LANSING - In a Virtual Town Hall last night, Thursday, December 9, Elissa Slotkin, the Michigan State Representative for District 8, addressed the recent tragedy at Oxford High School, as well as her recent work in Congress, and answered questions from the public.

“Oxford is a small, close-knit community. People care about each other. But within less than 5 minutes, the heart of the town was really ripped out…and it’s fair to say that people are unsure if it will ever be the same again,” Slotkin said in the first part of her statement, regarding the November 30 shooting.

Slotkin held the Town Hall from her Washington D.C. office, with both a map of the town of Oxford and a City of Oxford flag in the background of her recording.

Slotkin reflected on the current state of mental health and violence in schools, calling for a referendum on mental health practices for adolescents:

“This tragedy also makes clear that we have a severe problem with mental health…a tragedy comes like this and exposes all the holes in the services that we need in our young people,” Slotkin added.

Slotkin also addressed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill that is set to go into law in 2022, explaining the origins of the bill, as well as the excitement that she has around the possible jobs that it might create:

“Basically since we created the national highway system…this is the most significant infrastructure investment we’ve made here in this country, and it’s going to transform Michigan for the next decade.”

The full meeting lasted just over 56 minutes and can be found at the link below.