If the letter you receive asks you for money, it is not from the Census Bureau. Some organizations have used the census as an opportunity to raise funds by misrepresenting their fundraising appeals as an official census document. Do not be fooled! You do not need to send in any money to participate in the census.

• Do not respond to any e-mails that claim to be from the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census Bureau is not sending out e-mails concerning the census.
• Do not fill out any information online. The census is not being conducted online. Many identity thieves and criminals will try to direct you to fill out a form on an official looking Web site in order to steal or "phish" your important information.
  

The Census Bureau will also NEVER ask you for:

• Money
• A Social Security number
• Your bank or financial account number or your PIN number
• A donation to a political party or organization
• Your party affiliation
  

The actual census form is only 10 questions, and should be filled out to ensure that our state and community gets our fair share of federal funding. It is estimated that Michigan will have lost nearly $2 billion over the past decade simply because Michigan residents did not make sure they were counted.

This year, let's make sure that everybody counts!

The Justice Caucus will hold their annual Millie Jeffrey Awards Dinner on Sunday, March 21, 2010, with a reception starting at 6pm and dinner at 7pm. The dinner will take place at the Courtyard by Marriott, in Ann Arbor.

According to their website the theme of the dinner will be, "Celebrating Progressive Women in Politics." The keynote speaker will be Madeleine M. Kunin, former three-term Vermont Governor and Ambassador to Switzerland, and friend of Millie Jeffrey.

For more information about this event email Mary Shindell or visit http://www.justice4michigan.org/.

Speaker of the House Andy Dillon today announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for Governor.

"My vision for Michigan's future is based on creating good jobs in growing sectors of the economy and in making sure the people of Michigan are prepared for those jobs," said Dillon.

Dillon's announcement kick-off in Redford was the first of several stops around the state, including Lansing Community College - West Campus in Lansing and Hangar42 Studios in Grand Rapids. The two-day tour will culminate with a special event at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit.

Andy Dillon is currently serving his third term in the Michigan House of Representatives and his second term as Speaker of the House.

Other Democratic candidates include state Rep. Alma Wheeler-Smith, former Genesee County Treasurer Dan Kildee and current Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero.

More information on Andy Dillon can be found on his website.

The Michigan Democratic State Central Committee approved the Endorsement Convention for April 17th. This Convention is the first of its kind in Michigan and should give our Democratic candidates an advantage in the upcoming election.

At the Endorsement Convention, we will endorse a candidate for Attorney General and for Secretary of State - months ahead of when they will be officially nominated in August. This will help our candidates in their campaign efforts by giving them more time to meet voters, travel throughout the state, and raise more money to defeat Republicans in the general election in November.

Join us on April 17th to endorse our candidates at what is sure to be an exciting weekend for Democrats.

The health insurance reform proposal President Obama released this morning (Monday, February 22, 2010) builds on the work done by Congress over the past year, putting forward a plan that lowers costs, guarantees choice, and enhances quality health care for all Americans. Using the Senate bill as a starting point, the President's proposal bridges the differences between the Senate and House-passed bills, while incorporating additional ideas from Republican members of Congress.

Here are some of the key elements of the President's proposal:

• It makes insurance more affordable by providing the largest middle class tax cut for health care in history, reducing premium costs for tens of millions of families and small business owners who are priced out of coverage today. This helps over 31 million Americans afford health care who do not get it today and makes coverage more affordable for many more.
• It sets up a new competitive health insurance market giving tens of millions of Americans the exact same insurance choices that members of Congress will have.
• It brings greater accountability to health care by laying out commonsense rules of the road to keep premiums down and prevent insurance industry abuses and denial of care.
• It will end discrimination against Americans with pre-existing conditions.
• It puts our budget and economy on a more stable path by reducing the deficit by $100 billion over the next ten years and about $1 trillion over the second decade by cutting government overspending and reining in waste, fraud and abuse.

Additionally, the President's proposal includes a new measure that allows the government to put a stop to unreasonable and unfair premium rate increases.

You can read the full proposal at WhiteHouse.gov.