Chairman Klint Kesto is responsible for the progress of Michigan’s Criminal Justice Reform bills. Last month we arranged a group of HB 5666 supporters to attend an Espresso with Kesto meeting at Biggby Coffee. Sadly Kesto did not attend, nor did another member of his committee instead a office staff person with no legislative power or answers wrote down questions to forward to Kesto. What’s the point of his scheduling public meetings if he doesn’t attend? If Rep Kesto doesn’t have the time to attend his own meetings then they should not be advertised as opportunities for citizens to meet with their representative and voice their concerns. Many of those who attend the meeting came from hours away in order to be present. The Friday mornings and early afternoons are not the most plausible days for people who work full-time jobs, like the vast majority of Michigan residents. The individuals who decided to take the time to come to the meeting from a long ways made the sacrifice in order to voice their opinions about Michigans upcoming Criminal Justice Reform bills HB 5665-7 and Rep. Kesto should at the very least honor that passion and sacrifice with his presence at his meetings.
You Say When and Where, Now BE THERE!
I’ve included a screenshot from
Kesto’s site which advertises that every third Friday of the month Representative Klint Kesto holds public office hours at Biggby Coffee.
As is chairman over the Law and Justice Committee Kesto oversees the progress of HB 5666 which would allow thousands of incarcerated individuals to reduce their sentences by up to 30% and even 40%. The bill can only go to the house for a hearing after its revisions are approved by Rep. Kesto. Currently the bill is just sitting in the committee, as it has for the past 5 months since it was first introduced in February and this is solely due to the chairmen’s lack of motivation to prioritize the bill and get it before the rest of congress for a vote.
In May I received a response from Rep. Kesto confirming that the Law and Justice committee would be reviewing the criminal justice reform bills, which includes Good Time, “in the coming weeks”. After 2 months it’s been more than a few weeks and the bills are still sitting in Kesto’s committee waiting for review. In an attempt to keep this bill at the forefront of conversation in the committee we must be sure that Chairman Kesto knows that the bill is at the top of our priority list. Reinstating Good Time in Michigan is a priority for the people and therefore should be a priority for the people’s representatives. However it’s hard to believe that this is the case when our representatives fail to show up for us to listen to our concerns and hear our opinions. We must remind Kesto, his committee and Michigan congress that we haven’t forgotten about the bill and that CJ Reform is a high priority to the public.
Rep Klint Kesto’s Public Office Hours are on the third Friday of each month at the following times:
- 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at Biggby located at 1001 Welch Rd. in Commerce Charter Township.
- 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Biggby located at 1001 Welch Rd. in Commerce Charter Township.
Biggby Coffee Address: 40740 Hayes Rd, Charter Twp of Clinton, MI 48038
Our main goal at this stage in the campaign is making sure that a hearing is scheduled for the bill. If a hearing isn’t scheduled for the bills to be voted on in the house then Good Time could potentially die in the committee. Our main focus at this stage is to secure a hearing date for the bill this summer.
How Can I Trust Someone to Represent My Concerns that I have No Access To?
Our representatives should always be accessible to the public. Its sad to see that these officials have reduced their roles from public advocates to paper pushing money collectors afraid to even sit down with citizens to identify problems and brainstorm solutions. The ‘Esspresso with Kesto” meetings are supposed to be a place where citizens know that they can connect with Rep. Kesto, not to be stood up. Instead of having the opportunity to talk to decision makers, supporters who attended this meeting with met by office staff with a notepad told to write down their concerns so that they could be forwarded to the chairman. What is the point of taking off work and driving several hours to do something that could have been done over the phone or online in minutes? Its absolutely ridiculous that these supporters time and effort weren’t respected enough to warrant a face-to-face meeting and if there was going to be a substitution with no answers there to stand in place, individuals should have been notified in advance. An individual stated his frustration after the meeting, “Kesto didn’t show up for meeting…it wasn’t the wait it is a couple hour drive for us and I was not real happy and i let the girl that stood in know…All she did was agree with what ever you said like she was told and had absolutely no answers for anything,” He goes on, ” We signed in a noted why we were there for what that is worth and she did say they have had a lot of calls and letters in the bill.”
At this point it may be hard for people to believe that any progress is going to be made with this bill before elections. However, if this bill doesn’t get voted on in this season the biggest outcome is knowing how representatives during this cycle responded to the bill. The fact that Good Time is on the table is a victory in itself, we currently have legislation that we can point to when asking officials how they feel about Criminal Justice Reform. Another positive outcome is that we know exactly which officials not to re-relect. As we move forward with this campaign I’ll be continuing to post updated until Good Time is brought back to our state.
If you’d like to voice your dissappointment with the Chairmen’s decision not to attend his public meetings you can contact him by calling (517) 373-1799 or via email at KlintKesto@house.mi.gov.
