News
Longtime colleague says former Robertson aide is being ‘railroaded’
A former chief of staff for state Sen. Dave Robertson (R-Grand Blanc) is the target in an ongoing Michigan State Police embezzlement investigation. But Erika Farley’s former colleague says she’s innocent. “I have the utmost respect for her,” Matt Marsden, who worked with Farley for years in the Michigan Senate, told the Advance today. […]
Michigan Legislature passes Nassar bills
Legislation aimed at curbing future sexual abuse crimes, like those of former Michigan State University Dr. Larry Nassar, passed the Michigan Legislature last week. The Associated Press reported that the bills received unanimous approval in the state Senate and are now awaiting the signature of Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, who signaled his support for helping […]
Trump-backed short-term health plans introduced, but not supposed to move in Senate
A GOP bill introduced last week in the Michigan Senate takes aim at Obamacare, loosening regulations for short-term health insurance plans. But its future is uncertain. These policies have been a favorite of the Trump administration. In August, it issued a new rule allowing for plans that last up to 364 days, with an option […]
Whitmer to join governors-elect in Trump meeting this week
Michigan’s next governor, Gretchen Whitmer, is slated be part of a group of governors-elect meeting on Thursday with President Trump at the White House, the Detroit Free Press reports. A Whitmer spokesperson told the Free Press that the Democrat wants to talk about “federal trade policies, access to affordable health care, protecting our Great Lakes […]
Coleman A. Young sworn in as Michigan senator on this day in 1964
On Dec. 10, 1964, Coleman A. Young was officially sworn in as a member of the Michigan Senate. During his nine-year tenure, Young, who had previously been an elected to the Michigan Constitutional Convention of 1961 and 1962, championed civil rights and collective bargaining issues. While in Lansing, Young served as minority floor leader and […]
Educators converging on Lansing to protest Lame Duck bills this week
Marcus Walton said he didn’t knock doors this summer and fall to elect Democrats, only to have Republicans shove through an aggressive Lame Duck agenda that hurts teachers and students. “We lobbied and fought to get [Gov-Elect] Gretchen [Whitmer] and the Democratic slate elected and we accomplished that goal,” said Walton, a Detroit Public Schools […]
Michigan State Police is a long way from true diversity, critics say
Only two of the current Michigan State Police 128-member training class — the first in several years — call Detroit home. What’s more: only one of them is a person of color. The NAACP argues that is a clear indication the agency continues to lack ethnic and gender diversity, cultural sensitivity and understanding — […]
Former elections chief: Campaign finance panel would deadlock
Michigan’s former top elections chief is speaking out against Republican efforts to strip campaign finance oversight from the secretary of state’s office. The state’s former Bureau of Elections director, Chris Thomas, retired in 2017 after a 36-year career in five different administrations of both parties. He told the Michigan Advance that Republicans’ plan to move […]
Michigan’s Lame Duck action makes news nationwide
Michigan’s Lame Duck session has been a popular topic around the nation. More than a dozen major news outlets, including CNN, NBC and The New York Times, have reported on state GOP lawmakers and their frantic attempt to strip authority and decision-making from incoming Democratic statewide officials. Michigan’s end-of-the-year session also has attracted the attention […]
Michigan part of a growing trend of Lame Duck power grabs
Michigan isn’t alone when it comes to frenzied Lame Duck activity. As the legislative session comes to an end, Republicans in Wisconsin, North Carolina and Pennsylvania are poised to carry out accelerated, and, in some cases, hyper-partisan and historic votes. In a few states, GOP majorities are exercising power grabs before Democrat executive branch officials […]
Progressives call to end Lame Duck legislative sessions
Is it time to end Lame Duck action in Michigan? Sam Inglot, Progress Michigan’s relentless deputy communications director, has a provocative op-ed in the Lansing State Journal this week slamming Republicans for “gut[ting] popular policies that help working families” in this late-year session. The GOP-controlled Legislature has taken up a number of bills giving progressives heart […]
Michigan Senate swiftly passes campaign finance bills before new SOS takes office
The GOP-led Michigan Senate today passed a set of bills stripping campaign finance oversight from Democrat Jocelyn Benson, the incoming secretary of state. The package, Senate Bills 1248, 1249, 1250, 1251 and 1252, were adopted mainly along party lines. The lead bill, SB 1248 sponsored by term-limited Sen. Dave Robertson (R-Grand Blanc), would shift campaign […]