A detail of the interior of the dome of the Michigan state capital building.

Michigan LEAD-K Testimony Hub

Update: The LEAD-K bill was signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer on December 22, 2022!
Freida McCall Morrison urges Michiganders to contact their house representatives.
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The purpose of LEAD-K legislation is to ensure that Deaf, DeafBlind, and hard of hearing children arrive to kindergarten with the language foundation they need to succeed. Freida describes the process in the video at left.

The first step in passing LEAD-K legislation in Michigan required it to pass a vote in the Family, Children, and Seniors Committee in the Michigan House of Representatives. Once the bill passed in the Michigan house committee, it was sent to the full Michigan House for a vote. This page documents the process in the Michigan House over three weeks of committee hearings.

Freida McCall Morrison discusses the successful passage Lead-K legislation in Michigan.

After success in the House the bill went to the state Senate, where it was also successful. HB–5777 was signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer on December 22, 2022.

Follow the progress of this bill on LegiScan HERE, including a copy of the bill’s text.

Read Comments Sent to the Committee Via Email:

Emails In Support Week 2

Emails In Support Week 1

Emails Opposed Week 1

Michigan House of Representatives
Family, Children, and Seniors Committee

[ View Committee Details Here ]
[ Committee Contact Information and Email Template via Natasha Abner, PhD ]

Committee Meetings: Archived Recordings

Week 1: March 8, 2022
Click Photo To Watch On Michigan House TV
Week 2: March 15, 2022
Click Photo To Watch On Michigan House TV
Week 3: March 22, 2022
Click Photo to Watch on Michigan House TV

Week 2 Testimony Highlights:

Educational audiologist Mallorie Evans on
Artist and entrepreneur Sean Forbes: “Sign language is the way to go.”
Representative Laura Pohutsky ask a clarifying question.
Martin Dale-Hench pin-points the important foundation ASL provided for his rich linguistic life.
Peter Dale urges committee members to recognize the priorities of opponents of ASL.

Week 3 Testimony Highlight:

A representative from AG Bell of Michigan attempts to to break committee protocol
to interject last-minute testimony seconds before the vote is to be cast.

Other Coverage:

The Daily Moth summarized Week Two in this episode.
Freida McCall Morrison explains the next steps for HB5777 after Week 2 of testimony.
Freida McCall Morrison explains the legislative procedure before heading to Lansing for Week 2 of testimony in the state house.
This thread reported highlights
of the testimony on March 15th as it happened.
Freida McCall Morrison discusses the successful signing of the bill into law with The Daily Moth. [Transcript Here]

This page is maintained by Danny McDougall, PhD and is not affiliated with LEAD-K Michigan. For the most up-to-date information—or to learn how to support the bill—contact LEAD-K Michigan.