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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s chances to make good on many of her campaign promises are closing as Democrats fail to unite around the legislative agenda at the end of 2024.
For the past two years, Michigan Democrats have led all branches of government for the first time in nearly 40 years, starting with a multibillion-dollar budget surplus. However, the trifecta was lost when Republicans took back the state legislature in the fall. And in the final legislative session of a chaotic year, Democrats achieved little on what Whitmer once presented as the most important issue facing the state.
Among the bills that were not enacted was one that would have increased transparency in the governor’s office and the Legislature, which are now exempt from public records requests. It also derailed efforts to repeal Michigan’s controversial emergency management law and charge bottled water companies royalties for extracting groundwater and investing in infrastructure and other programs. It’s a similar idea to one Whitmer herself once proposed. Congress also took no substantive steps to “fix our damn roads,” as Whitmer’s famous 2018 campaign slogan put it.
“Governor Whitmer thanks her colleagues in the Legislature for their dedication to serving her fellow Michiganders and looks forward to working with the incoming House of Representatives,” Stacey LaRouche, a spokeswoman for Governor Whitmer, said in a statement. said. “She will continue to work with anyone who is serious about getting things done.”
Overall, the Michigan Democratic Party has had a markedly stagnant year following its first year in leadership, marred by infighting and moderate policies that appear to be tailored to shore up its electoral prospects. (The governor has consistently demurred when asked about his interest in running for president.)
“I’m completely angry,” said Lisa McGraw, communications manager for the Michigan Press Association, which has campaigned for years to expand the state’s freedom of information law.
McGraw noted the ongoing costs of state government secrecy and how a lack of transparency contributes to corruption and potential abuses of power. To those who oppose opening the governor’s office and the Legislature to FOIA, she asks: “What do they have to hide?”
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A bill that would have amended Michigan’s Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation Act never made it to the governor’s desk. A ProPublica investigation last year revealed how WICA helps wrongfully convicted people rebuild their lives, but many of their compensation claims are challenged by states. There is. Some people get nothing at all. Two Supreme Court justices, a state board, the attorney general’s office and advocates urged lawmakers to address gaps in the law.
But the bill aimed at doing so expired at the end of the year.
“More people will be harmed by the failures of the Legislature in the near future,” said Kenneth Nixon, president and co-founder of the accused organization.
Now, he said, “everything is starting over” with the WICA reform effort. He said new legislation is unlikely to move forward in the next two years because of the divided government, but it’s important to educate lawmakers on why the changes are needed.
President Nixon said, “People have had their lives destroyed through no fault of their own. They deserve to be made whole.”
A Senate bill that would have ensured coverage of a new generation of cancer treatments in health plans also fell short of its final goal. ProPublica previously reported how a Michigan man died after his insurance company denied the only treatment that could have saved his life.
Road funding was not publicly discussed until the last moment. In mid-December, Whitmer reportedly warned her Democratic colleagues that they shouldn’t expect to sign any more bills if they don’t move on road funding and economic development. But in the end, nothing was done about the issue that was once a mainstay of Whitmer.
Short-term funding sources that paid for some improvements in recent years are drying up. Civil engineers estimate that the proportion of roads in poor condition will increase in the coming years unless further action is taken.
“The governor has been running around funding roads, but has he actually fixed it?” asked Democrat Rachel Hood, whose term in the House ended in December. He said if Whitmer runs for senior office, voters “will see that she’s not up to the task.”
Sam Inglot, executive director of the left-leaning nonprofit Progress Michigan, said one of the lessons from last session was that strong leadership is needed even if a trifecta is favored. Ta. “You need someone to set the vision and priorities for what these people are trying to do,” he said.
Michigan lawmakers passed a number of important laws in 2023, the first year with Democrats in full control. They would repeal state “right to work” laws that allow workers in unionized workplaces to opt out of union dues and fees, codify reproductive rights, and eliminate the Earned Income Tax Credit. expanded to provide free breakfast and lunch to all public school children.
And in the final weeks of his trifecta, he passed legislation that strengthens hate crime protections, fixes the state’s gun buyback program and makes changes aimed at increasing access to birth control.
Democratic state Sen. Jeff Irwin, the cancer care bill’s sponsor, said many of this year’s gains have been overlooked because they didn’t align with the issues highlighted in the presidential campaign. As an example of such a success, he cited changes in the way reading comprehension is taught in Michigan. (ProPublica reported how one in five American adults struggles with basic level reading.)
Nevertheless, “2024 will go down as one of the least productive legislative sessions in history,” said Eric Rufer, president of the Michigan Citizen Research Council, a nonpartisan policy group. .
The momentum slowed in the first half of the year, as Democrats’ House majority dwindled to a narrow tie until special elections were held for the two seats. Campaigning in an election year took place throughout the summer and fall. And Hood said House Speaker Joe Tate told lawmakers to wait until after the election to introduce many bills, adding to the typically crowded late-day agenda. (Tate’s office did not respond to a request for comment.)
Later, House Republicans and one Democrat refused to attend unless their policy priorities were addressed. Mr Tate adjourned the House of Commons early on December 19th without a quorum. “Nobody did any work in the House,” McGraw said. “They didn’t show up.”
The Senate continued deliberations and adjourned on the afternoon of December 20th after deliberating all night. However, the debate was effectively limited to bills that did not require further action by the House.
That was the problem with the unlawful compensation bill. Although the House passed it in December, the bill inadvertently omitted amendments, making it impossible for the Senate to vote on the full version of the bill, said Sen. Stephanie Chan, a Democrat.
Despite reportedly warning about legislative inaction on roads, Whitmer signed a number of bills, including policies to address housing discrimination and human trafficking.
And this week, on the first day of the new Congress, senators who have long fought to expand FOIA reintroduced a bipartisan proposal. “The Senate has made this a priority,” McGraw said. “I hope House Republicans feel the same way.”
“Bad Grandma” advocates the establishment of an ethics committee. The North Dakota Legislature then limited that authority.
Even if the bill passes, it likely won’t go into effect until 2027, when Whitmer completes her second and final term.
LaRouche said in a statement that the governor believes state government must be open, transparent and accountable to taxpayers. “She is the first governor in state history to voluntarily disclose personal financial information and income tax returns,” LaRouche said.
Whitmer previously said she could unilaterally issue public records requests to the governor’s office and the lieutenant governor’s office if legislative efforts to increase transparency stall.
“Michiganders need to know what their governor is working on and when,” she vowed in her 2018 Sunshine Plan.
Six years later, she still hasn’t done so.