LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Jim Runestad has introduced a bill to encourage residents to remember the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and to honor the history of the United States and the principles upon which it was founded.
Senate Bill 1074 would designate Sept. 11 through Sept. 17 of each year as Patriot Week in Michigan.
“Understanding American history and the principles upon which our nation was founded is indispensable to the survival of our republic as a free people,” said Runestad, R-White Lake. “Patriot Week will begin on Sept. 11, to honor the victims of 9/11 and their families, and it will end on Sept. 17, the date in 1787 that the U.S. Constitution was signed.”
The bill recognizes that American citizens should take time to honor the First Principles, founders, documents and symbols of their history.
“The American Revolution, the rule of law, the social compact, equality, unalienable rights and limited government are the First Principles upon which America was founded and flourishes,” Runestad said. “We must never forget these principles nor our American heroes and documents. They are vital to understanding the rich heritage of freedom bestowed to us and to preserving that freedom for future generations.”
Runestad’s measure recognizes several figures in American history, such as Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and others, along with numerous historical documents, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, Marbury v. Madison, the Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, the Gettysburg Address, the Emancipation Proclamation and the “I Have a Dream” speech.
SB 1074 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Government Operations.