Civil Rights
On this day: Moderate Republican vetoes Democratic-led abortion bill
It was a different time, to be sure. On this day in 1978, Michigan Gov. William Milliken vetoed a bill to ban state-funded abortions. “This bill effectively would deny poor women of this state the same opportunity to exercise the same legal rights as other members of society,” the Traverse City Republican said at […]
Missed anything in the busiest Lame Duck ever? Catch up here.
Members of the 99th Michigan Legislature made history this year, sending more than 400 pieces of legislation to Gov. Rick Snyder in the body’s busiest lame-duck session in history. Joe Borgstrom, principal of the Lansing economic development firm Place+Main, summed up a lot of the criticism of this frenzied Lame Duck session in a recent tweet. […]
Whitmer: ‘Rational conclusion’ that sexism was a factor in campaign coverage
During the course of the 2018 campaign, Democrat Gretchen Whitmer was frequently asked by reporters about — and attacked by opponents for — her father’s former job. The governor-elect served 14 years in the Michigan Legislature, including four as Senate minority leader. She’s an attorney, a former University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School for […]
GOP clamps down on ballot proposals after progressive victories Nov. 6
Updated, 6:36 a.m. Dec. 21 Legislation that would make it more difficult to gather signatures for ballot proposals is headed Gov. Rick Snyder’s way. It hasn’t escaped notice that the measure was introduced and sped through the GOP-led Legislature only after three progressive initiatives for marijuana, redistricting reform and voting rights passed on Nov. 6. […]
Bill naming part of M-10 for Detroit educator awaits Snyder’s pen
A bill that would rename a portion of the John C. Lodge Freeway (M-10) in Detroit after legendary educator Violet T. Lewis overwhelmingly cleared the Michigan House on Thursday. The vote was 101-8 and the bill now heads to Gov. Rick Snyder’s desk. The Advance reported that Senate Bill 1137, sponsored by state Sen. Ian […]
GOP tightens up same-day voter registration outlined in Proposal 3
GOP Gov. Rick Snyder will have to decide whether to sign off on legislation that makes changes to a voting-rights proposal passed last month. Voting-rights advocates say that legislative changes made tonight to Proposal 3 proposal will dampen the intended effects. But the heart and soul of the Promote the Vote campaign remains intact, a […]
Court intervention bill pops, undermining new Dem AG’s power
Updated, 5:30 a.m. Dec. 21 In a matter of minutes, Michigan Senate Republicans Thursday afternoon approved a bill that cinches the power of Democratic Attorney General-elect Dana Nessel. This has been, perhaps, the most hotly contested bill of a long and fiery Lame Duck session and has been the subject of considerable national media attention, […]
Chang talks pink wave and Lame Duck, stays mum on Scott
Last week was a long one in Lansing. As the two-year session ends, legislative Republicans have fired off dozens of bills, some of which are designed to usurp power from incoming Democratic executives. On Wednesday, Dec. 12, the House held a marathon session that actually ended at 3 a.m. the following morning. And on Friday, […]
Schuette and Nessel, who faced off on same-sex marriage case, haven’t met during transition
The Lame Duck session has been marked by a partisan power struggle, with the GOP-led Legislature fighting to strip powers from newly elected Democratic statewide officials. But the actual transition of power has been very collegial overall, with three of the four top new leaders meeting with their term-limited counterparts. However, Attorney General Bill Schuette, […]
Susan J. Demas: Snyder’s next act hinges on his Lame Duck legacy
Rick Snyder is a man with a plan. He always has been. That’s part of how he rose from being raised in a modest 900-square-foot home in Battle Creek while working summers at the Gun Lake Northside Grocery to becoming the CEO of Gateway and, later, the 48th governor of Michigan. Snyder picked up his […]
Michigan’s manic Lame Duck session continues to mesmerize national media
Michigan’s frenetic end-of-the-year legislative session before Democrats assume all top statewide offices continues to command the attention of national outlets. Reporters from national outfits like CNN attended the exit interview last week of GOP Gov. Rick Snyder and Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, eager to see if the term-limited governor would show his hand on signing […]
North Carolina gov. who endured power grab fundraises for Whitmer
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who knows a little bit about legislative power grabs, sent out a fundraising pitch this week for his fellow Democrat, Michigan Gov.-elect Gretchen Whitmer. After Cooper won election in November 2016, the GOP-controlled Legislature called a special session. As North Carolina Policy Watch reported, Republicans quickly moved to claw back […]