House Oversight Committee Chairman Jay DeBoyer is continuing to provide critical transparency within state government. He pointed today to testimony from local law enforcement officials that directly contradicts recent testimony from state Department of Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel on state response to child welfare emergencies and placement.

“Today’s testimony wasn’t just about setting the record straight. It clearly underscores failures and an alarming lack of both communication and cooperation on the part of DHHS,” said DeBoyer, of Clay Township. “We’re talking about the health and well-being of children who are being forced to live in totally inhumane conditions. Every resource should be utilized to get positive results for our most vulnerable populations. Every lead should be followed when we’re trying to protect children. Not doing so is simply a dereliction of duty.”

The committee spoke with Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough involving a situation with Children’s Protective Services (CPS) in the county. Sheriff Goodnough has previously stated that his deputies did not receive sufficient communication, guidance or intervention from state officials on multiple occasions over a prolonged period beginning in 2023 after the deputies found two small children, a mother and grandfather living in squalor inside of a tent and, in another instance, inside of a car. Officers from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department ultimately intervened and got the children out of those living conditions, according to Goodnough, despite Hertel claiming in a Sept. 9 hearing that DHHS was the entity that did so.

In the same hearing, Hertel brushed off attempts by the committee to explore communications with the county Sheriff’s office, saying she was going on information provided to her by CPS.

“The outcome was clearly unfavorable,” Goodnough said. “I don’t think there’s anybody in the state of Michigan that doesn’t know how to get ahold of a sheriff. She didn’t call and say “Hey Sheriff, can we have a conversation? Can I seek clarification? Can you share (information) with me? I would have made every investigator that was involved in this case available to (Director Hertel).

“We’re here to represent victims that don’t have a voice of their own, regardless of whether it’s children in a CPS case or victims of other criminal activity, that is my job as a Sheriff – to make sure their voices are heard and changes are made. Convince me that she is going to put a mechanism in place so that this failure doesn’t happen again.”

The committee also heard testimony from Marquette County Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jill Bable, who said she has reviewed “dozens” of cases, including multiple involving the protection of children, where she feels DHHS has failed. In one case, DHHS placed a child back in the home of a physically abusive parent after parental rights were terminated because the child’s biological father abused them and broke one of their bones. Goodnough said his department had three documented welfare instances over a short period of time since the situation occurred where procedural issues with the department and its exact role delayed rendering services and, ultimately, positive outcomes for people in need. One Democrat member of the committee referred to DHHS’ problems as “systemic” after hearing Goodnough’s testimony.

“There’s a lot of people making a lot of money that aren’t holding up their end of the stick,” Goodnough said.

“There are only a few corporations in the state with more gross revenue than DHHS,” DeBoyer said. “There’s been nearly a 2,000 percent increase in the number of people at DHHS making over $100,000 in taxpayer-funded salaries since Director Hertel assumed her position. It’s completely unacceptable to hear consistent instances where the department has allowed things to slip through the cracks. We must see more follow through from the department to assist our fellow community members, and we will continue to hold the department accountable to the people who help fund it.”