Republican Rick Snyder is the wild card in a full deck of GOP measures to rein in Democrats entering office, rollback environmental laws and other measures that drive progressives crazy. Will it impact his legacy?
A state commission to be judge and jury over campaign finance violations would be a disaster just like the Federal Elections Commission. Mike Staebler says he knows: his father was on the original FEC.
In what appeared to be a compromise to get votes, a politically appointed commission with broad powers over Michigan schools was downgraded to an “peer review panel.” Bill now goes to Senate.
The Republican bill requires signatures to be collected from across much of the state and adds more rules for signature collectors. The bill is also supported by business groups but opposed by Democrats, Right to Life and the ACLU.
Grassroots Republican leaders say legislation will help preserve Michigan’s booming economy and make it harder for Democrats to act on some of their more radical impulses.
The bill would require signatures from a wide variety of congressional districts and add other restrictions to the signature gathering process necessary for citizens to bring an initiative to the ballot or their legislators.
Since the chaotic lame duck session began in late November, hundreds of bills have been introduced and voted on, some that would have major effects on Michigan.
The House and Senate quickly approved a bill Tuesday to help Gov. Snyder lock-in a plan to swap out twin pipelines beneath the Straits of Mackinac and protect them in a bedrock tunnel. Critics decry a rush before a Democrat becomes governor.
Party activists want Gretchen Whitmer and other incoming Dems to lash out as Republicans seek to rein in their power. But party insiders urge patience as they try to limit damage and quietly seek vetoes from Gov. Snyder.
Michigan voters elected Gretchen Whitmer, and she shouldn’t have her hands tied by outgoing Republicans, says the former president of the State Board of Education.
Supporters call House Bill 4205 a transparency measure that’s good for business. Critics worry it would remove tools to tackle problems such as PFAS contamination.
