House OKs ethics reform with financial disclosure, lobby limits
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Lansing Amid debate over whether the legislation went far enough, Michigan House members on Wednesday passed 13 bills and one joint resolution that proponents hope will boost transparency and ethics among lawmakers.
The bills seek to create an ethics committee in each chamber, to require confidential financial disclosures from members and to prevent legislators and senior administration officials from lobbying for two years after leaving office.
The bills move to the Senate next, where Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, has expressed concerns that financial disclosure requirements could discourage people from running for office.
Thousands of Michiganders who suffered catastrophic injuries in auto crashes, and who rely on care provided via the state's no fault auto law, are terrified that they will soon lose access to care once a sub-section of the act goes into effect in July
Republican-controlled Michigan Senate recognizes LGBTQ Pride Month
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The GOP-controlled Senate approved the resolution by Sen. Jeremy Moss in a voice vote, meaning there is no tally of who voted in support of or opposition to. All 16 Senate Democrats signed on as sponsors along with two Republican lawmakers: Sens. Jim Stamas of Midland and Wayne Schmidt of Traverse City. The people of Michigan understand, appreciate and value the cultural, civic and economic contributions of the LGBTQ communities to the greater community of the state and affirm a celebration of love, living authentically and accepting ourselves, the resolution says.
Moss, a Southfield Democrat and the Senate s only openly gay member, said the vote was symbolic yet incredibly significant.
In 2013, the late Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson dispatched his deputies to the state Capitol to convince lawmakers that changing Michigan's no-fault auto insurance law would lead to thousands of lost jobs.The argument was persuasive. Michigan was just a few years removed from the…
Courtnie Bush, 16, was never supposed to wake up again, much less smile, stand and walk after she was in a car crash in December. Her mom Jenna said what