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 hosted a “People Over Data Centers” rally with many of my Republican and Democrat colleagues on the steps of our state Capitol.

The message was simple: The people of our state should come before the interests of big corporate data center projects.

The rally encouraged the swift passage of my data center moratorium bills, which would pause all data center development in Michigan for a year until we can learn about their long-term impacts.

Hundreds of people from all across the state attended to make their voices heard. It was great to see everyone come together and to hear from so many people, from legislators and experts to concerned citizens. Thank you to everyone who came out!

You can watch the full rally here.

People are being absolutely fleeced by Michigan’s massive utility companies.

Again and again, our utilities request rate hikes, and again and again, residents foot the bill while receiving the same poor service.

I recently introduced legislation to establish reporting requirements for campaign-related donations from utility providers in an effort to make their lobbying efforts more transparent. Working people should not be forced to pay higher utility rates while these Michigan monopolies can afford to hand out millions in political donations.

I have also introduced other legislation to rein in the stranglehold utility companies have over our residents, but the current majority refuses to take up any of these reforms.

We have to do something about the utilities in this state. They enjoy all but complete control over Michigan residents and are taking advantage of it.

Click here to read the full press release.

Michigan was recently sued by the U.S. Department of Justice for failing to comply with a simple request to share data about SNAP recipients to help combat welfare fraud.

To address this, I introduced legislation requiring the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to share all relevant information regarding SNAP benefits in Michigan to help crack down on fraud and duplicate accounts.

It is time state leaders get serious about combating fraud!

Watch the video below to hear more.

Watch below as I discuss the virtues of 50-50 shared parenting with an established expert and one of the issue’s greatest advocates, Dr. Bernard W.H. Jennings.

One of my key responsibilities as a lawmaker is listening to the people who chose me to be their voice in Lansing.

If there is something my office can help with, if you have a question about a state issue, or if you have policy questions or an idea on how to make Michigan stronger, please feel free to contact my office. My staff and I are available to help in any way we can.

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