Dear neighbor,

Below, you will find legislative updates from the state Capitol that are important to the residents of western Oakland County. You also will find important updates and communications on my website, SenatorJimRunestad.com.

Serving you,

Senator Jim Runestad
23rd State Senate District

I recently issued a statement strongly condemning the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ management of the state’s foster care system and stressing the need for immediate improvement and increased accountability following reports that MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel wants the program to be free from federal oversight by 2026.

Michigan’s foster care system has been under federal oversight since 2008 because of despicable levels of mismanagement. We need to see concrete evidence of success across all monitored areas to ensure the safety and well-being of our children before any additional oversight is lifted.

Stringent oversight must be maintained in order to protect vulnerable children and families who rely on Michigan’s foster care system. We must ensure that more — not less — transparency, accountability and oversight are put upon MDHHS to protect children, restore trust and support families in need of this invaluable service.

I have long been an advocate for reforming the foster care system and will continue to be passionate about this issue. Read my full statement here.

A 4-year-old girl in Rochester Hills was serially abused by her caretakers, all seemingly under the nose of Michigan’s Child Protective Services.

Michigan’s child care system is arguably the worst in the nation. Children continue to die under the care of the state, and the cycle of tragedy shows no sign of ending.

Despite years of audits, reports and supposed reforms, the outcomes remain appalling. The deaths keep coming, and the accountability is nonexistent.

When tragedy strikes, families, lawmakers and the public are met with silence and secrecy. Time and again, Republicans have called for transparency, demanding answers and access to the truth.

How many more children must die before we admit the system is broken beyond repair?

Click here to read more about this tragic case.

I recently wrote a guest commentary for The Detroit News highlighting the misplaced health care priorities of Democratic lawmakers in Lansing.

I outlined how Democrats have forced social ideology into health care considerations, often pulling care away from needed groups such as people in rural areas and the elderly.

Michigan’s health care funding must prioritize access, especially in rural areas. While Democrats might claim to be a party of health care for all, their policies have proven otherwise.

Click here to read more about how “The left’s failed health ideology is hurting Michigan.”

Shepler’s Mackinac Island ferry company has been in the news lately over its price increases and lawmakers’ assertions of the group’s monopoly on Mackinac Island ferry rides.

Mackinac Island is Michigan’s crème de la crème of tourist destinations, yet each year, a trip to this most iconic location is getting more and more expensive.

I recently voted with a majority of my Senate colleagues to support a bill that would expand the city of Mackinac Island’s ability to regulate all types of fees charged to customers riding ferry boats to and from the island. This is in an attempt to bring prices down, not only for the ferry rides, but for related expenses like parking, bike rentals and additional fees.

The current ferry arrangement is not fair to Michiganders and tourists. Visitors are being price-gouged by a company that has a monopoly on transportation to the island. It’s not a free market when one company has a chokehold on access to the island.

Click here to hear more about the Senate’s vote to help Mackinac Island bring down ferry prices.

Senate Democrats have refused to compromise with House Republicans on passing an education funding plan, putting Michigan’s school districts in limbo as to how to fund the 2025-26 academic year.

The budget deadline was on July 1, but instead of using the summer recess to draft a bipartisan plan, talk with the necessary stakeholders and communicate with their colleagues across the aisle to come to an agreement, they have spent their time trying to push through divisive partisan policies designed only to generate headlines.

Earlier this month, 10 gunmen stormed an ICE facility in Texas with the goal of killing ICE agents. And now, Michigan Democrats want to make it even easier for violent extremists to identify and hunt down officers working to detain illegal criminal immigrants. Their latest scheme would put a target on the faces of the very people working to keep our communities safe by prohibiting them from wearing masks.

Unless Democrats compromise soon, the time they wasted this summer on political games will lead directly to a government shutdown if a deal is not struck by Oct. 1.

Democrats need to get to work for their constituents, not play partisan politics in their place.

Click here to read more about Democrats prioritizing legislation that endangers and demonizes federal law enforcement over their duty to finish the state budget.

I recently spoke with Michael Patrick Shiels on Michigan’s Big Show, exploring Democrats’ latest push to pass legislation demonizing law enforcement while simultaneously blowing past the state’s budget deadline.

Click on the image below to hear more of our discussion.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel recently rejected my request that she investigate the double standard of Michigan State Police leadership.

This shows the further politicization of an attorney general’s office that would rather cover for the Whitmer administration’s disastrous MSP appointments than investigate wrongdoing, mismanagement and corruption that is potentially wasting Michigan taxpayers’ money.

Michigan state troopers deserve better leadership, and the governor and attorney general continue to show contempt for the rank and file by continuing to throw their support behind failed leadership.

The Chinese national who voted in the 2024 presidential election is not only an indictment of Michigan’s weakly secured election systems, but also shows what is possible with Democrats’ misguided election policies.

This wasn’t some one-off mistake. A recent Department of State report found that at least 15 people likely illegally voted in Michigan in 2024.

I recently told The College Fix that, “Far-left special interests and out-of-state money have hijacked our elections by pushing ballot proposals that undermine our election integrity and allow people to register and vote without any verification of citizenship,” and called for “a citizen-only voting amendment in order to secure our elections.”

Click on the image below to read more.

It was an honor to attend the U.S. Army’s 250th Birthday Ball in Detroit. God bless the U.S. Army!

It wouldn’t be a Michigan summer without a sunset on the lake — now that’s Pure Michigan!

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