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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions - 2001.10.25 - 26634MISCELLANEOUS RESOLUTION # 01287 BY: Commissioner Ruel E. McPherson, District 25 IN RE: BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS - STAND UP FOR UNITED STATES STEEL To the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen: WHEREAS, the American steel industry is in danger of being eliminated through the illegal importing and dumping of steel manufactured outside the United States; and WHEREAS, the steel industry has historically been the backbone of the United States manufacturing sector and plays a critical role in securing our nation's defenses; and WHEREAS, existing laws regarding steel dumping are not strict enough and are not being strictly enforced. This has had a devastating toll on the American economy, resulting in at least 23 U.S. steel makers, including Bethlehem Steel, having to file for bankruptcy protection. Nationwide, 11 steel mills have shut down, culminating in the loss of 25,000 American steelworker jobs; and WHEREAS, the threat on the steel industry also impacts local manufacturers, employees and dependents. Great Lakes Steel and Rouge Industries employ more than 6,500 employees in the metropolitan Detroit area. Great Lakes Steel, operating in Ecorse and River Rouge, has shut down one of its four blast furnaces. Rouge Industries has suspended dividends to shareholders after 29 quarters of payments; and WHEREAS, the Board of Commissioners from the counties of Cheboygan and Kalkaska have both passed resolutions in support of the American steel industry. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners does hereby request that our Senators and Representatives in the State legislature and in Congress, along with the administrations of Governor John Engler and President George W. Bush, thoroughly investigate the practice of steel dumping in the United States market and take the necessary actions to enforce our trade laws and eliminate this unfair and illegal assault on the steel industry, local manufacturers, employees, retirees and our communities. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this adopted resolution be sent to President George W. Bush, Governor John Engler, the Michigan Delegation to the state legislature and in Congress, the Michigan Association of Counties, the National Association of Counties and Oakland County's legislative lobbyists. hairperjjee adoption of the foregoing Resolution. 4-t-e--6t}e-25.46c,714- 4, -//3--;—/e—, 4-7 4etya.,,e 1/*L;,( Ruel E. McPherson Commissioner, District #25 14P Ptat,g-vi -4/ Resolution #01287 October 25, 2001 The Chairperson referred the resolution to the General Government Committee. There were no objections. Miscellaneous Resolution # 01288_ BY: Commissioner Shelley Goodman Taub RE: Board of Commissioners - Support of Rape Intervention Team "S.T.A.R.T." TO: Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen: WHEREAS, in Oakland County there are between 300 and 400 rapes reported annually; and WHEREAS, sexual assault is a violent, life-changing crime that affects the psychological, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of the individual; and WHEREAS, according to the FBI, only 10-20% of sexual assaults are reported to law enforcement; and WHEREAS, in order to counteract the low reporting rates for sexual assaults, victims must be empowered by having a realistic hope that the law enforcement and judicial systems will be work; and WHEREAS, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, only 1% of sexual assaults reported to law enforcement end in conviction; and WHEREAS, according to the Michigan State Police, a contributing factor to the low conviction rate is that more than 50% of rape kits collected elsewhere in Michigan and sent to their lab for analysis are improperly collected, resulting in incomplete finding for the criminal case; and WHEREAS, in 1999 a task force was convened in Oakland County, including members from HAVEN, Oakland County's Prosecutors Office, Oakland County's Sheriffs Department, Michigan State Police-forensic laboratory, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital- Pontiac, Providence Medical Center, William Beaumont Hospital - Royal Oak, the Pontiac Police Department, and other interested members of the communities; and WHEREAS, this Oakland County Sexual Assault Task Force Task Force investigated possible solutions to the quality of care received by sexual assault victims in Oakland County. The Task Force recommended developing a collaborative program in Oakland County that will provide comprehensive victim care services and establish protocols for sufficient and consistent evidence collection to successfully support law enforcement; and WHEREAS, the task force recommended that a Safe Therapeutic Assault Response Team ("START") program be implemented for Oakland County residents under the auspices of HAVEN; and aub istrict #12 Shelley Goodni Corn0-4ioner! 417-7/ WHEREAS, the START Program initiated in June, 2001 by HAVEN is successfully coordinating a program for immediate response to the legal, medical, and emotional needs of over 300 sexual assault survivors, thereby reducing the trauma of sexual assault and increasing prosecution rates; and WHEREAS, HAVEN has demonstrated fiscal responsibility in the exercise of its START Program by seeking multiple sources of funding, providing centrally-located nursing interventions at 1/3 the cost of similar services in the emergency room setting, and reducing the total cost of prosecution by providing expert forensic evidence collection which encourages plea bargaining by defendants; and NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners does hereby authorizes an award of a Professional Services Contract to HAVEN, Inc., for the purpose of establishing an effective law enforcement tool for the arrest and successful prosecution of those committing sexual attacks and to provide Oakland County residents, who are victims of sexual assault or rape, with examinations, counseling services and courtroom support through the Safe Therapeutic Assault Response Team (START) Program. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this contract shall be for an amount not to exceed $36,000.00 and that this contract shall terminate on December 31, 2002, unless otherwise agreed to by the parties. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that HAVEN shall submit reports to the Oakland County Board of Commissioner's General Government Committee on or about April 1, 2002, July 2, 2002, October 1, 2002, and between January 1 and January 31, 2003. These reports shall include the number of victims treated, the number of trials in which START staff testified, the percentage of victims requesting counseling and follow-up services, anecdotal or formally-gathered reports by victims regarding their perceptions of services provided, the number of referrals made to other agencies or programs, any community education efforts undertaken by START program personnel, and any other information serving to characterize the nature and value of the START Program to Oakland County residents BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners authorizes its Chairperson to execute this Professional Services Contract on behalf of the Board of Commissioners. Chairperson, I move the adoption of the foregoing resolution. I ) Resolution #01288 October 25, 2001 The Chairperson referred the resolution to the General Government, Public Services and Finance Committees. There were no objections.