. Find out who your state senators and representatives are so you can be prepared to write personal letters to them and possibly meet them on Advocacy Day. Find your state representative on this web page. Find your state senator on this web page. You’ll obtain their contact information, including addresses and phone numbers. Visit their website and learn about their background and what they are passionate about. Pay attention to how they’ve voted on previous legislation.
  5. Think about ways your congregation can join in support of Advocacy Day. Consider planning a worship service in advance where you bless letters to legislators and paper cars being sent and commission those attending Advocacy Day.

Last Updated on January 21, 2025

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The Michigan Conference