Dana's Dispatch: Reproductive Freedom, Expungement Fairs, Tax Scams & More!

--------------------------------------------------------------- AG Nessel Reaffirms Refusal to Uphold Michigan Abortion Ban on Meet the Press Overturning Roe v. Wade will have a chilling effect on women’s healthcare, and I will do everything in my power to protect Michiganders from anti-abortion extremists who want to dictate extremely personal healthcare decisions. I refuse to roll back our hard-won right to control our own reproductive choices. [READ MORE]( Dana Nessel, Dana Nessel on Facebook (May 8, 2022) AG Nessel Reaffirms Refusal to Uphold Michigan Abortion Ban on Meet the Press Retrieved from: [AG Nessel Reaffirms Refusal to Uphold Michigan Abortion Ban on Meet the Press]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 'Women will die' | MI AG Dana Nessel reaffirms she will not enforce 1931 abortion ban It is my job to protect the 2.2 million women of reproductive age in Michigan. There are a litany of reasons why I will not enforce this law, because I think it will lead to further harm and further death of women in our state. Justices have confirmed that a leaked draft opinion in which the conservative majority vote to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision is authentic. The court has cautioned that the draft opinion is not final, but still, emotions are running high across the country, including in Michigan. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is doubling down on her commitment to not enforce a 1931 felony abortion ban in the state. This ban, 750.14 would make abortions illegal and criminal in the state and wasn't enforceable because of Roe v. Wade. However, if Roe v. Wade is overturned, county prosecutors could try to enforce it. During a virtual news conference Tuesday, Nessel said she wasn't surprised by the leaked draft opinion, rather she was expecting it because of the majority of justices that could overturn the law. Nessel says there would be no abortion providers at all in Michigan because they'd be afraid of going to prison. Insurance carriers may drop them as well. Nessel believes this issue should be in the minds of voters come this November. Her message is there's one party willing to protect women's productive rights and one that isn't. The formal decision on Roe could be released by mid to late June towards the end of their session year but it could come earlier than that. [READ MORE]( Carla Bayron, 13 on Your Side (May 3, 2022) 'Women will die' | MI AG Dana Nessel reaffirms she will not enforce 1931 abortion ban Retrieved from: ['Women will die' | MI AG Dana Nessel reaffirms she will not enforce 1931 abortion ban]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Republican AG Candidate Does Not Believe in Exceptions to Abortion Video of my Republican opponent Matt DePerno saying he will prosecute women and their doctors for abortion with NO EXCEPTIONS for rape, incest, or medical emergencies. Women in Michigan should be terrified right now. Vote like your life depends on it. [READ MORE]( Dana Nessel, Dana Nessel on Facebook (May 2, 2022) Republican AG Candidate Does Not Believe in Exceptions to Abortion Retrieved from: [Republican AG Candidate Does Not Believe in Exceptions to Abortion]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Attorney General expects domestic violence and domestic homicide to increase I have been putting advocates for victims and domestic violence shelters on high alert: expect to see an escalation of domestic violence cases and domestic homicides as a result of this ruling. As the nation awaits a final opinion from the US Supreme Court on abortion rights, Michigan's Attorney General is warning of increased violence against women if the court overturns the landmark decision legalizing abortion in America. Dana Nessel, Attorney General for Michigan says she expects a substantial increase in domestic violence and domestic homicide cases if ROE v. WADE is overturned. According to a study published last year in Obstetrics and Gynecology, pregnant women in the U.S. die by homicide at the hands of a partner more than they do by pregnancy related causes. According to leaked documents from the high court, whose authenticity has been confirmed, the court is poised to overturn the opinion that legalized abortion in America nearly 50 years ago. Nessel says it could have deadly implications for women, beyond the normal dangers that come with pregnancy and childbirth. The AG said she has seen a number of domestic homicides as a prosecutor. "Where the boyfriend, the husband, the father of pregnancy wanted the woman to have an abortion and she refused because he did not want to pay child support or no longer wanted to be associated with or maybe it was a woman who a mistress and he was married to someone else or with someone else for a variety of reasons decided it would be easier just to kill her than to have to be financially tied to this woman", she said. [READ MORE]( Dawn Jones, WJRT (May 4, 2022) Attorney General expects domestic violence and domestic homicide to increase Retrieved from: [Attorney General expects domestic violence and domestic homicide to increase]( --------------------------------------------------------------- AG Dana Nessel Says Reproductive Freedom Will Be on the Ballot in 2022 Access to reproductive healthcare in Michigan will almost certainly be on the ballot this fall. In the Attorney General's race, the contrast couldn't be clearer. The choice voters make in November will determine the safety and freedom of Michigan residents for the foreseeable future. [READ MORE]( Dana Nessel, Dana Nessel on Facebook (May 6, 2022) AG Dana Nessel Says Reproductive Freedom Will Be on the Ballot in 2022 Retrieved from: [AG Dana Nessel Says Reproductive Freedom Will Be on the Ballot in 2022]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Michigan AG Dana Nessel Visits Grand Rapids Expungement Fair What a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon: helping people get their lives back on track! Are you eligible to have your criminal record expunged? Visit [www.michigan.gov/AG/initiatives/expungement-assistance]( for more information. [READ MORE]( Dana Nessel, Dana Nessel on Facebook (May 7, 2022) Michigan AG Dana Nessel Visits Grand Rapids Expungement Fair Retrieved from: [Michigan AG Dana Nessel Visits Grand Rapids Expungement Fair]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Elder Abuse Task Force Hosting Symposium Next Week, Registration Remains Open The EATF continues to pursue important advocacy on behalf of our state’s elderly population. I encourage those interested in learning more about the task force’s impact and vital resources to attend this symposium. The Elder Abuse Task Force (EATF) will host the first of two virtual symposiums next week to highlight topics relevant to protecting Michigan’s seniors and answer questions from attendees. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel will open the public event. Those interested in participating can learn more by visiting the registration page online. Scheduled topics include: Resources for Members of the Public Interested in Protecting Older Adults, Adult Protective Services (APS) 101 Basic Understanding, the Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, Avoiding Guardianships and Conservatorships: Speak for Yourself, and Scams Targeting Seniors. Last month, the EATF released a new video on the Department’s YouTube page focused on the general rights each nursing home resident has and must be afforded, as well as steps to take in the event a resident’s rights have been violated. Other EATF resources on YouTube include training modules on how to recognize, report, and prevent adult abuse, neglect and exploitation. More information on the task force’s work can be found in its latest newsletter, which was released at the beginning of the year. [READ MORE]( WJSM, Moody on the Market (May 1, 2022) Elder Abuse Task Force Hosting Symposium Next Week, Registration Remains Open Retrieved from: [Elder Abuse Task Force Hosting Symposium Next Week, Registration Remains Open]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Nessel visits Cadillac middle school to see security upgrades made via grant dollars Great to visit with Mackinaw Trail Middle School of Cadillac Area Public Schools to see the many ways they utilized the school safety grant they received from the state to better protect students and staffers. Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Attorney General, Michigan Department of Attorney General on Twitter Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel was in Cadillac to look at a recent investment in safety at the school made possible by a state grant program. In April 2019 it was announced that Cadillac Area Public Schools would receive roughly $442,000 from the Michigan State Police through the grant program. CAPS was one of 19 districts that received funding through the MSP school safety grants during the 2018-2019 school year. The money was used to purchase security cameras and pay for installation. It also paid for access controls for secure vestibules at all of the district’s schools and purchased two-way radios at all buildings for crisis communication. CAPS Superintendent Jennifer Brown said the district has spent the last couple of years prioritizing the physical health and social and emotional health of both staff and students. The MSP grant allowed the district to offer some infrastructure to improve safety with secure vestibules. It also added the ability to add security cameras and radios for communication in case of an emergency. “I think the safety of our students is always our paramount priority. But through events that have happened over the last 10 years and probably 20 that has become an increasingly important conversation and a demand of our parents,” she said. Nessel said she has been touring the schools that received grant funding to make safety enhancements to find out how they utilized the funding. “I’m trying to ascertain what are best practices and to hopefully be able to provide a list of recommendations to all the schools, but also, the legislature because my goal is that schools shouldn’t have to compete against each other for who has the safest school,” Nessel said. “We want all schools in Michigan to be safe. [READ MORE]( Rick Charmoli, Cadillac News (May 4, 2022) Nessel visits Cadillac middle school to see security upgrades made via grant dollars Retrieved from: [Nessel visits Cadillac middle school to see security upgrades made via grant dollars]( --------------------------------------------------------------- AG Nessel secures $3.5M for residents deceived by TurboTax I'm proud of this united, bipartisan agreement, ensuring our consumers are protected against deceitful tactics related to tax services. Those who will receive a reimbursement do not need to do anything—your payment will be sent to you directly. Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Wednesday she has secured more than $3.5 million from Intuit Inc., the owner of TurboTax, for deceiving customers into paying for services that should have been free. Intuit will pay $141 million in restitution to over a million customers who were unfairly charged, according to a multistate agreement. The projected $3.5 million will go to 115,000 consumers affected in the state. The Attorney’s General office started an investigation after ProPublica reported Intuit was using deceptive tactics to lure customers to their products and away for tax services. One of the two versions of TurboTax offered was the “TurboTax Free Edition.” The AGs office says this is only free for taxpayers as defined by Intuit “simple returns.” This multistate investigation discovered Intuit performed multiple unfair and deceptive trade practices limiting customers in the IRS Free File Program. The company withdrew from the IRS Free File program in July 2021. About $2.5 million of the $141 million restitution money will be used for administrative costs. [READ MORE]( James Paxson, WNEM (May 4, 2022) AG Nessel secures $3.5M for residents deceived by TurboTax Retrieved from: [AG Nessel secures $3.5M for residents deceived by TurboTax]( --------------------------------------------------------------- AG Nessel champions victims advocacy at WISE Big Rapids The program at WISE Against Violence is very impressive. They have very dedicated staffers and volunteers — in truth, they are life savers. Because of them, domestic violence survivors have been able to escape their assailants, and they give them the resources to move on with their lives. Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Attorney General, Michigan Department of Attorney General on Twitter Although National Crime Victim’s Week ended April 30, Attorney General Dana Nessel has continued her tour of crime victim agencies throughout the state this week discussing needs and offering support. Nessel stopped in at Women’s Information Services, Inc. in Big Rapids on Monday to visit with director Jane Currie and her staff. Nessel added she was impressed not only with the work WISE does, but that they do it on a limited budget, handling nearly 165 clients a year, assisting with housing and other needs and connecting them with the resources they need to move on with their lives. “That is 165 people, whose fortunes are directly tied to the good works of these agencies and the people that chose to advocate on behalf of people when they are at their most vulnerable,” Nessel said. “Thank God we have people like the full time staffers as well as the volunteers that work at WISE.” One conversation that always comes up, she said, is funding, and she talked with Currie about a number of things that would help them better protect survivors if they had the funding. “Whenever I go to one of these agencies, I learn things from them that I can take back to Lansing and say to the legislators, ‘This is what we ought to be doing,’” she said. “Sometimes I tell other law enforcement agencies things that survivors of sexual assault need from them. Sometimes we end up being able to affect programing, change laws, direct funding. I am hopeful we can move forward with some of the ideas talked about here." [READ MORE]( Cathie Crew, The Pioneer (May 5, 2022) AG Nessel champions victims advocacy at WISE Big Rapids Retrieved from: [AG Nessel champions victims advocacy at WISE Big Rapids]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for being a part of Dana's re-election campaign! Sending emails is a crucial way to keep supporters like you updated on Dana's fight for justice and progress. Plus, this campaign is fueled by grassroots supporters like you! [Will you chip in today to join Dana in the fight for a better tomorrow?]( [CHIP IN TO RE-ELECT DANA NESSEL >>]( KEEP IN TOUCH WITH DANA: Any donor history information in this email reflects what we have on file for this specific email address. If you have donated with a different email address, with a check, or with a spouse – thank you so much. 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