April 02, 2010
April 2, 2010
LANSING - Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today renewed her call for state lawmakers to pass anti-bullying legislation. The governor's renewed call for action comes on the heels of new reports of teen suicides that have followed alleged or confirmed cases of bullying. Granholm, who first proposed anti-bullying legislation in 2006, said lawmakers should act when they return from their spring recess.
"Here in Michigan and across the nation, suicides among young people who have been subjected to bullying demonstrate the need for anti-bullying legislation," Granholm said. "Just last month in the Upper Peninsula, a young girl committed suicide. A contributing factor may have been alleged bullying by a classmate. Protecting young people should be and must be our number one concern."
Granholm noted that Michigan is one of only nine states without an anti-bullying law.
In 2007, the Michigan House passed anti-bullying legislation known as "Matt's Safe School Law" in honor of Matthew Epling, a young East Lansing student who took his life after being bullied by other students. The Senate failed to pass the legislation. Anti-bullying bills were again introduced in both houses in 2009 and are pending in the House and Senate education committees.
"We cannot afford further delay," Granholm said. "The Legislature should move quickly on this lifesaving legislation when it returns from recess."
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