About Yousef
Your Representative at the Capitol
Yousef Rabhi is the Democratic Floor Leader in the Michigan House of Representatives. Now serving in his second term representing the 53rd State House district, he has been a consistent progressive voice at the Capitol with a track record of putting the interests of the people before lobbyists and corporations. He has emerged as a leader in the struggle for single-payer universal healthcare, enacting Green New Deal policies at the state level, fighting for justice for all and reversing cuts to funding for public schools and universities.
In his first term, Yousef served on the House Appropriations Committee where he introduced amendments to end the raid on the School Aid Fund, increase funding for the Indian Tuition Waiver program and establish new funding to ensure access to clean drinking water in Flint. Yousef currently sits on the Government Operations Committee which oversees a wide variety of legislation.
As a legislator, Yousef has introduced transformative policies to tackle climate change and move our state toward a renewable energy future. His first bill that was signed into law was PA 118 which eliminated a significant barrier for home solar projects, saving hundreds of dollars for many Ann Arbor residents.
Yousef has established a strong track record of fearlessly taking on corporate special interests in Lansing, introducing legislation to end Nestle's theft of our water, forcing polluters to pay to clean up their messes and sunsetting MEGA corporate tax credits. He has proudly stood alongside working people by voting against the repeal of prevailing wage, co-sponsoring legislation to repeal the so-called "Right to Work" laws and sponsoring a bill to protect workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
County Commissioner for the People
Before his time as State Representative, Yousef served for six years as a Washtenaw County Commissioner, leading the Board as its Chair during the 2013-14 term. During his tenure as Chair, the County was able to secure stable 10-year labor agreements, the first-ever balanced four-year budget, and a AAA Bond rating for the first time in the County’s history.
Once the County was on stable fiscal footing, Yousef turned to building a more equitable community. He spearheaded the creation of the first Municipal ID program in the Midwest and shepherded the development of the Washtenaw Dental Clinic, which serves uninsured and Medicaid eligible residents. During his time on the Board, Yousef served on nearly 20 different boards, committees, and commissions covering public safety, public works, solid waste management, transportation, regional cooperation, human service funding, land preservation, and food policy, among others.
Deeply Rooted in Progressive and Community Values
Born in Ypsilanti and raised in Ann Arbor, Yousef cultivated his passion for environmental preservation, sustainability, and community early in his life by getting involved with the Huron River Watershed Council’s Adopt-a-Stream program in pre-school and later, the Buhr Park Children’s Wet Meadow Project.
Yousef is a graduate of Ann Arbor Public Schools, attending Northside, Bach Open, Clague, and Huron High schools. Yousef attended the University of Michigan where he worked for social change as an activist in the peace, labor, and environmental movements. He earned a degree in Environmental Science specializing in Urban Planning and Ecosystem Management. After graduating, and while serving the community as a County Commissioner, Yousef began a career in public land stewardship and ecosystem management working at both the City of Ann Arbor Natural Area Preservation and the University of Michigan’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum.
Yousef's roots in progressive change run deep. As the son of an immigrant father and activist mother, Yousef has had a lifelong immersion in social change. Yousef's paternal grandparents were revolutionaries, putting their lives on the line in the struggle against European colonialism in Africa during the Algerian War of Independence. His maternal grandmother spent her career advocating for peace, universal disarmament and ending global imperialism, including work to end Apartheid in South Africa. She served as Permanent Representative to the United Nations for the World Peace Council, the Director of the Center for International Peace and Justice and a leader in the anti-Vietnam War movement, organizing rallies and marches, including one that she organized with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The son of Italian immigrants born and raised in southwest Detroit, his maternal grandfather was a WWII veteran who worked as a skilled tradesman in the auto-industry and spent his life organizing his fellow workers as a rank-and-file UAW activist who eventually became the president of his local.
The work of his parents and grandparents have instilled in him an unshakeable moral compass that has always guided him to stand with working people, the poor, the underserved and the oppressed.
Yousef Rabhi is the Democratic Floor Leader in the Michigan House of Representatives. Now serving in his second term representing the 53rd State House district, he has been a consistent progressive voice at the Capitol with a track record of putting the interests of the people before lobbyists and corporations. He has emerged as a leader in the struggle for single-payer universal healthcare, enacting Green New Deal policies at the state level, fighting for justice for all and reversing cuts to funding for public schools and universities.
In his first term, Yousef served on the House Appropriations Committee where he introduced amendments to end the raid on the School Aid Fund, increase funding for the Indian Tuition Waiver program and establish new funding to ensure access to clean drinking water in Flint. Yousef currently sits on the Government Operations Committee which oversees a wide variety of legislation.
As a legislator, Yousef has introduced transformative policies to tackle climate change and move our state toward a renewable energy future. His first bill that was signed into law was PA 118 which eliminated a significant barrier for home solar projects, saving hundreds of dollars for many Ann Arbor residents.
Yousef has established a strong track record of fearlessly taking on corporate special interests in Lansing, introducing legislation to end Nestle's theft of our water, forcing polluters to pay to clean up their messes and sunsetting MEGA corporate tax credits. He has proudly stood alongside working people by voting against the repeal of prevailing wage, co-sponsoring legislation to repeal the so-called "Right to Work" laws and sponsoring a bill to protect workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
County Commissioner for the People
Before his time as State Representative, Yousef served for six years as a Washtenaw County Commissioner, leading the Board as its Chair during the 2013-14 term. During his tenure as Chair, the County was able to secure stable 10-year labor agreements, the first-ever balanced four-year budget, and a AAA Bond rating for the first time in the County’s history.
Once the County was on stable fiscal footing, Yousef turned to building a more equitable community. He spearheaded the creation of the first Municipal ID program in the Midwest and shepherded the development of the Washtenaw Dental Clinic, which serves uninsured and Medicaid eligible residents. During his time on the Board, Yousef served on nearly 20 different boards, committees, and commissions covering public safety, public works, solid waste management, transportation, regional cooperation, human service funding, land preservation, and food policy, among others.
Deeply Rooted in Progressive and Community Values
Born in Ypsilanti and raised in Ann Arbor, Yousef cultivated his passion for environmental preservation, sustainability, and community early in his life by getting involved with the Huron River Watershed Council’s Adopt-a-Stream program in pre-school and later, the Buhr Park Children’s Wet Meadow Project.
Yousef is a graduate of Ann Arbor Public Schools, attending Northside, Bach Open, Clague, and Huron High schools. Yousef attended the University of Michigan where he worked for social change as an activist in the peace, labor, and environmental movements. He earned a degree in Environmental Science specializing in Urban Planning and Ecosystem Management. After graduating, and while serving the community as a County Commissioner, Yousef began a career in public land stewardship and ecosystem management working at both the City of Ann Arbor Natural Area Preservation and the University of Michigan’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum.
Yousef's roots in progressive change run deep. As the son of an immigrant father and activist mother, Yousef has had a lifelong immersion in social change. Yousef's paternal grandparents were revolutionaries, putting their lives on the line in the struggle against European colonialism in Africa during the Algerian War of Independence. His maternal grandmother spent her career advocating for peace, universal disarmament and ending global imperialism, including work to end Apartheid in South Africa. She served as Permanent Representative to the United Nations for the World Peace Council, the Director of the Center for International Peace and Justice and a leader in the anti-Vietnam War movement, organizing rallies and marches, including one that she organized with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The son of Italian immigrants born and raised in southwest Detroit, his maternal grandfather was a WWII veteran who worked as a skilled tradesman in the auto-industry and spent his life organizing his fellow workers as a rank-and-file UAW activist who eventually became the president of his local.
The work of his parents and grandparents have instilled in him an unshakeable moral compass that has always guided him to stand with working people, the poor, the underserved and the oppressed.