State Senator Jeff Irwin

06/03/2026

"Some retailers are already having to take action on their own, and some of them are rounding to the nearest 5 cents," Irwin told The Detroit News. "Some of them are rounding up and some down."

What are we to do in a world without pennies when our cash transaction doesn't land on a number where retailers have the necessary currency to give proper change?

I propose that we round down to the nearest 5 cents. This is better for consumers and research has shown that, because of current pricing patterns, consumers will generally lose out if we round to the nearest 5 cents.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2026/06/02/penny-shortage-rounding/90370209007/

05/22/2026

Did you know that instacart charges different rates to different customers or that Uber might try to charge you more if your phone battery is low? Have you seen electronic price tags in grocery stores?

Michigan needs new and better consumer protection laws to prevent price gouging and to address the new tactics that consumers are facing when buying goods online (or even in person).

05/20/2026

Priorities.

05/20/2026

As soon as the US Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, numerous southern states moved quickly to eliminate black representation.

The actions in states like Tennessee demonstrate why the VRA was needed to protect the rights of all Americans.

Here in Michigan, I stood behind my colleagues today who spoke in favor of bills to protect voting rights in Michigan.

05/18/2026

The circus of corruption continues.

Donald Trump just stole $1.7B from us — and he's creating a slush fund to reward his political allies.

I've never seen anything like this in my 50 years in politics.

It makes Nixon look like a boy scout.

05/17/2026

People and their children facing food insecurity is on the rise. Inflation and low wages are driving the problem; but, the Republicans in DC are making the problem worse by adding more bureaucracy and dysfunction to the food assistance people rely on.

Not only did Congress and the President add trillions to our national debt, they also attacked programs like SNAP, destabilizing families and food banks across the nation.

Here's more from NBC News:

Under President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” food stamp applicants are fighting to prove eligibility and facing questions about birthday gifts sent over Zelle. A crisis in Arizona offers a warning for America.

The number of people receiving food stamps in the state has fallen by around 50% as of March compared to a year earlier, including about 200,000 children who have lost their benefits, according to state data. Those numbers are showing up in the lines at Arizona food banks, some of which are seeing record demand.

Since the law was enacted last summer, about 3.5 million people have fallen off the SNAP rolls nationwide as of January, according to federal data. No state has seen a more dramatic drop than Arizona, which offers a window into what may be in store for other states.

Link in comments.

05/15/2026

Thank you to AG Dana Nessel for fighting this.

1) keeping this plant open unnecessarily is costing Michigan residents and businesses money with no benefit.

2) when laws are created to allow "emergency" action by a government, there has to be a real emergency. Trump's constant lies and abuses of emergency power are illegal and create a dangerous precedent.

Michigan’s Department of Attorney General and several environmental justice groups presented oral arguments on Friday before a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, arguing that emergency orders that kept the J.H. Campbell coal plant from retiring were illegal applicatio...

05/15/2026

Detroit adopted our new state early-literacy approach before we made it law. Superintendent Vitti testified in favor of our legislation years before we were able to pass it and his efforts to implement these methods and deliver extra literacy support are already showing progress. Next year, all schools will have to start moving in this direction for kids struggling with literacy.

A new study singles out Detroit as one of the districts nationally that is 'accelerating recovery.' How the schools did it — and what more needs to be done

05/12/2026

Today in the Michigan Senate Housing and Human Services Committee we will be taking testimony on legislation to protect consumers who live in mobile home communities.

Here is a description of the bills:

A six-bill package has been introduced in the state Senate which aims to overhaul Michigan's manufactured housing laws for the first time in nearly 40 years.