Reps. Van Regenmorter, Accavitti, Adamini, Ball, Bieda, Booher, Brown, Byrnes, Caul, Condino, Elsenheimer, Espinoza, Farhat, Farrah, Garfield, Gleason, Gonzales, Gosselin, Hansen, Hildenbrand, Hood, Hopgood, Huizenga, Hummel, Jones, Kooiman, Lemmons, Jr., Lipsey, Mayes, McDowell, Meyer, Mortimer, Murphy, Newell, Plakas, Polidori, Proos, Robertson, Rocca, Sak, Shaffer, Taub, Tobocman, Vagnozzi, Vander Veen, Wojno, Zelenko, Brandenburg, Casperson, Caswell, Clemente, Green, Kehrl, Lemmons, III, McConico, Moore, Nitz, Palsrok, Pavlov, Phillips, Schuitmaker and Spade offered the following resolution:

House Resolution No. 45.

A resolution commemorating April 10-16, 2005, as Crime Victims’ Rights Week.

Whereas, With the implementation of the Crime Victim’s Rights Act in 1985 and the passage of the Crime Victim Constitutional Amendment in 1988, crime victims in Michigan enjoy some of the most comprehensive constitutionally guaranteed rights in the nation.  On this twentieth anniversary of the implementation of Michigan’s Crime Victim’s Rights Act, we celebrate the fact that victims in Michigan are no longer disenfranchised from the criminal justice system.  Indeed, victims of crime are an integral part of the delivery of justice and have formed a community of support both in the private and public sectors; and

Whereas, The support groups that have arisen are many and varied.  These groups  range from volunteers coordinated by county sheriff’s offices that work in teams of two to assist victims of crime at the very first moment a crime has occurred, to the motivated and concerned individuals in the each county prosecutor’s office who assist crime victims throughout the court process, to the advocates within the Michigan Department of Corrections who ensure the continued implementation of victims’ rights throughout the incarceration period of the criminal defendant, to the many and varied support groups that have arisen across the state.  Each of these groups will be honored and present at the Crime Victims’ Rights Candlelight Vigil on April 13, 2005, in Lansing, Michigan; and

Whereas, The existence of these groups and the visibility of victims in the criminal justice process can be largely attributed to the Crime Victim Constitutional Amendment which was overwhelmingly approved by the voters of Michigan in 1988.   For twenty years, Michigan victims have been afforded a multitude of rights throughout the process. Most importantly, the victim is treated with fairness and respect for their dignity and privacy throughout the entire process.  The rights granted to victims have provided awareness throughout our state, making the important statement that the system created to address the wrong done to a victim does in fact include the victim.  This facet of the process that was sadly missing prior to the passage of the Crime Victim’s Rights Act and the Crime Victim Constitutional Amendment approximately two decades ago; and 

Whereas, The exchange of information and raising the level of public awareness are the focus of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.  This week continues to serve as a driving force for changes in attitude and law in not only Michigan, but the entire country; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House, That the members of this legislative body commemorate April 10-16, 2005, as Crime Victims’ Rights Week. We also celebrate the twentieth anniversary of victims’ rights in Michigan.  We will pay our respects to those who have been victimized by violent crime, as well as salute the many dedicated individuals who work daily on behalf of Michigan victims, at the Candlelight Vigil to be held on Wednesday, April 13, 2005, at the State Capitol; and be it further

Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the coordinators of this event as evidence of our respect and best wishes.