Rep. Olumba Sponsors Bills That Restructure, Reinvest in Detroit

Proposed legislation seeks to modernize Detroit, prepare it for the future

LANSING - State Representative John Olumba (Detroit) has announced his sponsorship of the Detroit Structured Reinvestment and Restructuring Omnibus (DSRRO), a package of bills intended to transform Detroit into a hub of innovation, economic prosperity and efficient government. The scope of this legislation is broad, beginning with fifty bills, and Rep. Olumba has asked that his colleagues take his cue and join him in rethinking Detroit’s future.

“Detroit is in serious need of a turnaround plan, a vision that gives the citizens a view of where our city could be, in due time, if a specific course of legislative and executive action is taken to advance the city,” said Olumba. “Most of these advancements must be initiated from a legislative perspective. Yet, there is no comprehensive legislative plan that has been offered which gives the citizens something to embrace as a standard.”

Rep. Olumba’s plan proposes solutions in several important areas although he highlights his legislative proposals in the area of commerce. He advances the idea of using a city’s various ports to finance economic development and spur commercial activity. In the plan he also advocates for responsible local government, senior citizen quality of life, social welfare reform, education reform, access to justice and fairness in the workplace. While their exact language is being hammered out, the bills will offer specifics as varied as the regulation and rate control of public utilities to the enhanced protection of seniors from abuse and neglect to the repeal of Michigan’s emergency financial manager law.

“These pieces of legislation are timeless,” said Olumba. “They represent, and are based upon, bedrocks of economic and political theory accepted as successful practices for centuries across the world. Today, I have brought these ideas forward and placed them into a modern day urban package. Any legislator can freely take from this package and introduce or reintroduce, in subsequent legislative sessions, these bills for passage. It is important to note that this work is never complete.”