More ticks. More mosquitos. Less snowmobiling and ice fishing. Those are just a few of the climate impacts facing Midwestern states in the coming decades, according to the just-released Fifth National Climate Assessment.
“Allowing young people to pre-register to vote — particularly while they’re learning about civics and the democratic process in school — will undoubtedly increase participation in our elections by ensuring when they are legally eligible to vote at 18, they will be all set to become a lifelong voter,” Rep. Betsy Coffia (D-Traverse City) said in a statement released after the vote on the bill.
The bills implementing Proposal 1 would require state officials and candidates for office to annually submit financial disclosure reports showing sources of income, properties owned and other assets valued at over $1,000 and liabilities valued over $10,000.
The package of four bills, two sponsored by Democrats and two sponsored by Republicans, provide increased access to support services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, add privacy protections and allow oral impact statements to be given virtually.
According to a survey from the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan law and policy group aimed at upholding democratic values, 1 in 3 election officials have faced threats, with more than half of those individuals being threatened in person.
Raise the Wage Michigan, a coalition advocating for increasing the state’s minimum wage, has filed a lawsuit with the Michigan Supreme Court following the Michigan Board of State Canvassers’ decision last month against certifying a ballot initiative to increase the minimum wage to $15 and phase out the tipped wage.
With the cost of water adjusted for inflation nearly doubling since 1980, lawmakers have introduced Senate Bills 549–554 in a bid to create a statewide water affordability program and prevent shutoffs.
Implementing government transparency reforms required under Proposal 1 passed by voters last year is time-sensitive. The proposal's eventual passage came after a 2015 Center for Public Integrity state ranking of government transparency and accountability gave Michigan an “F” grade, ranking it worst in the nation.
In a new report evaluating state redistricting efforts, Michigan scored a “B” based on feedback from state and local organizations, advocates and community organizers.
“Over the course of this law’s existence, residents in Michigan have been denied justice, and that is a moral problem,” state Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) said. “They deserve access to the courts, they deserve access to justice, but it’s also cost our people millions, and probably billions, of dollars.”
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