On Tuesday, State Rep. Luke Meerman (R-Coopersville) voted along with the House Oversight Committee to approve subpoenas on several government actors, including Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Director Elizabeth Hertel.

Meerman, who chairs the House Oversight Subcommittee on Child Welfare, expressed his eagerness to get answers about the health department’s many failures to protect children under its supervision, which his committee has highlighted throughout the term.

“Week after week, we have learned more about how our state’s safety net for children has failed,” Meerman said. “Throughout the term, my committee has heard testimony from grieving parents and advocates for mistreated children. They have shared a wealth of information about the severe negligence coming from facilities, agencies, and services operated by MDHHS. This is totally unacceptable, and it is beyond time for the public officials in charge of this disaster to answer for it.”

Meerman’s investigations into MDHHS’s child welfare malpractice were prompted largely by multiple reports issued by the Michigan Office of Auditor General documenting a litany of issues with MDHHS’s Children’s Protective Services (CPS) and Office of Family Advocate. The Oversight Subcommittee on Child Welfare this term has heard from witnesses about the deaths of 3-year-old Chayce Allen and 6-year-old Rowan Morey and many other documented instances of negligence.

The subpoena would call upon Hertel to appear before the Oversight Committee to answer questions on September 9^th.

“In the many cases we have heard about this year, we see clear signs of failure by the state health department,” Meerman said. “Unfortunately, we’ve also seen no accountability from the department itself and have gotten nothing but excuses and deflection. We have been assured the system is being fixed and that problems are being addressed, when that is clearly not happening. The House’s subpoena on Director Hertel marks an effort to get past the excuses and bring transparency and accountability to Michigan’s highest offices. She will have to answer some tough questions about her department’s failures, especially when it comes to protecting children.”