January is traditionally a time of reflection, and a time to move ahead with a positive attitude and a set of goals to make the New Year better than the last. As you think about resolutions to improve your health, your job, your social life, or your family situation, consider making one more resolution to help improve the state you live in.

This year is an important year for Michigan. As a state, we will be electing new House and Senate members, U.S. Congress members, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Governor. Although November seems far away, it is never too early to start thinking about the different candidates and the job they have ahead of them. Do they share your values, concerns, and beliefs? How will they improve the lives of the people who live in our state during a time when so many need help?

We cannot rely solely on our leaders to fix Michigan’s problems. There are small contributions each one of us can make that, together, create a major impact. If you’ve ever thought about running for city council or your local school board, do it now. If there’s a candidate in your area you feel strongly about, spend a few hours a week as a campaign volunteer. If political activism doesn’t interest you, make sure you vote, and encourage your friends and family to do the same.

Jobs, education, and health care are all critical issues for Michigan families. Workers are trying to find jobs when there are few to be had, schools are seeing funding cuts, and caring for the sick, injured, and elderly is becoming more difficult and more expensive. In addition to supporting candidates that will work on these issues, you might think about volunteering at a senior center, tutoring a child at a local elementary school, or helping a newly unemployed worker create a résumé and mentoring them in their job search.

At the very least, make it a goal this year to be more aware of how your actions impact your community. Choosing to do business with a Michigan company or buying Michigan-made products will help keep jobs in the state and boost local economies. Volunteering with a non-profit to build or fix up houses or participating in a neighborhood clean-up project will help keep Michigan cities beautiful. The start of a new year is a great opportunity to think about how we can all work together to rebuild and revitalize our great state.

Winter is here and the temperatures are getting colder while our utility bill increase as we try to keep ourselves and our families warm. Many families struggle throughout the winter with high utility bills. There are many energy company programs, as well as state and local programs, that can help you with your utility costs if you meet certain criteria. No one wants you or your family to be cold this winter, so read on and see if you qualify for these program designed to keep your heat and electricity on during the coldest months of the year.

DTE Energy (http://www.dteenergy.com/residentialCustomers/) and Consumers Energy (http://www.consumersenergy.com/welcome.htm) offer a number of programs to help customers with their energy bills. Payment assistance programs offered to customers include: a medical emergencies program to postpone shutoffs in the event of a medical issue; and a shut-off protection plan to spread future bills out over the year. The shut-off protection plan also includes equal monthly payments on an unpaid balance in order to avoid a shut-off.

Some consumers and all senior citizens regardless of their income also qualify for DTE Energy’s Winter Protection Plan. This program protects seniors and low-income customers from shut-offs between November 1 and March 31.  During this period, customers must pay a portion of their estimated annual 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 Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050, and DTE Energy at 800-477-4747.

Many assistance programs are available by calling 211 at the United Way (www.uwsem.org/). Weatherization help is also available for low-income residents. These programs help with caulking, weather stripping, and insulation. Another program that is available is THAW, the Heat and Warmth Fund (http://www.thawfund.org/how_help/index.html), which helps people facing a shut-off who have exhausted all federal and state funding programs.

The state offers assistance with energy bills through the State Emergency Relief Program in the Department of Human Services (http://www.michigan.gov/heatingassistance/0,1607,7-215-33211-105989--,00.html). This program is available 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. State Department of Social Services for Wayne County is located at 2929 Russell Street in Detroit. You can reach that office by calling 313-396-0200.

Recently Governor Jennifer Granholm signed into law shut-off protection bills that cover customers of municipally owned electric and natural gas companies. These new laws will help prevent the tragedy that happened last winter when an elderly Bay City man froze to death in his own home because the municipal utility had placed an electric limiter on his home. Under the new laws, customers of municipal utilities will have the same protections against shut-offs that customers of regulated utilities have.

In these tough times many people, some for the first time, are finding it hard to keep up with their bills. No one should feel ashamed or afraid to ask for help. There is plenty of help out there, and I encourage you to take advantage of it and stay warm and safe this winter.

Senator John J. Gleason will be hosting a community forum in Flint on the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, to bring in medical representatives to answer questions and address concerns of local residents.

It will take place on Monday, November 2, from 5:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Mott Community College in the RTC Auditorium.

The forum will include a presentation by a panel of medical experts as well as a Question & Answer session with attendees. For more information on H1N1, residents can contact the Genesee County Health Department by calling their hotline at 810-257-3887 or visiting their H1N1 page at http://www.gchd.us/hottopics/h1n1flu.asp.

With our economy struggling and people hurting, a general tax increase is a poor option. But there is one tax change that I believe we should consider: a targeted tax increase that is good policy and justified by its unique features. I am talking about the Physician Tax, or Doctors’ Quality Assurance Assessment Program (QAAP). I support a 2% tax on a doctor’s adjusted gross revenues, similar to what we already do with HMOs, hospitals, and nursing homes, which would allow the state to receive more of our fair share of funds back from the Federal Government. If we raised $150 million with the tax, the feds would give us $350 million, and we would have $500 million dollars to help avoid devastating cuts to Michigan’s health care programs.

Some argue that about half of the doctors in the state won’t treat Medicaid patients who are people that are struggling financially and have no insurance, because the state reimbursement rates are so low that they lose money on each patient. And the budget plan that was recently pushed through would cut those already low rates an additional 8%. The result of that budget will be even fewer doctors taking Medicaid, reducing access to care, and increasing the most expensive care, the emergency room.

Dumb, right? If we want to be smart, we could use the half billion the QAAP expansion raises, and increase reimbursement rates to doctors from the low Medicaid rate to the generous Medicare rate. The result would be more doctors participating, increased access to care for the poor, efficient care instead of expensive emergency care, and increased pay for doctors. If about 3% of a doctor’s patients are Medicaid patients, the doc would break even. Any more than 3% and he would make money. If he treats fewer or none, he would actually lose money.

Doctors hate the idea of a Physician Tax. I can understand that, and I try to patiently respond to their comments, questions, and outraged objections, because what I seek is an honest evaluation and negotiation on this option. Doctors have many objections and I would submit there are ways to address them equitably if we come to the table together and negotiate instead of just saying no.

Have I been successful yet in opening a dialogue with these doctors? Not really. Most just say, vociferously, NO. A few have been patient and reasonable, and have considered the QAAP on its merits, even if they still don’t like it. But the Medical Society, the Doctors’ lobbyist, has just said no. I am now getting “robo-calls” in my district warning my constituents that I want to tax sick people. This is an attempt to intimidate me and other colleagues into turning tail and running. These guys don’t know me. It has the opposite effect.

I believe the real objection is that some doctors will not treat Medicaid patients. The public already pays significant taxes to fund Medicaid. Doctors contribute by treating those patients. What is the contribution of doctors who do not treat these patients? The QAAP expansion is a unique option for doctors that could make health care better. Isn’t it at least worth talking about?  That is my duty to you, and I will not shirk it.

Michigan has always been a leader in automotive technology, and despite the industry’s recent struggles, we now have a tremendous opportunity to continue that role in the development and production of hybrid and electric cars.  Earlier this year, Vice President Joe Biden announced an investment of over $1.3 billion in Michigan from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's (ARRA) electric drive vehicle battery and component manufacturing initiative to help accomplish this. Among the projects funded, $249 million will help A123Systems Inc. launch a new facility in Livonia. The company plans to invest more than $600 million in facilities in Livonia, Brownstown and Romulus, creating hundreds of jobs in the area and potentially adding thousands more once the project gets underway.

Creating jobs in emerging high-tech industries and diversification of Michigan’s economy have been two of my top priorities as a State Senator. I voted with other members of the State Senate back in 2008 to pass House Bill 6611, which created incentives for investment in the development and manufacturing of lithium-ion and other batteries used to power hybrid and electric cars.  Additionally, this year I supported House Bill 4515 and Senate Bill 319 to further expand these credits as they began to show signs of success.  The purpose of these incentives has always been to provide jobs for Michigan workers, and the fact that A123Systems has chosen to locate this important facility locally is a testament to the quality of the workforce present here and the commitment of state and local leaders to help put Michigan back to work.

A123Systems is one of the state's six Centers of Energy Excellence and has entered into a development and manufacturing agreement with Chrysler LLC to provide battery systems for the company's ENVI product line.  Production of these batteries will help reduce dependency on fossil fuels, including foreign oil, and meet growing consumer demand for greener, cleaner vehicles and reduce environmental impact.  This investment represents exactly how federal, state, and local officials can come together to support local businesses and move toward diversifying and reenergizing Michigan’s economy.

The impact of this ARRA investment in our state will be far-reaching.  The projects it will fund are estimated to create 6,800 jobs statewide in the next 18 months, and up to 40,000 jobs by 2020.  As demand increases for fuel-efficient vehicles, Michigan's auto companies will rise to the occasion, helping our economy bounce back and paving the way for our state to regain its status as an auto leader.  This announcement is very encouraging, and has proven that hard work pays off.  I will continue to make Michigan state government an enabling agent for these sorts of investments in Michigan workers and bring jobs like these back home to my district.