Dear Friends,

To better serve the people of the 30th Senate District, I will now offer this “Week in Review” that I will be sending out every week. I hope you will find it informative about what is happening in Lansing.

I encourage you to contact me with any state issue. You may call 517-373-6920 or email [email protected].  Also, please check out my Facebook page. Let me know if I can assist you in any way or if you have an idea to help move our state forward.

Working for you,
Roger Victory
State Senator

On Tuesday, I had the honor of giving the Senate invocation to start the session day. As always, I am truly blessed to be alive, live in West Michigan, have a loving family, and be able to serve the good people of Ottawa County as your state senator.

You can watch my invocation remarks by clicking here or on the image below.

The Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee held two hearings on the 12-bill bipartisan police improvement package. Most of these proposals are based on best practices already found in a number of our local law enforcement agencies. The goal is to put these proven practices into law, provide uniformity and clarity across Michigan, while providing locals the flexibility required to meet the unique needs of their communities.

On Tuesday, we heard from Attorney General Dana Nessel and officials with the Michigan Association of Police Chiefs.

Nessel said the package would go a long way in restoring public trust and ensuring departments have the highest quality officers possible. She began her testimony by saying, “I wholly reject the notion of defunding the police. I think it’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard. I think that if you want the best police officers patrolling our streets as possible - you pay them, you pay them well, you give them good benefits and you give them the best possible training and equipment possible.”

Officials with the Michigan Association of Police Chiefs testified that several of the bills could be acceptable if certain clarifying language and improvements were made, such as providing additional clarification regarding MCOLES’ duties and responsibilities in SB 473. They were also concerned about available funding for many of the improvements, such as sending officers to additional training while maintaining a full force in the community.

Click here to watch Tuesday’s committee hearing.

We held a second hearing on the bills Thursday morning, which mainly focused on access to mental health

Former Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee highlighted improving mental health care access while discussing SB 482, which would require MCOLES to develop implicit bias, de-escalation and behavioral health training for officers and require ongoing training.

He suggested having departments allow for annual or biannual psychological debriefing of officers, noting that mental health was critical in ensuring officers are operating effectively. He said that addressing mental health issues while removing the stigma would be beneficial for everyone.

Click here to watch the Thursday morning committee hearing.

On Thursday morning, I also participated in a press conference at the state Capitol with Attorney General Dana Nessel and a bipartisan group of lawmakers to announce legislation designed to help prevent elder abuse by bad actors appointed as guardians or conservators for our seniors.

One of the most important roles we have in our society and in state government is to protect our most vulnerable citizens from harm — emotionally, physically and financially.

As the chairman of the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, I look forward to working with the attorney general and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on this common goal of ensuring the best interests of our seniors is always the top priority.

The legislation — Senate Bills 503-506 and House Bills 4847-4850 — is the culmination of more than two years of work by the Elder Abuse Task Force, which included members of the state Supreme Court, the governor’s office, county prosecutors, state and federal lawmakers, advocacy groups and 13 people from the attorney general’s office.

To see my remarks at the press conference, click here or on the image below.

Below is a list of resources available to you if you need any type of assistance. Additionally, you can contact my office at any time for more information.