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Dear friends,
It is my hope that you and your family are staying happy, healthy and safe this fall. Despite the uncertainty facing our state, nation and community right now, it’s important to remember that we all want what’s best for our future. And no matter what happens, we will move forward together.
In Lansing I’m doing all that I can to make a difference for Oakland County. My Senate colleagues unanimously passed Senate Bill 77, legislation I sponsored to give residents the option of installing a camera in their own room. I also worked with both Republicans and Democrats to introduce legislation to help students diagnosed with dyslexia.
My staff and I continue to work with the Unemployment Insurance Agency to make sure everyone gets the benefits they need. 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.
In your service,
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Senator Jim Runestad
Serving the 15th State Senate District
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Runestad backs Legislature’s COVID-19 protections
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In recent weeks, we in the Senate sent the governor several COVID-19 protection measures in the wake of a Michigan Supreme Court ruling that struck down her coronavirus-related executive orders.
My fellow lawmakers and I have always maintained that the Legislature has a constitutional role to play in the governance of our state — including during this extended health care emergency. The Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the people’s elected representatives do have a say in how the state manages the response to this pandemic. That is what the people expect, and that is how our system of government is supposed to work. It’s ridiculous to see the governor once again going it alone with her recent statewide mandates through the Department of Health and Human Services without any consultation with the Legislature.
We recently came together to resolve a coronavirus-related budget deficit and pass a new balanced budget, which the governor has signed. We must build on that partnership to find common ground on critical coronavirus protections. It’s amazing what we can do when members of both parties come together to make a difference.
These important measures preserve critical unemployment benefits, protect local government officials and health care workers, and extend the deadline for people to renew their driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations.
Senate Bills 886 and 911 continue unemployment benefits for up to 26 weeks for eligible workers out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. SB 1108 allows boards of local governments and other public entities to meet electronically for a limited time. House Bill 6159 provides liability protections for health care providers for services related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and HB 6192 extends expiration deadlines for Michigan driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations until Dec. 31, 2020.
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Unemployment insurance benefits update
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Working with the Unemployment Insurance Agency continues to be a roller coaster of ups and downs. While my staff and I have been able to secure benefits for a great number of constituents, there are far too many who are still waiting on the money they are owed.
One new development is that Michiganders who were on unemployment, went back to work, and are now temporarily unemployed again due to COVID-19 may reopen their claim online. Visit Michigan.gov/uia or contact my office to learn more.
In the meantime, I will continue to work with officials in the Unemployment Insurance Agency to do more to deliver wages to those who so desperately need them.
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Congratulations to my daughter Lena!
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My wife Kathy and I are so proud to announce the marriage of our daughter Lena to our new son-in-law, Tim!
We had a small, beautiful wedding last month to celebrate their marriage. Kathy and I could not be prouder.
I always love the chance to get our family together — including with our newest granddaughter, Lily!
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Senate passes Runestad bill providing peace of mind to families of nursing home residents
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For several years I have been working on measures to help ensure the welfare of nursing home residents and peace of mind for their loved ones. The Senate unanimously approved my recent legislation to do just that.
Senate Bill 77 would establish the right of a resident in a nursing home facility to have an electronic monitoring device installed under certain conditions. By enabling residents to voluntarily place cameras in their own rooms, we are putting in place another level of accountability. This legislation will provide residents, families and facilities with the assurance that residents are being well cared for and treated properly.
I hope that every incident of abuse toward an elderly person is the last we will ever see, but that is not the case. Allowing the video monitoring of nursing home residents’ rooms will help prevent further tragedies.
Click here to learn more about this legislation.
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Runestad participates in ‘a day in the life of a firefighter and paramedic’
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Firefighters and paramedics are our heroes on the front lines, rushing to help where others flee. We all should honor their service and bravery.
I recently had the opportunity to see just how hard our local firefighters and paramedics work to serve families in our community. Eight fire departments in Oakland County sponsored Fire Ops 101. Thank you to West Bloomfield Fire Department’s Deputy Fire Marshal Dave deBoer and Training Captain Robert Bryant. Participating, even in a small way, drove home how dedicated they are every day to protect us.
Click here to see a video of all that we did that day!
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nestad’s constitutional privacy amendment passes with almost 90 percent support!
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I have worked for years to protect your personal privacy information from warrantless search and seizure, and I’m thankful the voters of Michigan have voted overwhelmingly to protect the privacy of your electronic data.
Proposal 2 affirms that our Fourth Amendment rights to privacy also apply to our electronic data. We may not know what future technologies and data will bring, but due to this vote we can be sure that our privacy rights will apply.
Click here to hear more of my thoughts on this important achievement for our state.
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Runestad Detroit News op-ed: We must combat Michigan’s suicide epidemic
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A heartbreaking epidemic occurring in our state has taken thousands of lives. While not caused by a virus, it has been worsened by it. And considering how difficult this year has been for so many, it is more important than ever that we do something about this tragedy.
I am referring to our suicide epidemic. Recently a mental health center in Michigan published a report that predicts a real crisis as a result of the aftershocks of the coronavirus. The report by Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services predicts a potential 15% to 32% increase in statewide suicide rates.
Read my entire my op-ed here.
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Bipartisan group of senators introduces dyslexia and child literacy legislation
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In honor of National Dyslexia Awareness Month, I worked with senators from both parties to introduce legislation that would do more to help students affected by dyslexia.
Michigan is dead last for helping students with dyslexia succeed, which is contributing to our failure to bridge the literacy gap. Senate Bills 1172, 1173, 1174 and 1175 focus on identifying and intervening to help students with dyslexia early on in their academic journey. These bills will also help ensure that educators are adequately trained to understand dyslexia, to identify students early on who are struggling with learning the code, and to teach these students to break the code.
The bills are now before the Senate Committee on Education and Career Readiness.
Click here to learn more about the legislative package.
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MiSTEM Network and U.S. Math Recovery Council offer free resources
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As educators and parents continue to navigate the challenges of online or hybrid learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the MiSTEM Network, in collaboration with the U.S. Math Recovery Council, is providing access to free resources designed to support pre-K through fifth grade students, parents, teachers and professional learning facilitators.
Math Recovery empowers educators to use diagnostic assessments and learning trajectories to implement effective teaching and learning of mathematics in elementary grades. To learn more about these resources and how they can help you, visit www.swmistem.org/math.
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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 and the townships of Commerce, Lyon, Milford, Novi, West Bloomfield and White Lake.
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If you wish to unsubscribe, please do so below.
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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