I have had the privilege of creating job opportunities when I ran my small businesses and I hope to bring that spirit to Detroit. In 1990, I bought a three- person laboratory. By 2008, the business had grown under my leadership to 450 highly- paid employees, including 65 PhD chemists. My accomplishments were honored when I was named the Ernst and Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” in 1999 and again in 2007. As my business grew, I developed a passion for fostering entrepreneurship and small business ownership using micro-loans, business education, and business incubators — tools that have the power to revive communities that are neglected, underfunded, and struggling. In Congress, I will use my experience to spur economic growth and innovation, and improve Detroit’s small businesses.

I believe that protecting workers rights is critical. Everyone should be treated fairly and a livable wage should be treated as a human right. That’s why unions and the labor movement are so important. Unions offer workers the ability to fight for good wages, benefits, and working conditions. I will fight to raise the minimum wage, support legislation like the PRO Act to protect and expand the right of workers to organize and collectively bargain, invest in infrastructure and sustainable energy to both protect the environment and create good paying jobs, fight for equal pay for equal work, and much more.

By supporting Michigan’s small businesses, together we can help grow our economy and create more jobs around the state. I know firsthand the large impact small businesses have on our economy, and how they help to decrease unemployment in our communities. We need representation in Congress that will fight to bring investment into our small businesses and provide economic opportunity for everyone in our district.

In an effort to support Michigan’s small business owners and our workforce I have introduced the following bills:

House Bill number 5124: would codify the meaning of “essential workers”.

Throughout Covid-19 we have redefined the meaning of “essential workers”, so the positions that were classified as essential during the pandemic would be officially classified as essential under state law.

House Bill 4776: would give small businesses tax credits for having to purchase and provide personal protection equipment to fight against COVID-19. This helps fight the virus, keeps us all safer, and helps Michigan small businesses make ends meet.COVID-19 had a significant impact on everyone in this state, especially our small business owners and workers. Over the past two years small business owners had to quickly adapt to new health regulations while making difficult decisions on staffing and business operations. These adaptations created additional stress and hardships on our small businesses. This bill will provide some financial relief to those who sacrificed to keep us all safe, while still providing services and resources to us all.

House Bill number 5121: protecting the retirement of firefighters and law enforcement.

Presently, if a firefighter or law enforcement official is injured while on duty and retires, they are able to seek employment and still receive pension benefits from the disability retirement pension. But, if their new job pays more than $30,000, their pension benefits are cut. My bill would remove this cap and allow for retired officers and firefighters to receive their full pensions – because we should not strip guaranteed retirement away from people who earned those benefits over a lifetime of hard work.