Senator Jim Runestad's Press Releases

By Sen. Jim Runestad 23rd Senate District Next month will mark three years since President Joe Biden took office. In that relatively brief time, we have learned a lot about how not to run a country. That is especially true with regard to immigration policy — considering some 6.2 million people have crossed our border illegally since Jan. 20, 2021, and many of them have been

LANSING, MI — In an effort to increase government transparency and accountability, state Sen. Jim Runestad on Wednesday proposed a series of amendments to legislation designed to implement financial disclosure requirements approved by voters with Proposal 1 of 2022. “These financial disclosure bills are hardly even a small first step in bringing about the real transparency reforms that are needed to rebuild public trust in state

LANSING, MI – State Sen. Jim Runestad on Tuesday sent a letter to Judge Nanci Grant urging her to sentence Derrek Miller to the fullest extent of the law. Miller is set to be sentenced Wednesday for his role in the corruption case against former Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith. He is set to be granted a plea deal, which will result in a deferred misdemeanor

LANSING, MI — State Sen. Jim Runestad on Tuesday announced he is drafting anti-corruption legislation to close the problematic “consultant loophole” used by former House Speaker Rick Johnson, who was recently sentenced to prison time for his role in a bribery scandal that also included two marijuana-industry lobbyists and an Oakland County businessman. “This loophole within the state’s lobbying laws is apparently big enough to drive

LANSING, MI — State Sen. Jim Runestad on Wednesday proposed two amendments to guard against corruption as part of legislation passed by Senate Democrats answering the governor’s call to create a prescription drug board. “Cronyism, political payback, and outright corruption have no place on this newly created board, and the commonsense, ethical measures I put forward would provide safeguards that should have easily earned support from

LANSING, MI — State Sen. Jim Runestad on Wednesday criticized a plea deal struck with former Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith who was finally sentenced after years of investigation that initially saw him facing 10 felonies relating to corruption. “Attorney General Dana Nessel’s sweetheart deal sends a signal to politicians and bureaucrats that Michigan is weak on corruption,” said Runestad, R-White Lake Township. “In the generous