Jeff Irwin (politician)


Jeff Irwin is a member of the Michigan Senate. He represents Michigan's 18th Senate district, encompassing the cities of Ann Arbor, Saline, Ypsilanti, and Milan and the townships of Ann Arbor, Pittsfield, York, Augusta, Salem, Superior, and Ypsilanti. He replaced Rebekah Warren, who was term limited. Irwin is a Democrat.

Career

Irwin was a commissioner in Washtenaw County, Michigan for a decade, before winning election to the Michigan House in 2011. Irwin served as chairman of the campaign committee of the Michigan House Democrats in 2012. Irwin sees education at the top priority in his caucus. Irwin also supports no-reason absentee voting and early voting.
In 2013, Irwin introduced a bill that would fully decriminalize marijuana, and sponsored legislation to legalize same-sex marriage in Michigan, recognize same-sex marriages that were licensed in other states, and reverse the state's ban on extending health benefits to domestic partners of public employees.
In 2016, Irwin spearheaded reducing of the DEQ threshold for dioxane from 85ppm to 7.2ppm, with emergency promulgation, following the discovery of a family affected by numerous health conditions, found drinking and living with well water with high levels of dioxane. He also organized a DEQ Townhall on dioxane in Ann Arbor, bringing together experts like Roger Rayle, who had been tracking the spread of dioxane in the area for decades, precipitating the EPA SuperFund application by Washtenaw County