State Representative Emily Dievendorf

10/09/2026

I’m proud to have introduced Michigan’s Renters Bill of Rights. We’re not done fighting for this important package, and we’re not done fighting to house Michiganders. Housing is a human right.

Today, June 11th, I reintroduced The Renters’ Bill of Rights, a comprehensive set of reforms designed to strengthen housing stability, promote safe and habitable housing, and ensure that renters are treated with dignity and fairness.

Relocation Assistance for Displaced Tenants (HB 6087): When tenants are forced to leave their homes because a landlord’s failure to maintain a property has created dangerous or uninhabitable conditions, families often face immediate financial hardship. This bill requires landlords to provide relocation assistance equal to three months’ rent when unsafe conditions caused by inadequate maintenance require a property to be vacated or demolished.

Tenant Right to Organize (HB 6088): This legislation establishes the right of tenants to form and participate in tenant unions, prohibits interference with those activities, and creates remedies when those rights are violated. Just as workers have the right to organize in their workplaces, tenants should have the right to organize in their homes.

Adequate Notice for Rent Changes (HB 6089): Michigan renters deserve time to prepare for significant housing cost increases. This legislation requires landlords to provide written notice of rent increases at least 90 days before the increase takes effect.

Tenant Opportunity to Purchase (HB 6086): When rental properties are sold, tenants often face uncertainty, displacement, and the loss of affordable housing. This bill gives tenants or tenant associations the first opportunity to purchase a rental property before it is sold to a third party or removed from residential use.

In the coming weeks I also plan to reintroduce my bill from last session, Tenant’s Right to Legal Counsel in Eviction Proceedings.

09/23/2026

I am deeply saddened by the passing of a local icon, former Mayor David Hollister. During his decades of service to Lansing, he was a champion for workers, helping keep GM here in Lansing to protect thousands of jobs. He contributed greatly to our city’s development, even helping to bring the Lugnuts to Lansing and create the Stadium District.

Beyond elected office, he dedicated his life to public service as a former teacher and the director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth. His legacy is inspiring to me personally, and to all those who knew him.

He had a vision to make Lansing a world class city, helping to institute the Lansing sister cities program, celebrating diversity and promoting a cultural exchange of love and acceptance across the globe.

He was a mayor who understood what it meant to lead, and his advocacy on behalf of our city never stopped — something we can all learn from. I am so grateful for his service to Lansing, our region and the state of Michigan. His life is truly worthy of celebration.

09/23/2026

Today, I introduced a resolution declaring September 23, 2026 Michigan Energy Independence Day. Republicans decided not to take the resolution up for a vote, and instead sent it to government operations (where bills go to die). Michiganders deserve better. We deserve an energy future that is reliable, affordable, and diverse, not depended on other states or countries.

09/23/2026

Survivors of sexual violence deserve justice, safety, and a criminal legal system that takes their experiences seriously. Real accountability should take into account the circumstances of each case, rather than abandoning individualized sentencing. Michiganders deserve to see real progress in our criminal justice system; returning to policies that have perpetuated inequities, racial disparities, and over-incarceration is regression. We can hold perpetrators accountable, support survivors, and protect our communities without expanding mandatory minimums or removing judicial discretion.

House Bills 6259-6263 would impose mandatory minimums for first, second, and third-degree criminal sexual conduct (CSC), while increasing the maximum penalties for second and third-degree offenses to imprisonment for life. It would also reclassify both second and third-degree CSC to Class A within Michigan's sentencing guidelines, while escalating fourth-degree CSC from a misdemeanor to a felony.

Rather than institute mandatory minimum sentences, against the recommendation of all available reliable data, my colleagues and I trust the expertise of the sentencing commission, and will continue to advocate for survivors with packages like Rep. Brixie's Justice for Survivors Package (House Bills 6047-6051) or Rep. Breen’s package on Human Trafficking (House Bills 5009–5028).

While sexual violence is an incredibly serious crime that demands accountability, evidence shows that mandatory minimums have not demonstrated an overall benefit to crime control, yet they have perpetuated racial disparities, mass incarceration, and increasingly harsh prison sentences.

I voted NO on the package because this bill package expands mandatory minimum sentencing and does nothing to ensure our justice system is one of both accountability and reform. Eliminating mandatory minimums is crucial to creating a more equitable and just criminal justice system; sentencing decisions should remain with judges who can consider the individual circumstances of each case, rather than being predetermined by lawmakers.

09/22/2026

I am proud to have voted YES on SB 413, to bring Michigan mental health standards in line with nearly every other state. SB 413 allows qualified master's-level psychologists to practice independently while preserving training, competency, and professional accountability requirements.

This important legislation heads to the Michigan Senate for a simple concurrence vote and then to the Gov’s desk!

SB 413:
Expands and restructures the Board of Psychology.

Revises licensing and supervision requirements for psychologists.

Increases postgraduate experience standards.

Clarifies continuing education and confidentiality provisions.

09/22/2026

Today, I voted YES on House Bills 5120, 5121, and 6033, to remove financial barriers to serving Personal Protection Orders (PPOs).

No one seeking protection from abuse or harassment should have to worry about whether they can afford to have a PPO served.

Upon passage, a person seeking protection will no longer have to pay out of pocket to have their PPO served on the person they are seeking protection from. This package creates a process for law enforcement to handle service and establishes the statutory framework for that service to be provided without charging the PPO petitioner.

These bills are an important step toward making our system more accessible, effective, and responsive for survivors and families who need it.

These bills are now headed to the senate, where I hope they will be passed!

09/15/2026

I had the honor of inviting Lansing’s new-ish fire chief, Chief Carrie Edwards-Clemons, to join me on the House floor for the House 9/11 Memorial program. We had such a lovely, deep and energized conversation about how we can best serve Lansing that I lost track of time and also forgot to capture a photo with her before we parted ways. Luckily, House Dems captured the moment without our knowledge!

Based on our conversation I am confident that we will keep seeing our Lansing Fire Chief in and around community throughout her tenure with us.

We are lucky to have her and I hope more of us will take the opportunity to get to know Chief Edwards-Clemons over time. Carrie is good for Lansing and I look forward to her continued service. ❤️‍🔥

The event itself was a touching reminder of the many sacrifices our first responders, community volunteers and their families make to support us on the hardest days of our lives. For that sacrifice and their service I am grateful.

09/12/2026

Shanah Tovah! Wishing Michigan’s Jewish community a happy, healthy, and sweet New Year. 🍎 🍯

09/11/2026

9/11 is a solemn reminder of bravery, sacrifice and unity. We honor the first responders who answered the call and the local first responders who continue that mission of service in our community today.

09/08/2026

Water is a basic need. We cannot wait for another crisis to decide that people have a right to clean, safe, drinking water.

On September 4th, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee a right to clean drinking water. The decision dismissed a lawsuit from Jackson, Mississippi residents who alleged officials knowingly exposed them to lead contaminated water.

That is exactly why we put forward the Affordable Water Now package here in Michigan. Access to safe, affordable water should not depend on whether a court recognizes it as a constitutional right. Our legislation would put real protections into state law, preventing harmful shutoffs, protecting tenants, prohibiting water liens on homes, expanding access to affordability programs, and requiring greater transparency from water providers.

A federal appeals judge ruled on whether clean water is a constitutional right for U.S. residents. (Adobe Stock)