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News & Events Digest





*October 2022*
Michigan State Capitol

The lights of the Michigan State Capitol reflect on the the ground after an early morning rain shower in late October. (Ron Leix/Michigan Department of Treasury)

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*NEW PODCAST for Small Business Owners!*

Treasury Talk Podcast

*CyberSecurity and Your Small Business: *Join Treasurer Rachael Eubanks and Michigan Treasury’s Ryan McElhone to learn how to protect your business’s reputation and bottom line.

"*Listen now*": [link removed]

*Your Small Business CyberSecurity Resources: *


* Secure your identity [ [link removed] ]
* Safeguard your business [ [link removed] ]
* CISA Cybersecurity Small Business ESSENTIALS [ [link removed] ] 
* CISA Small Business ACTION PLAN [ [link removed] ] 
* Small Business Info Security: The Fundamentals [ [link removed] ]

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Gov. Whitmer Launches Michigan’s First-Ever Fellowships for Future Educators, Stipends for Student Teachers

October 31

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently announced that applications for $10,000 scholarships for up to 2,500 future Michigan educators and $9,600 payments for student teachers will open on Oct. 31. By lowering the cost of higher education, the state can hire and train more qualified teachers. Getting this done will help bring down class sizes and provide individualized attention to support students and get our students on track for long-term success. The scholarships were created and funded in the bipartisan education budget the governor signed earlier this year which also included the highest state per-student investment in Michigan history and record investments in school infrastructure, mental health, and school safety.  

“MI Future Educator Fellowships will help up to 2,500 aspiring teachers every year by lowering their cost of higher education by $10,000,” said *Governor Whitmer*. “I am proud that we came together to fund this fellowship in our bipartisan education budget, proving that we can work across the aisle to ensure every kid, in every district has excellent educators. I urge all future educators to apply for their $10,000 scholarships starting October 31. Let’s keep strengthening the teacher pipeline.”  

“The Michigan Department of Treasury is excited to launch the MI Future Educator Fellowship and the MI Future Educator Stipend,” said *State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks*. “These programs help address Michigan’s teacher shortage by lowering the financial hurdles to becoming a teacher though scholarships for students in teacher preparation programs and stipends for student teachers. Our team is ready to accept applications and answer questions. Please reach out to us if you need assistance.” 

“Not only will this program help lower the financial barrier many face when seeking to become an educator, it will help our state reinvigorate the ranks of those seeking to become educators, which will help address the shortage of staff across the state,” *said David Hecker, President of AFT Michigan. *“Many people do not realize the student teachers in their child’s classroom are not getting paid despite the important work they’re doing for students and their future as an educator. The $9,600 stipend for student teachers is a critical step toward compensating student teachers for the hard work they do and will help encourage them to stay in the profession right here in Michigan." 

“We are excited to see the MI Future Educator Fellowship program put into place and to welcome the newest generation of leaders into teacher preparation programs across the state,” said *Paula Herbart, president of the Michigan Education Association and co-chair of Launch Michigan*. “We must tear down the barriers that prevent many talented young people from choosing teaching as a profession, and this new fellowship program will go a long way toward accomplishing that goal.” 

*MI Future Educator Fellowship* 

The Mi Future Educator Fellowship offers aspiring teachers a scholarship to eliminate or lower the cost of tuition while they train to be educators. Awards cover the cost of tuition and fees up to $10,000 and are renewable for up to three years. Students that receive the award commit to teaching in Michigan classrooms for at least three years after graduation.  

To be eligible, future educators must apply through the MiSSG Portal [ [link removed] ], submit their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) [ [link removed] ], and: 


* Be working toward their first teacher certification  
* Start teacher training in fall 2022 or later  
* Earn a 3.0 GPA or higher  
* Be a Michigan resident  

For full eligibility requirements and to apply starting Oct. 31, visit Michigan.gov/mistudentaid [ [link removed] ]. Scholarship funds are limited and will be awarded on a first come, first served basis.  

*MI Future Educator Stipend * 

The Mi Future Educator Stipend provides compensation for full-time student teachers. Starting fall 2022, student teachers can earn $9,600 while they complete their final semester(s) of teacher preparation.  

To be eligible, student teachers must apply through the MiSSG Portal [ [link removed] ] and:  


* Be participating-full time in required student teaching coursework in Michigan  
* Be unpaid by their local district  

For full eligibility requirements and to apply starting Oct. 31, visit Michigan.gov/mistudentaid [ [link removed] ].  

*We’re Here to Help!* 

For more information or help applying for the Fellowship or Stipend, visit Michigan.gov/mistudentaid [ [link removed] ] or contact MI Student Aid at [email protected], 1-888-447-2687 or @mistudentaid on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 


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Fraudsters Using Fake Letters in Collections Scam

Scam

Michigan taxpayers with past-due tax debts should be aware of an aggressive scam making the rounds through the U.S. Postal Service.

In the scheme, taxpayers receive a letter about an overdue tax bill that requests individuals to immediately contact a toll-free number to resolve an outstanding state tax debt. The letter aggressively threatens to seize a taxpayer’s property — including bank accounts, wages, business assets, cars, real estate, refunds and cash — if the debt is not settled.

“We recently received reports about taxpayers receiving these fake letters in the mail,” said Deputy State Treasurer Glenn White, who oversees Treasury’s Revenue Services programs. “Taxpayers have rights. If you have questions about an outstanding state tax debt, please contact us through a verified number so we can talk about options.”

The piece of correspondence appears credible to the taxpayer because it uses specific personal facts pulled directly from publicly available information. The scammer’s letter attempts to lure the taxpayer into a situation where they could make a payment to a criminal.

The state Treasury Department corresponds with taxpayers through official letters that use state of Michigan letterhead that embody both the names of the governor and state treasurer. These official letters are sent through the U.S. Postal Service, provide several options to resolve an outstanding debt and outline taxpayer rights.

Taxpayers who receive a letter from a scammer or have questions about their state debts should call Treasury’s Collections Service Center at 517-636-5265. A customer service representative can log the scam, verify outstanding state debts and provide flexible payment options.


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*Feedback Wanted from Local Units of Government for Annual Revision to Uniform Chart of Accounts*

Feedback

The Michigan Department of Treasury is requesting feedback from local units of government as a part of its annual revision to the Uniform Chart of Accounts (UCA).

The state Treasury Department provides accounting direction to local units through the UCA. To ensure this information is up to date and useful, we have begun revising the UCA annually and incorporating feedback from our local government partners.

The deadline for written comments about the revised UCA is November 25, 2022.

Since the last revision in 2020, most of the updates are minor and designed to improve the UCA navigation. Local units of government are asked to review three documents:


* A short memorandum summarizing the revisions [ [link removed] ]
* A marked-up UCA version with the suggested changes [ [link removed] ]
* A final clean UCA version [ [link removed] ]

Feedback about the proposed changes should be provided in writing to the Community Engagement and Finance Division at [email protected], with the subject line entitled “Uniform Chart of Accounts Exposure Draft.”

Alternatively, written comments may also be submitted through the U.S. Postal Service to:

Community Engagement and Finance Division
Michigan Department of Treasury
P.O. Box 30728
Lansing, Michigan 48909-8228

Questions regarding updates to the UCA should be directed by email to [email protected] or call 517-335-7469. Additional documentation is available on the bulletins, manuals and forms website [ [link removed] ].


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Webinar Examining Local Government Grant Opportunities on Nov. 3

Local Government Webinar

Local units of government looking for information related to upcoming state grant opportunities should sign up for the "Updates and Resources for Local Governments" webinar at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. 

Specific topics covered will include:


* *Outdoor Public Spaces Grant Opportunity*: The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will talk about SPARK grants that help local communities create, renovate or redevelop public outdoor spaces.
* *Blight Elimination Grants*: The State Land Bank Authority will talk about grants available to local communities to address vacant and deteriorated properties.
* *Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) will be discussing many grant opportunities: *
* "MI Hope" is an energy efficient home repair grants eligible to non-profits and local governments.
* "Missing Middle Housing" is a housing production program designed to address the general lack of attainable housing and housing challenges underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic by increasing the supply of housing stock by providing cost defrayment to developers constructing or substantially rehabbing properties targeted to household incomes between 185% and 300% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
* "Housing and Community Development Fund "provides developing and coordinating resources to meet the affordable housing needs of low-income households eligible to nonprofit and for-profit developers, municipalities, land banks, and community development financial institutions.

Participants can register and submit questions online [ [link removed] ] prior to the webinar.  [ [link removed] ]

Presentations and recordings from this webinar, along with previous webinars, can be found at TREASURY - Webinars (michigan.gov) [ [link removed] ]. Use TREASURY - Contact Information (michigan.gov) [ [link removed] ] for support related to Treasury’s local government services. 

"Updates and Resources for Local Governments” is a partnership among the Michigan Department of Treasury, Michigan Municipal League, Michigan Townships Association, Michigan Association of Counties and the Michigan County Road Association. This webinar series is designed to provide local government leaders and officials with the information, tools, and resources necessary to make important decisions at the local level. 


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New Hearings Portal Now Available

Tax Policy

The Hearings Division is pleased to announce the release of the Michigan Department of Treasury Hearings Taxpayer portal.

The Taxpayer portal is an online application that is accessible through the State’s MILogin application and provides Taxpayers and Taxpayer representatives access to file new appeals, upload documents for active dockets, and view both active and historical dockets with Treasury’s Hearings Division.

Taxpayers and their representatives may begin requesting access to the application beginning Oct. 24, 2022. For additional information, please see the Taxpayer Portal Instructions page [ [link removed] ].


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Vehicle Waiting for “Garnishment Day” on Nov. 1

Operations Center

The Michigan Department of Treasury will be practicing vehicle waiting for those filing writs of garnishment in early November.

Beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 1, Treasury staff members will be outside the Operations Building in Dimondale, Michigan, to register individuals filing writs of garnishment, including gathering names, garnishment types, number of garnishments, dollar amounts and phone numbers. When doors open at 8 a.m., individuals waiting in their vehicles will be contacted by mobile phone to enter the building one-by-one to file their garnishments.

Individuals who arrive at the Operations Center prior to 7:30 a.m. will not be provided priority in the processing of their writ of garnishments. All customers who arrive to the Operations Center between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. will be serviced.

Magnetic media will not be reviewed on Nov. 1. Magnetic media filers should complete the testing prior to Nov. 1 and may mail the media to the address listed below.

Treasury does offer the option of mailing in the writs of garnishment as well. Writs of garnishment to be filed on or after Nov. 1 for the upcoming tax year should not be received by Treasury prior to Nov. 1. Individuals who wish to mail their garnishments, or provide magnetic media to be received on or after Nov. 1, can send them to:

Michigan Department of Treasury – Third Party Withholding
P.O. Box 30785
Lansing, MI 48909

If mailing by UPS or FedEx, mail to:

Michigan Department of Treasury – Third Party Withholding
7285 Parsons Dr.
Dimondale, MI 48821


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