LANSING – Today, the Chairs and Democratic Vice-chairs of the House Law and Justice Committee and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education sent a joint letter to the Speaker of the House summarizing their findings from the bipartisan legislative inquiry into Michigan State University’s handling of the Larry Nassar scandal. The letter also included policy recommendations for consideration by the committee and subcommittee, which can be read here.
In addition to sending the letter, state Representative Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit), Democratic Vice-Chair of the House Law and Justice Committee, issued the following statement:
“I’m proud of the months of work and dialogue that resulted in the bipartisan proposals released today to address sexual assault in our state. But I am even prouder of the courage and hard work of survivors who shared their stories and their recommendations with us. Their inspiring actions, combined with the work of stakeholders who have worked to address sexual assault for years before Nassar, sparked a much-needed conversation about sexual assault, not just on our campuses or in medical settings, but also across the state. I look forward to their continued input as we move forward to ensure that all recommendations are thoroughly vetted. We must do all that we can to prevent sexual assault, protect survivors, and improve accountability.”
State Representative Jon Hoadley (D-Kalamazoo), Democratic Vice-Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education, added:
“Our work is not done; we must be relentless in our pursuit of policies that support survivors and prevent sexual assault. Today’s bipartisan recommendations are an important next step in the effort to fix broken systems from the past and to prevent future tragedies from happening.”