Dana's Dispatch: Combatting Hate Crimes, Protecting Reproductive Rights, Reducing Utility Rates & More!

--------------------------------------------------------------- Marquette & Kalamazoo County Sheriffs Share Why They’re Supporting AG Dana Nessel’s Re-Election Marquette Co. Sheriff Greg Zyburt & Kalamazoo Co. Sheriff Rick Fuller share why they're supporting me for AG this fall. From combatting elder abuse to negotiating an $800M settlement for opioid mitigation, my department is working hard to support law enforcement efforts across the state. [READ MORE]( Dana Nessel, Dana Nessel on Facebook (September 16, 2022) Marquette & Kalamazoo County Sheriffs Share Why They’re Supporting AG Dana Nessel’s Re-Election Retrieved from: [Marquette & Kalamazoo County Sheriffs Share Why They’re Supporting AG Dana Nessel’s Re-Election]( --------------------------------------------------------------- AG Dana Nessel Highlights Hate Speech Against Her, Michigan Students at MDCR Hate Crimes Conference Elected officials and political leaders who use language that disparages minority communities are complicit in the rise of hate crimes in Michigan and throughout the United States. Keep that in mind when you head to the ballot box this November. [READ MORE]( Dana Nessel, Dana Nessel on Facebook (September 16, 2022) AG Dana Nessel Highlights Hate Speech Against Her, Michigan Students at MDCR Hate Crimes Conference Retrieved from: [AG Dana Nessel Highlights Hate Speech Against Her, Michigan Students at MDCR Hate Crimes Conference]( --------------------------------------------------------------- AG Dana Nessel Visits Muskegon for Expungement Fair Under Michigan's new Clean Slate law, over 1M residents are eligible to get expungements, leading to better job opportunities, less recidivism, and stronger communities. Thank you, Muskegon. Up next: Saginaw! Learn more about the program at [( [READ MORE]( Michigan Department of Attorney General, Michigan Department of Attorney General on Facebook (September 12, 2022) AG Dana Nessel Visits Muskegon for Expungement Fair Retrieved from: [AG Dana Nessel Visits Muskegon for Expungement Fair]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Michigan Attorney General Nessel on strengthening consumer protections, right to privacy Consumer protection is one of the primary functions of my department & one of my top priorities as AG. I will continue to work with the legislature to strengthen statutory protections so MI residents are able to access, correct and delete their personal information listed online. In January 2019, Dana Nessel was sworn in as Michigan’s 54th attorney general. Since then, Attorney General Nessel has leveraged her experience in fighting for civil rights and has been an outspoken advocate for consumer protection, including the right to privacy. Nessel began her legal career as a prosecutor and later started her own criminal defense and civil rights practice. She represented plaintiffs in civil rights actions and became involved in litigating LGBTQ rights issues in Michigan. Her efforts in this area contributed greatly to the expansion of LGBTQ rights, including the fundamental right to relationship and marriage privacy. She represented same-sex couples in an action that was later consolidated with Obergefell v. Hodges, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately recognized the right to same-sex marriage in the United States. Earlier this year, Nessel testified in favor of state bills that would ensure victims’ privacy rights in Michigan. More recently, Nessel has publicly spoken about the impact that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision could have on privacy. The Privacy Advisory had an opportunity to discuss Nessel’s ongoing work in the area of consumer privacy as well as her reaction to Dobbs, thoughts on state consumer privacy legislation and the spread of misinformation online. Nessel: I welcome additional statutory tools to help protect Michigan consumers. Consumer protection is one of the primary functions of my department and one of my top priorities as attorney general. I will continue to lobby in support of legislation that extends additional protections to consumers, and I would hope Michigan legislators recognize the value of such legislation for their constituents. [READ MORE]( Divonne Smoyer & Hubert Zanczak, IAPP (August 23, 2022) Michigan Attorney General Nessel on strengthening consumer protections, right to privacy Retrieved from: [Michigan Attorney General Nessel on strengthening consumer protections, right to privacy]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Dana Nessel one of 20 attorneys general voicing support for proposed rule under Title IX In 2020, the Trump-Devos Department of Education reversed 30 years of Title IX practices, making educational institutions less safe and diminishing their ability to promptly deter, stop and prevent sexual harassment and violence. With this new proposed rule, we have a chance to set things right. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is one of 20 attorneys general, who in a comment letter, voiced support for the federal government’s proposed rule aimed at strengthening protections against sex discrimination. The rule would be under Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972. In the comment letter, it talked about how the rule would better effectuate Title IX and align with congressional intent and longstanding practices. It would also standardize definitions and procedures for enforcement of Title IX. The comment letter also talked about how it would improve sexual violence and harassment complaint processes for K-12 and college students. It would also realign the sexual harassment standards and higher education proceedings, which would ensure a prompt and equitable resolution process for all students. The proposed rule would reinforce critical protection against discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation, or pregnant and parenting status. It could also be further strengthened to help fight all the different forms of sex discrimination. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Education promulgated new rules that changed how Title IX was enforced. Those amendments weakened protections for individuals who had experienced sexual violence or harassment. It also burdened schools with court-room like Title IX proceedings. “When the Trump Administration rolled back anti-discrimination protections for students and educators with its ill-conceived Title IX rules in 2020, I joined a coalition of attorneys general to speak out against them,” said Nessel. “Title IX is landmark legislation in the effort to provide women, girls, and all students with the protections they deserve in the area of education. With this new proposed rule, we have a chance to set things right for them. I gladly stand with my colleagues in praising this new proposed rule, which gives us a chance to fix what was broken by the previous set of regressive rules.” [READ MORE]( Fox 17, Fox 17 (September 13, 2022) Dana Nessel one of 20 attorneys general voicing support for proposed rule under Title IX Retrieved from: [Dana Nessel one of 20 attorneys general voicing support for proposed rule under Title IX]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Federal grant helps Michigan evaluate 1,700 cases where person claims wrongful conviction Part of pursuing justice means correcting the failures of our criminal justice system when they occur. This funding will ensure a rigorous & detailed evaluation process that keeps dangerous offenders out of MI communities, while providing justice to those wrongfully convicted. A federal grant is going to help Michigan evaluate more than 1,700 cases where someone convicted of a crime proclaimed their innocence. The Michigan Department of Attorney General’s Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) received the federal grant to help with DNA testing in the cases. The Bureau of Justice Assistance, part of the U.S. Department of Justice, awarded $550,000 to the department to aid in the review of post-conviction DNA testing cases. The grant provides funding to assist with the costs associated with post conviction case identification, review, evidence location and DNA testing in violent felony cases where the results might show actual innocence. Michigan will use the funding to cover the cost of case reviews, locate evidence, DNA test the evidence and hire additional staff and experts. Nessel launched the department’s Conviction Integrity Unit in 2019 and then partnered with Western Michigan University Cooley Law School to review forensic (including DNA) cases. That same year the department received $734,930 from the Postconviction Testing of DNA Evidence grant and WMU-Cooley Law School received $274,960 from the Upholding the Rule of Law grant. This new grant award will allow this successful partnership to continue. “Law enforcement officers are duty-bound to pursue justice. That duty is especially important when it comes to correcting the failures of our criminal justice system,” said Nessel. “These grant dollars not only provide our office with the financial resources needed to review cases, but they will also ensure a rigorous and detailed evaluation that keeps dangerous offenders out of Michigan communities, while providing justice to those wrongfully convicted.” [READ MORE]( Kayla Clarke, Click on Detroit (September 13, 2022) Federal grant helps Michigan evaluate 1,700 cases where person claims wrongful conviction Retrieved from: [Federal grant helps Michigan evaluate 1,700 cases where person claims wrongful conviction]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Michigan Attorney General on abortion rights: 'Once that’s gone, it’s gone.' Here in MI, we have been fighting tooth-and-nail to let the voters decide the future of reproductive rights in our state. But all of that could be for naught if Republicans pass a nationwide ban. #VoteBlueIn2022 all the way up & down the ballot — lives are on the line. After Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., introduced a bill Tuesday that would federally ban abortions after 15 weeks with exceptions for rape, incest, and the mother’s life, Michigan Attorney General, Dana Nessel, says abortion protections rest in the hands of voters come November. “What it would mean is for states like mine, once again, we will be subject to the arbitrary whims of those who are not truly representative of what people want,” Nessel said on Meet the Press Now, “if the Republicans end up becoming the majority again, nationally, I think we’re in real trouble in states like mine and all around the country, obviously.” Nessel’s comments come after the Michigan Supreme Court struck down a 1931 restrictive abortion law that would further regulate abortion access in the state. Just a day later, the court ruled in favor of a ballot initiative this November that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. While Nessel is confident the ballot initiative will pass, the threat of Republican control come November could thwart the potential for further abortion protections statewide. “I have every confidence in the world that our ballot proposal will pass,” Nessel said, “So I think people need to be very careful about who they elect. … It’s incredibly important to know what their position is on this particular issue, because it might absolutely eviscerate any efforts that we’re making on a statewide level.” While Republican messaging has centered on issues like growing inflation and the economy, Nessel believes turnout will increase with abortion now on the ballot in Michigan. “I’m certainly not minimizing the impact that inflation, that the cost of food, that the cost of gas and all of those things obviously have a very significant impact on an individual or on a family,” Nessel said, “but losing your right to reproductive freedom. I mean, once that’s gone, it’s gone.” [READ MORE]( Isabelle Schmeler, NBC’s Meet the Press (September 13, 2022) Michigan Attorney General on abortion rights: 'Once that’s gone, it’s gone.' Retrieved from: [Michigan Attorney General on abortion rights: 'Once that’s gone, it’s gone.']( --------------------------------------------------------------- Money Saved For Consumers Energy Customers My department has helped save MI ratepayers nearly $2B so far this year. This $28M settlement with Consumers Energy demonstrates our ongoing commitment to ensuring MI households have access to affordable energy. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel continued to ensure that energy remains affordable for residents across the state and that customers are only charged their fair share for service. She entered into a settlement with Consumers Energy in its gas utility plant depreciation case, which was approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) last week. Consumers Energy filed a request to change its depreciation rates for its gas utility assets. Consumers Energy provides electricity to approximately 1.9 million residents throughout Michigan and natural gas to 1.8 million customers across the state. Based on the analysis of Nessel’s experts, it was determined that the Consumers’ proposal didn’t reduce depreciation rates enough which would result in the residents continuing to pay excessive depreciation expenses. A part of the change in depreciation rates will take effect immediately. Nessel says that her department is vigilant in ensuring maximum savings for utility customers. So far this year, the Attorney General has saved Michigan consumers about $2 billion by intervening in utility cases before the MPSC. [READ MORE]( Greg Coburn, WHMI (September 15, 2022) Money Saved For Consumers Energy Customers Retrieved from: [Money Saved For Consumers Energy Customers]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Michigan State Attorney General Dana Nessel Warns ‘The Lives Of Women Are On The Ballot’ As a full-grown woman, who has lived many years and had my own kids, how insulting is it to say that a fertilized egg, which may never even be viable under any set of circumstances, should have more rights than I have. This is a form of extremism that I’ve never seen before. Michigan voters literally have a choice in the midterms about whether they or their daughters, sisters, wives, and granddaughters can be saved if they experience life-threatening pregnancy complications. They will have to decide whether any of their female loved ones who are raped or are victims of incest, can get an abortion if they become pregnant. They will also be voting on whether to allow or prevent women in the state of Michigan from being jailed for several years if they use prescription medication or any other method to induce an abortion. All of these hugely consequential decisions are in front of voters in the purple state now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe V. Wade, Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel makes clear to HollywoodLife in an EXCLUSIVE interview. That’s because her Donald Trump-endorsed Republican opponent in the 2022 midterm elections, lawyer Matthew DePerno, has stated that there will be “no exceptions” from Michigan’s 1931 anti-abortion law, which he plans to enforce if elected. No exceptions. Not even to save the life of the mother, he has told supporters. Nessel is outraged that these life-or-death decisions may become an everyday crisis for the women of Michigan and their doctors if the ballot amendment doesn’t pass and if her Republican opponent is elected. She and DePerno are running neck-and-neck in the polls, she believes because voters aren’t aware yet of his very extreme views on abortion. But it isn’t just reproductive healthcare that is on the ballot, along with Nessel in Michigan. It’s the ability of the state to have free and fair elections in which every vote that is cast is counted. Dana Nessel’s Republican opponent is one of the leading election deniers in the state. He is still trying to decertify the 2020 election and is currently under criminal investigation for coordinating a plan to gain access to voting tabulators. Nessel says that if elected DePerno has spoken out about wanting to get rid of all electronic voting machines and to only have paper ballots, which would be hand counted. Plus, she says that he has stated that he only wants the hand count to take place after the polls close at 8 pm until midnight. She points out that in the 2020 election 5.5 million people voted in Michigan, and that it would take months to hand count and certify an election if you hand counted all the ballots. But, she points out that only counting votes for four hours would “disenfranchise millions and millions of voters.” “My position,” counters Nessel. “Is not about being pro-Republican or pro-Democratic or pro-any partisan leaning. It’s just, ‘Do you still want to have a democracy or not? That’s all. My job is not to decide who wins that election. My job is just to make sure that the law is followed properly and that the will of the people is heard.” [READ MORE]( Bonnie Fuller, Hollywood Life (September 15, 2022) Michigan State Attorney General Dana Nessel Warns ‘The Lives Of Women Are On The Ballot’ Retrieved from: [Michigan State Attorney General Dana Nessel Warns ‘The Lives Of Women Are On The Ballot’]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for being a part of Dana's re-election campaign! Sending emails is a crucial way to keep supporters like you updated on Dana's fight for justice and progress. Plus, this campaign is fueled by grassroots supporters like you! [Will you chip in today to join Dana in the fight for a better tomorrow?]( [CHIP IN TO RE-ELECT DANA NESSEL >>]( KEEP IN TOUCH WITH DANA: Any donor history information in this email reflects what we have on file for this specific email address. 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