Hello MJA Friends,
It has been since Feb. 6th that we last wrote you. Our apologies for not writing sooner. It has been a long time and we
appreciate your patience. Here are some of the things we wish to share with you since our last JPay newsletter:
1) Updates on SB649
2) Legislative Lunch and Learn (Apr. 27, 2022)
3) Online Art Sale
First, let’s talk about the status of SB649. As you may know, this bill was introduced back in Sept. of last year and was sent into the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee where it still sits today. We continue to speak with our senators about this bill and push for a hearing. Progress has been slow and we do not have any real news to report about SB649 in the committee unfortunately. But we will be heading back in person to Lansing on April 27 (more on this in a minute).
To continue encouraging the public to voice their wishes we held a training session last weekend on Saturday (Mar. 26) for those who wish to learn how to write a targeted letter to lawmakers. A video of the training is available here if you would like to share this link with your friends and family: https://youtu.be/jNzWXJIbTN8
While we wish we had better progress to report regarding SB649, we can tell you that MJA is now working on an identical bill to be introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives very soon. We already have several lawmakers who have agreed to work with us on this goal and we will announce the bill numbers when they become
available. To coincide with this effort we will be holding an event in Lansing to educate our lawmakers on the history of Good Time in Michigan. This will be a “Lunch & Learn” for senators and representatives as well as their staff and other government officials in Lansing. We will have distinguished speakers from academia, former lawmakers and
members of law enforcement who will share the history of Good Time and reasons why “Good Time Makes Good Sense” for Michigan.
We have secured the Mackinac Room in the Anderson House Office Building for the lunch hour on April 27 and have began to send out invitations to our state lawmakers regarding this event. The event is primarly focused on education for those lawmakers who do not know the history of the Good Time policy which Michigan had in place for nearly 100
years. Our speakers will review the events which have unfolded since 1978 to erode and then completely eliminate Good Time from law through Truth In Sentencing.
It is not surprising that our lawmakers do not know all about Good Time. They deal with thousands of bills each year and cannot possibly know about all the problems regarding prisons and prison policies. We have personally met with many lawmakers who simply have not researched Good Time and do not have any background on this topic.
Therefore, Michigan Justice Advocacy will be holding this special event solely to provide that missing background and spell out reasons our lawmakers should reestablish a Good Time policy. The more we make the public and our lawmakers aware and informed on this topic the better the chances that this topic will rise up on the agenda of our public servants. We must keep voicing this issue and not give up.
Here is proof that the topic of Good Time is getting more attention; the former mayor of Detroit Kwame Kilpatrick is now speaking publicly about the Good Time policy and urging the public that this policy should come back into law. Although he was referring to the Ballot Initiative (which we have explained before about how it is different vs. SB649) all of these public statements will be heard and will register with lawmakers as being more and more important to the people of the state of Michigan.
Finally, starting next Sunday (Apr. 9) and running for the following three weeks MJA will hold a long-overdue online auction of the many amazing articles of fine art which were generously donated to our organization by you. We initially thought we could organize this sale back in the fall but it took much more effort than we realized to prepare for
a successful event. Therefore we have been working since last year behind the scenes to get this ready and are nearly complete. Once the auction goes live you may access the site here: mijustice.org/auction. In the meantime, we thank you for your support and will keep you informed of our progress as we continue down the path and seek to reinstate Good Time for Michigan.
On behalf of all of us at Michigan Justice Advocacy may God bless you
Jack Wagner, Pres. Michigan Justice Advocacy
www.mijustice.org
Proverbs 29:7a “The righteous care about justice for the poor …”
Legislator Contact Reference:
Representative’s Name
House of Representatives
PO Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7514
List of Senators and members of the MI House of Representatives by Facility
Alger (LMF) Sen. Ed McBroom (517) 373-7840 Rep. Sara Cambensy (517) 373-0498
Baraga (AMF) Sen. Ed McBroom (517) 373-7840 Rep. Greg Markkanen (517) 373-0850
Bellamy Creek (IBC) Sen. John Bizon (517) 373-2426 Rep. Thomas Albert (517) 373-0846
Carson City (DRF/OTF) Sen. Rick Outman (517) 373-3760 Rep. Pat Oatman (517) 373-0834
Central Michigan (STF) Sen. Rick Outman (517) 373-3760 Rep. Pat Oatman (517) 373-0834
Charles E. Egeler (RGC) Sen. Mike Shirkey (517) 373-5932 Rep. Sarah Lightner (517) 373-1775
Chippewa (URF) Sen. Wayne Schmidt (517) 373-2413 Rep. John Damoose (517) 373-2629
Cooper St. (JCS) Sen. Mike Shirkey (517) 373-5932 Rep. Sarah Lightner (517) 373-1775
Earnest C. Brooks (LRF) Sen. Jon Bumstead (517) 373-1635 Rep. Terry Sabo (517) 373-2646
G. Robert Cotton (JCF) Sen. Mike Shirkey (517) 373-5932 Rep. Sarah Lightner (517) 373-1775
Gus Harrison (ARF) Sen. Zale Dorn (517) 373-3543 Rep. Bronna Kahle (517) 373-1706
Ionia (ICF) Sen. John Bizon (517) 373-2426 Rep. Thomas Albert (517) 373-0846
Kinross (KCF) Sen. Wayne Schmidt (517) 373-2413 Rep. John Damoose (517) 373-2629
Lakeland (LCF) Sen. Mike Shirkey (517) 373-5932 Rep. Andrew Fink (517) 373-1794
Macomb (MRF) Sen. Doug Wozniak (517) 373-7670 Rep. Jef Yaroch (517) 373-0820
Marquette (MBP) Sen. Ed McBroom (517) 373-7840 Rep. Sara Cambensy (517) 373-0498
Mich. Reformatory (RMI) Sen. John Bizon (517) 373-2426 Rep. Thomas Albert (517) 373-0846
Muskegon (MCF) Sen. Jon Bumstead (517) 373-1635 Rep. Terry Sabo (517) 373-2646
Newberry (NCF) Sen. Wayne Schmidt (517) 373-2413 Rep. Sara Cambensy (517) 373-0498
Oaks (ECF) Sen. Curt VanderWall (517) 373-1725 Rep. Jack O’Malley (517) 373-0825
Parnall (SMT) Sen. Mike Shirkey (517) 373-5932 Rep. Sarah Lightner (517) 373-1775
Richard A. Handlon (MTU) Sen. John Bizon (517) 373-2426 Rep. Thomas Albert (517) 373-0846
Saginaw (SRF) Sen. Ken Horn (517) 373-1760 Rep. Rodney Wakeman (517) 373-0837
St. Louis (SLF) Sen. Rick Outman (517) 373-3760 Rep. Pat Oatman (517) 373-0834
Thumb (TCF) Sen. Kevin Daley (517) 373-1777 Rep. Gary Howell (517) 373-1800
Women’s Huron Valley (WHV) Sen. Jeff Irwin (517) 373-2406 Rep. Felicia Brabec (517) 373-1792
Woodland (WCC) Sen. Lana Theis (517) 373-2420 Rep. Ann Bollin (517) 373-1784