CONYERS Statement On Criminal Charges In Flint Water Crisis

Detroit, MI - Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13) released the following statement after criminal charges were filed concerning the Flint water crisis:

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

“We welcome all efforts to secure justice for the people of Flint, including the investigation of criminal actions by emergency managers and others. However, much remains to be done in the pursuit of justice for Flint residents and to ensure that no other community suffers from the actions of unaccountable political appointees that they did not elect.

“The simple fact is that no matter how many people are prosecuted or sued by Attorney General Schuette, it will not undo the damage Flint has suffered. The State must continue its efforts to ameliorate the harms committed in Flint and the Governor and others must ensure that sufficient resources are provided to those who continue to be harmed.  If the state is unwilling to secure the requisite funding, the City of Flint should have the opportunity to bring a civil action seeking compensation from the State for the harms it caused to the citizens of Flint. The State also needs to finally repeal its Emergency Law which is antidemocratic, discriminatory, and a vehicle for corporate privatization, conflicts of interest, and corruption.

“Until Flint’s water is fully safe, its children are made whole, and we see consequences for all those who stripped Flint’s citizens of their political and civil rights to protect themselves, there will be neither justice nor resolution for the people of Flint.”

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CONYERS: Attorney General Schuette's Lawsuit Wont't Undo the Damage Flint Has Suffered

Washington, D.C. – Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13) released the following statement on the lawsuit filed by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette:

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

“While  Schuette’s lawsuit may represent some measure of accountability for those who failed to exercise due care in carrying out Governor Snyder’s takeover of the Flint water system, it will do nothing to undo the damage that Flint’s citizens have already suffered and continue to suffer each day.  If Mr. Schuette dedicated his resources to environmental protection instead of using them to sue the Environmental Protection Agency to allow increased mercury pollution for special interests in Michigan, Flint’s families would not be struggling with the anguish and uncertainty they presently face.

“The simple fact is that no matter how many people are prosecuted or sued by Attorney General Schuette, it will not undo the damage Flint has suffered. Unfortunately, it seems that in Michigan, there are two water quality standards: the one that wealthy communities who supported Governor Snyder receive, and the one forced upon minority, low-income communities who are politically unimportant to our Republican-controlled state government.

“If the facts bear out that these two companies used an insufficient level of care, then they should absolutely be held accountable and pay a price for their actions.  Sadly, it seems like Governor Snyder and Attorney General Schuette have no interest in holding themselves to that same standard of which they are now—finally—holding to others.  In one important respect, the lawsuits change nothing, the people of the State of Michigan are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to attorneys to protect those largely at fault. 

“Until Flint’s water is fully safe, its children are made whole, and we see consequences for those who stripped Flint’s citizens of their political and civil rights to protect themselves, there will be neither justice nor resolution for the people of Flint.”

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Conyers Encourages Michigan Attorney General to Reject Flawed Nationwide Mortgage Settlement

**Follow Me On Twitter @RepJohnConyers**

For Immediate Release

Date: Friday, February 3, 2012

Contact: Matthew Morgan – 202-226-5543

Conyers Encourages Michigan Attorney General to Reject Flawed Nationwide Mortgage Settlement

(WASHINGTON) – Today, Representative John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) sent a letter to Michigan Attorney General Bill Schutte encouraging him to reject a proposed nationwide settlement between state attorneys general and the Nation’s five largest banks concerning possible fraudulent mortgage origination and servicing practices detrimental to homeowners across the country.  The deadline for the attorneys general to accept the terms of the settlement on behalf of the states is this Monday. 

U.S. Representative John Conyers, Jr. Letter to Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette on Foreclosure Sett...

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Michigan Forward To Put Emergency Manager Law To The Public

Brandon Jessup, Michigan Forward

As U.S. Representative John Conyers, Jr. proceeds with the next step after sending a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder requesting constitutional review of Michigan Public Act 4 of 2011, the "Emergency Manager Law", a petition drive has been launched across the state by CEO, Brandon Jessup of Michigan Forward  to put forth a referendum for public vote.

For more information on how to participate in collecting signatures, contact Micihgan Forward:

Mailing AddressMichigan ForwardP.O. Box 32860Detroit,Michigan 48232

Physical AddressMichigan Forward
600 W. Lafayette,Suite 100
Detroit,Michigan 4822
Phone:(313) 965-2722

                                                                 Email:info@michiganforward.org

Conyers will also be holding a townhall in the upcoming new year to further discuss alternative solutions to Michigan cities.

Attorney general tracking emergency manager law's future

Lansing— Attorney General Bill Schuette in an end-of-year interview Tuesday said he is undecided if Michigan will revert to Michigan's old emergency manager law if Public Act 4 is suspended.
Gov. Rick Snyder has said it's the position of his administration that the former Public Act 72, which grants fewer powers to emergency managers, would remain in force if a petition drive against the sweeping new emergency manager law succeeds in getting the issue on the ballot.
Schuette met with media at his Lansing office Tuesday to highlight his accomplishments for 2011 and talk about his plans for 2012. The former Court of Appeals judge is finishing his first year in office, having defeated Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton last November. He was swept into office on a GOP wave that also saw Republicans win the governor's seat, control of both chambers of the state Legislature, the Secretary of State's office and the Michigan Supreme Court.
Asked what would happen if the petitioners are successful, Schuette said, "I'm going to wait and see if that happens. There is a line of thought that the law that was in place prior to that comes into being, which is not quite as broad as the current law is. "I learned this as a judge: I wait till the facts come before me, and I always want to know all four corners of the issues involved. That is a possibility, but I'm not going to make any final decision until that occurs."
Asked if he's been requested to research the legalities surrounding the petition drive against P.A. 4, he said he's "on top of that issue, along with a lot of other issues."
Opponents of P.A. 4, a tougher emergency manager law signed by Snyder, say they are close to collecting the 161,000 signatures needed to put the question before votes on the November ballot. Emergency managers have been appointed in Flint, Pontiac, Benton Harbor, Ecorse and the Detroit Public Schools. The state has begun a review of Detroit's finances, and its findings could lead to the appointment of an emergency manger for the state's largest city.
Schuette listed among his accomplishments his fight to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes through a national coalition of attorneys general.
"This Asian carp issue is about the ecology and the economy," Schuette said.
He also noted his launch of a Public Corruption Unit within his office's Criminal Division that filed 115 charges and secured six convictions in 11 months.
He also said a warrant sweep his office conducted in cooperation with other law enforcement agencies removed 62 felons from the streets of Flint.
Other crime-fighting efforts included expanding and updating the Michigan Cyber Safety Initiative, which teaches kids, teachers and parents about Internet safety; efforts to curb exploitation of the medical marijuana law; and a crackdown on mortgage fraud.
Schuette also listed securing a five-year rate freeze for seniors who buy Medigap insurance through Blue Cross. He noted Michigan, along with 25 states, has challenged the individual mandate in the federal Affordable Healthcare Act.
Schuette has differed with Snyder on several issues, such as health benefits for same-sex partners of public employees, and whether Michigan should establish a health care exchange to conform to the federal health care law.
"If you can agree with your best friend about 95 percent of the time, I think that's great," Schuette said of his relationship with the governor. "The strength of so many issues where we agree far outweighs those where there are differences of opinions."


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