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Dear neighbor,
Welcome to another edition of my newsletter, a legislative update of what I’m working on to make a real difference for families and the most vulnerable in our community.
In the first days of the coronavirus pandemic, Michigan was one of five states to ignore warnings from experts and force nursing homes to accept COVID-19-positive patients into the same facilities with our most vulnerable. Unfortunately, the attorney general has chosen to deny my request for an investigation into the administration’s nursing home policies. I am continuing to pursue all avenues — including designating funding for a special investigator — to get answers for grieving families who lost a loved one in a nursing home.
I also voted for additional coronavirus relief funding, and against affirming the new director of the Department of Health and Human Services. Continue reading to learn about these votes, legislation to take away pensions from corrupt public officials, and more.
My staff and I continue the uphill battle with the Unemployment Insurance Agency to get your claims processed as quickly as possible. If you have any questions relating to unemployment — or any issue, for that matter — please don’t hesitate to contact my office at any time.
Working with and for you,
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Senator Jim Runestad
Serving the 15th State Senate District
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Runestad: Urge AG Nessel to investigate Whitmer nursing home policy
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In the first days of the coronavirus pandemic, nursing home experts urged the administration not to expose elderly Michiganders to the virus by sending COVID-19-positive patients back into nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Their advice was ignored, and there were consequences.
One year later, Michiganders who lost loved ones still don’t have answers. Grieving families deserve to know why this happened, how it was allowed to happen, and why the administration refuses to release nursing home COVID-19 data.
Michigan was one of five states whose executive orders forced nursing homes to take COVID-19-positive patients into the same facilities as our most vulnerable seniors. While Democrat attorneys general in states like New York that had these same policies in place have conducted investigations into their nursing home policies, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel refused to take up my request for an investigation.
I’ve made protecting our most vulnerable my mission in the Senate, and families deserve answers. If you believe our attorney general should put the people of Michigan before her political party, please sign our petition asking her to conduct an independent, nonpartisan investigation into the administration’s nursing home policies. Click here to sign the petition or visit www.misenategop.com/whitmer-nursing-home-investigation/.
Meanwhile I introduced legislation Thursday that would designate funding for a special investigation. If our attorney general refuses to do the right thing and launch an investigation, someone else is going to have to.
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Taking public pensions away from corrupt officials
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Michigan taxpayers have no business paying the pensions of public officials who have taken bribes and pleaded guilty to corruption. When I found out this was still happening in 2017, I worked to pass a law requiring public employees to forfeit their pension if convicted of a felony that violates the public’s trust.
But as ABC 7 investigators recently reported, the law is hardly being used at all. Corrupt officials are still getting their pensions even while they are behind bars. My 2017 law has been on the books for four years now, and it’s time our state starts using it to fight corruption and stand up for taxpayers.
Click on the video to see the full story now.
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Voting to reject Hertel as health department director
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This week I voted against affirming interim Director Hertel as the new head of the Department of Health and Human Services. Like many of my colleagues, I had hope that things would change with the appointment of Hertel, but our hopes have proven unfounded.
Nothing the interim director has said or done has indicated she will do anything substantive to improve this department’s response to the pandemic.
Nothing — absolutely nothing — has indicated that anything will be better under a new director. The same one-size-fits-all, strong-armed, unconstitutional approach will only continue with Hertel at the helm.
Click here to read my full statement.
Click here to view my no-vote explanation on the Senate floor.
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Runestad to introduce legislation to increase government transparency and efficiency
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Michigan has been rated as the least transparent state in the entire country. That’s why I am introducing legislation that would make government agencies, programs, committees and commissions more transparent and efficient by introducing “sunset” reviews.
Putting in place a process to evaluate government programs is one of many steps we should be taking to increase transparency and accountability. My bill would establish the Sunset Review Commission to evaluate any state-run entity on their reported benefits and costs. The proposed commission would take up a much-needed role in weighing the financial costs and benefits of government-run entities.
I made this announcement during Sunshine Week, observed nationwide each year to raise awareness regarding government transparency and accountability.
Click here to learn more about this transparency legislation.
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Runestad supports bills restoring COVID-19 funding vetoed by the governor
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Last week, the governor vetoed bipartisan funding to help the businesses and schools closed for the better part of a year recover from COVID-19. Last week, the Senate passed a second set of budget bills, resending the bills to the governor’s desk.
Senate Bill 114 features $555 million in funding previously vetoed, including:
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• $300 million in grants to offset property tax payments for affected homeowners and businesses facing financial ruin due to the governor’s shutdown orders.
• $150 million to repay the state’s Unemployment Trust Fund for fraudulent benefits paid out by the Unemployment Insurance Agency.
• $55 million for grants to help struggling businesses with unemployment taxes.
• $50 million to reimburse Michigan businesses that were charged licensing and inspection fees by the state even when their businesses were closed through no fault of their own.
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Senate Bill 29 includes $10 million to reimburse parents for costs associated with summer school and $87 million in federal Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) grants for nonpublic schools.
The bills now head to the governor for her consideration.
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Students who read early become readers for life! Normally in March I spend time reading in classrooms all across our community. But this year we have to do it a little differently.
Click here or on the video image at left to see a virtual reading of If You Give a Pig a Blanket by Laura Numeroff. Please reach out to my office to receive bookmarks, workbooks, and other materials to help our children celebrate the importance of reading!
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Forward this email to a friend
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If you know of someone who would like to know about what’s going on in Lansing, please forward this email on to a friend! And if you know of anyone who could use help with a state matter, please don’t hesitate to have them reach out to my office at any time!
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Subscribe to my email newsletter
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If you are not already subscribed, you can sign up to receive my email newsletter here. And please feel free to share this newsletter with your friends, neighbors and anyone else who would like to stay up to date on the COVID-19 response and what is happening with state government.
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The 15th District includes the cities of Northville, Novi, Orchard Lake, South Lyon, Walled Lake and Wixom, the townships of Commerce, Lyon, Milford, Novi, West Bloomfield and White Lake, and the villages of Milford and Wolverine Lake.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this legislative update and please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance on any matter pertaining to state government.
Best Regards,
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Senator Jim Runestad
7500 Connie B. Binsfeld Office Building
P.O. Box 30036
Lansing, MI 48909-7536
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