Patriot Week bill clears House panel

A young girl was so upset that American history and civic holidays “were being stripped of their meaning” that she pounded her fists on the table during a conversation with her father.

The rest, as they say, is history.

So what started as the effort of an Oakland County Circuit Court judge and his young daughter to urge people to honor America, its founding fathers, and key documents may become a statewide celebration as lawmakers in the state House of Representatives mull a proposal by area legislators to create Michigan Patriot Week.

House Bill (HB) 4464, which is sponsored by state Rep. Gail Haines (R-Waterford, West Bloomfield), was reported for a second reading out of the House Military, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security Committee without amendment on Tuesday, June 14.

State Reps. Chuck Moss (R-Orchard Lake), Eileen Kowall (R-Highland, White Lake), Bill Rogers (R-Milford), and Hugh Crawford (R-Walled Lake, Wixom), as well as some Democrats from across the state, are serving as co-sponsors of the legislation.

“Declaring Patriot Week in Michigan designates a time for us to truly honor our history and milestones that we often forget about in the day-to-day shuffle,” Haines stated in a press release. “I’m pleased with the support from my colleagues and hope we can approve this legislation quickly and officially begin celebrating Patriot Week in Michigan.”

If the bill is approved by both legislative chambers, it would designate Sept. 11 to Sept. 17 — Constitution Day — as Patriot Week in Michigan.

The event was first observed in Oakland County in 2009 at the urging of Circuit Court Judge Michael Warren’s daughter, Leah, who was 10-years-old at the time.

“It came about from a lunch she and I had in which we discussed the ruining of our existing civic calendars, how they have been stripped of their meaning,” Judge Warren said. “She was very upset by what she learned and she demanded — pounded on the table — and said we needed to do something about it. Who was I to argue with my daughter?”

The event has been commemorated at the state level in each of the past two years, with bipartisan approval of a resolution in 2009 by the state Senate, and approval in both chambers of the state Legislature last year.

To learn more about Patriot Week, visit www.patriotweek.org.