Monroe Review

A new bill sponsored by Sen. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) would establish a week every year during which the state recognizes the founding principles of the U.S. and remembers those who died in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

If passed by both houses and signed into law, Senate Bill 1074 would designate Sept. 11 through Sept 17 of every year as Patriot Week for Michigan, according to MiSenateGOP. The bill is now before the Senate Committee on Government Operations.

“Understanding American history and the principles upon which our nation was founded is indispensable to the survival of our republic as a free people,” Runestad said, according to MiSenateGOP. “Patriot Week will begin on Sept. 11, to honor the victims of 9/11 and their families, and it will end on Sept. 17, the date in 1787 that the U.S. Constitution was signed.”

Sen. Jim Runestad | #MiSenateGOP

The bill recognizes a number of influential figures from U.S. history, including Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Jr., Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. It also highlights important documents and moments in the nation’s history, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Marbury v. Madison decision, the Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, the Gettysburg Address, the Emancipation Proclamation and the “I Have a Dream” speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The American Revolution, the rule of law, the social compact, equality, unalienable rights and limited government are the first principles upon which America was founded and flourishes,” Runestad told MiSenateGOP. “We must never forget these principles nor our American heroes and documents. They are vital to understanding the rich heritage of freedom bestowed to us and to preserving that freedom for future generations.”