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

If you are not already subscribed, you can sign up to receive my email newsletter here. Please feel free to share this newsletter with your friends, neighbors and anyone else who would like to stay up to date on what is happening with state government.

Click here to hear to me address this critical immigration catastrophe on The Steve Gruber Show. You can also click on the video above to hear me discuss my experience at the southern border on Senate floor.

Last month, I had the opportunity to visit southern Texas and see firsthand the front lines of the Biden administration’s national disaster, the wide-open border where deadly fentanyl, despicable human traffickers, dangerous terrorists, and petty murdering criminals are pouring into our country and local communities, while the cartels rake in billions.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, illicit fentanyl is primarily smuggled into the United States through Mexico and seven out of every 10 pills seized contain a lethal dose of the drug. In 2023, more than 27,000 pounds of fentanyl were seized at the border — an 860% increase compared to 2019.

Just three weeks after six kilograms of fentanyl were seized near Paw Paw, Michigan, in 2023, the DEA then captured 20 kilograms of fentanyl in Oakland County — the state’s largest fentanyl bust to date and enough to kill around 10 million people!

Approximately 100 times more potent than morphine, just two milligrams of fentanyl are lethal. Fentanyl is flooding into countless communities across our state as upwards of 3,000 Michiganders die from drug overdose each year. The Centers for Disease Control Prevention reports that synthetic opioids like fentanyl are the primary driver of overdose deaths — now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45. Where is the leadership? Where is the compassion for these individuals?

Last February, Senate Republicans introduced Stronger Borders, Safer Communities legislation to severely toughen penalties for fentanyl trafficking in Michigan. The strategy would also ban self-proclaimed sanctuary jurisdictions, requiring every Michigan community to enforce state and federal immigration laws. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, Michigan has five self-proclaimed sanctuary communities, including the city of Lansing along with Ingham, Kalamazoo, Kent and Wayne counties.

Day after day, we are seeing the devastating effects that these “sanctuary cities” are creating in the failed ultra-liberal experiment. Now mayors of major U.S. cities like Denver, Chicago, and New York are finally realizing the damage and begging for hundreds of millions of extra dollars to house, school, and care for unmanageable instant population explosions of hundreds of thousands of legal and illegal immigrants.

Unfortunately, rather than working with Republicans to address the crisis being caused by Joe Biden’s failed border policies and protect Michigan communities from deadly fentanyl trafficking and economic disaster, Lansing Democrats have been focused on protecting milkweed and butterflies instead.

I always enjoy opportunities to speak with local constituents about what is really going on in Lansing.

I recently commended the University of Michigan Board of Regents for a big change in going from one of the worst universities in free speech policies to one of the best by adopting a new higher education statement of principles. The statement outlines principles to guide the university to accept “diversity of thought and freedom of speech.”

Many institutions of higher education have celebrated the suppression of free speech and expression of many students for years. While we see other prestigious universities failing to meet the standards set by the First Amendment and making a mockery of diversity of thought, it is refreshing to see U of M’s public commitment to these American values.

Click here to learn more about where other Michigan universities stand in the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expressions free speech rankings.

I had a great opportunity to spend some time with former Michigan Gov. John Engler, who had a wealth of policy advice to share.

Last month, I reintroduced my legislation to better protect nursing home residents by allowing them to install cameras in their own rooms. Senate Bill 717 mirrors SB 77 of 2019, which was pocket vetoed without explanation by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer after it was passed by the Legislature with bipartisan support, including unanimous approval in the Senate.

My bill had previously gained support in the Legislature after an elderly nursing home resident was severely beaten by a 20-year-old man with coronavirus who was placed in the Westwood Nursing Center in Detroit under the governor’s COVID-19 executive orders. The attack, which left a 75-year-old man with broken fingers, broken ribs and a broken jaw, was caught on video and shared by the media.

SB 717 would give our vulnerable residents the option of installing a camera in their own rooms. Any roommates would need to sign off on the camera, and signage acknowledging the camera’s presence would be required at the front of a facility where an electronic monitoring device was in use.

Click here to read more about this issue, including support from leading advocates for seniors and long-term care patients. You can also click on the video below to hear the statement I made about this important legislation on the Senate floor.

I recently voted against legislation pushed by Democrats to criminalize law-abiding Michiganders for exercising Second Amendment rights in public 40 days before any election.

I offered several amendments highlighting the glaring oversights and confusion created within the language of House Bills 4127 and 4128. These bills were poorly crafted and some of my amendments were added. However, at the end of the day, bad legislation is bad legislation, and I will not support government infringing upon the constitutional rights of common citizens.

The targeted bans prescribed under these bills unreasonably infringe upon the lawful Second Amendment rights of people conducting lawful, nonelection-related business who just so happen to pass by or through one of these ballot box bubbles.

Frankly, there are already laws on the books to address the kinds of situations these bills purport to address. Anyone brandishing a weapon in an intimidating or threatening manner — at a polling place or anywhere else — can and should be prosecuted under laws that already exist.

Click here to read more about these poorly thought-out ideological gun ban bills and my opposition to them.

I appreciate every opportunity — like this one on FOX 2 news — to talk about everything happening in Lansing.

It’s always a joy to spend time with my grandkids. As your state senator, I will continue to value and support life and families.

If you know someone who would like to know about what’s going on in Lansing, please forward this email to any who are interested! And if you or someone you know has a local or state issue that they need help with, please don’t hesitate to have them reach out to my office at any time!

Most people are not aware that a township’s master plan sets the guiding principles for future development. These plans are approved every 10 years and could have a dramatic impact on your community. Make sure to involve yourself in the process. Currently, Milford Township is working on its master plans.