Dear Stakeholders of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR):
Like many of our friends and neighbors around the state, our Department is looking forward to the tremendous opportunities ahead. Michigan has a wonderful chance to establish ourselves as a welcoming place for forward-thinking people who refuse to be restrained by the prejudices and barriers of the past.
However, before MDCR can play our role in building that better future, we need to relay our foundation. Despite persistent cost increases over the last decade, year after year MDCR’s budget has failed to keep up with inflation. Unfortunately, that stagnation has had a direct impact on our ability to enforce the constitutional and statutory protections with which we are charged.
To our credit, we have made great strides towards eliminating the backlog of investigations. In March 2020, we had about 2300 cases that were older than a year. After an aggressive push to close aged complaints, our current backlog is 1423. Throughout these efforts we remain committed to fully investigating each case within our jurisdiction.
This being said, Governor Whitmer’s FY24 Budget Proposal reflects what MDCR needs in order to relay our foundation. The Governor’s recommendation adds more than $8 million to our ongoing budget, and $2.75 million in one-time money. That means a General Fund increase of more than 75%! This money will directly benefit Michigan through a number of enhanced or new services, including:
- $2.75 million in one time funding for a digital accessibility training to help agencies and businesses around the state to leverage technology to remove barriers for people with disabilities
- $1.6 million per year specifically designated for “disparate impact” investigations to uncover policies or practices that have a disproportionately negative impact on protected classes
- $5.7 million to enhance our complaint investigation process, allowing us to clear our backlog and provide timely and effective service to Michigan residents
- $1 million for a public portal to fully automate several aspects of complaint intake and case management, saving money and time for all parties involved
- More than $800,000 to expand the critical work of the Michigan Alliance Against Hate Crimes and Advocates and Leaders for Police and Community Trust
Most importantly, our political process works best when people get involved. If you care about civil and human rights in Michigan, let your elected officials know how you feel about budget priorities. This is our state, and it is time to relay the foundation for a better future!
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Civil Rights Summit
On another note, registration is open for our 2023 Civil Rights Summit in Novi, Michigan. I am extremely excited for this year’s topic The Impact of Discrimination on Health. This theme addresses the very real consequences of discrimination on the well-being of its victims. Such a perspective is critical toward truly understanding the social and personal cost of bias, and therefore the benefit of establishing a state that embraces inclusivity.
I encourage everyone in Michigan who is concerned with civil rights to register for the conference using the link below, and let others know of the opportunity. Together, we can leverage these troubling times to make Michigan the shining national example of what humanity can accomplish when we learn to embrace our differences.
John E. Johnson, Jr., J.D.
Executive Director
Michigan Department of Civil Rights
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