Letter from Representative Kristian Grant in Opposition to House Bill 4915

Summary

A letter from State Representative Kristian Grant of the 82nd District, Michigan House of Representatives, to Chair Hoadley opposing House Bill 4915, then before the Economic Competitiveness Committee. The letter states that the bill would eliminate implicit bias training requirements for healthcare professionals in Michigan. It argues that the training helps clinicians recognize how unconscious bias can shape diagnosis, communication and treatment, and urges the committee to reject the bill. The letter says signatures from healthcare providers, agencies, elected officials and community members are attached. The signature pages list many state representatives along with leaders of the Michigan Council Maternal & Child Health and Mothering Justice and a Grand Rapids City Commission commissioner.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Full text

82ND DISTRICT MICHIGAN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEES:
STATE CAPITOL ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS (MVC)

P.O. BOX 30014 KRI STIAN ( RANT TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
LANSING, MI 48909-7514 REGULATORY REFORM

PHONE: (517) 373-1800
vanameasenenaee STATE REPRESENTATIVE

KristianGrant@house.mi.gov

Dear Chair Hoadley,

I write to express my strong opposition to House Bill 4915, currently before the Economic Competitiveness Committee.
The bill seeks to eliminate implicit bias training requirements for healthcare professionals in Michigan. If enacted, this
legislation would dismantle the meaningful progress our state has made in improving health outcomes and ensuring that all
patients receive effective, high-quality care.

This bill rests on a false premise: that bias is a matter of opinion, and that we can eliminate it simply by refusing to name
it. However, implicit bias is a well-documented reality of human cognition and experience. Human biases are not a moral
failing or a product of malice; rather, they are the result of how the brain, under complexity and pressure, relies on mental
shortcuts that can lead to unconscious assumptions. In the context of healthcare, those assumptions can cost lives.

The training currently required in Michigan does not shame providers. It strengthens them. It helps clinicians recognize
how unconscious bias can shape diagnosis, communication, and treatment. Without this training, providers can
unknowingly carry biases that lead to unequal care for patients of different ages, abilities, ethnicities, genders, and health
histories.

Black women in our state are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes. Study after study has
shown that people of color are less likely to have their pain taken seriously or their symptoms believed. These are not
anomalies; they are systemic patterns. The same can be said about patients who may face bias based on age, ability,
gender, and family health history. Implicit bias training is one of the most effective tools we have to begin correcting
them. By promoting awareness, empathy, and accountability, implicit bias training has been proven to strengthen patient
trust, improve communication, and reduce preventable harm.

Rolling back this requirement through HB 4915 would be a dangerous step backward at a time when Michigan’s
healthcare outcomes already lag behind national averages. Eliminating bias training would not create a more neutral
healthcare system; it would undermine its effectiveness and weaken its ability to serve a diverse, pluralistic society.

I am joined by colleagues, healthcare professionals, public health agencies, and constituents across Michigan who strongly
urge the committee to reject House Bill 4915. If we aspire to a society rooted in justice, equality, and fairness, we cannot
look away from the role bias plays in health outcomes — especially for those most at risk.

Attached are signatures from healthcare providers, agencies, elected officials, and community members who stand united
in opposition to HB 4915.

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration and for your continued commitment to the health and well-being of the
people of Michigan.

Sincerely,

Kristian Grant
State Representative, 824 District
Michigan House of Representatives

ers Recycled
Pa al
EE @ Fess
feBricn sty Mab

Julie Brixie
State Representative, 73" District
Michigan House of Representatives

fy /}
Penelope Tsernoglou

State Representative, 75" District
Michigan House of Representatives

Noah Arbit

State Representative, 20" District
Michigan House of Representatives

0 Ce

Jimmie Wilson, Jr.
State Representative, 32" District
Michigan House of Representatives

y MAP| -
QUO TIL re
7

Carrie Rheingans
State Representative, 47" District
Michigan House of Representatives

Laurie Pohutsky

State Representative, 17" District
Michigan House of Representatives

iL St
i

Tonya Myers Phillips
State Representative, 7" District
Michigan House of Representatives

) 77 /x ae

Natalie Price
State Representative, 6'" District
Michigan House of Representatives

Emily Dievendorf
State Representative, 77" District
Michigan House of Representatives

Matt Longjohn

State Representative, 40" District
Michigan House of Representatives

Sharon MacDonell
State Representative, 56" District
Michigan House of Representatives

eA
Reggie Miller
State Representative, 31* District
Michigan House of Representatives

Waterberg —

Matt Koleszar
State Representative, 22"! District
Michigan House of Representatives

lhe AZ
Via

Jasper Martus
State Representative, 69" District
Michigan House of Representatives

pa bb

Regina Weiss
State Representative, 5" District
Michigan House of Representatives

fest, kel

Kimberly Edwards
State Representative, 12" District
Michigan House of Representatives

Stephen Wooden
State Representative, 81% District
Michigan House of Representatives

(Varad he 6 lan’ Ls

Carol Glanville
State Representative, 84" District
Michigan House of Representatives

Amos O’Neal
State Representative, 94" District
Michigan House of Representatives

Lyerprican Lf jours
/

Veronica Paiz

State Representative, 10" District

Michigan House of Representatives

Julie Rogers
State Representative, 41* District
Michigan House of Representatives

foAre “fe eyes

Kara Hope
State Representative, 74th District
Michigan House of Representatives

Nigh 0 Yomg

Stephanie Young
State Representative, 16" District
Michigan House of Representatives

Will Snyder

State Representative, 87" District
Michigan House of Representatives
Samantha Steckloff
State Representative, 19" District
Michigan House of Representatives

Joe Tate
State Representative, 9" District
Michigan House of Representatives

Tyrone Carter
State Representative, 1* District
Michigan House of Representatives

dy. yo

Amy Zaagman

Executive Director
Michigan Council Maternal
& Child Health

Donavan McKinney
State Representative, 11'" District
Michigan House of Representatives

aN

L\r wrt .
Yi | a oh ay \ pow

Morgan Foreman
State Representative, 33" District
Michigan House of Representatives

PA Sta

Phil Skaggs
State Representative, 80" District
Michigan House of Representatives

Danielle Atkinson

National Executive Director
Founder

Mothering Justice

ES PuLD

Erin Byrnes
State Representative, 15" District
Michigan House of Representatives

Lid

Dylan Wegela
State Representative, 26" District
Michigan House of Representatives

a

Kelly Breen
State Representative, 21* District
Michigan House of Representatives

Milinda Ysasi
Ward Commissioner, 2"4 Ward
Grand Rapids City Commission

File and source

File

2025-10-23_testimony_hb-4915-representative-kristian-grant-letter-of-opposition-h_58728.pdf

Size

2,078,726 bytes

SHA-256

34e2ddd72a1c8529c0ac29a2897093ad5e88af7e121c0642ba1e928fb2a130ed

Our copy

2025-10-23_testimony_hb-4915-representative-kristian-grant-letter-of-opposition-h_58728.pdf

Original

www.house.mi.gov