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From the Chair
After 40 years where Republicans called most of the shots in state government, for the last six months Democrats have had (small) legislative majorities working with a Democratic Governor to enact a people-first agenda. The results are truly breathtaking. This week’s podcast focuses on a review of all that’s been done.
Headlines seem reserved for the bad news: disfunction, corruption, scandal, controversy. Government that’s working well usually doesn’t make headlines, but it did this week in the Detroit Free Press which recounts our successes: some of them bipartisan, many of them despite united Republican opposition. It is up to us to remind the people around us of all the good things that have happened with the Democrat-led state government.
Democrats Leading Michigan Checklist – The First Six Months
- Budget passed on time, balanced, and including nearly $1-billion in targeted tax cuts
- Record investments made in K-12 education, including added support for at-risk students and universal free breakfast and lunch
- Michigan’s 1931 law making abortion a crime repealed
- Laws strengthening protections for victims of sexual assault
- Anti-labor laws passed during the Snyder administration repealed
- The Snyder “pension tax” repealed
- Election reforms
- LGBTQ+ Civil Rights Protections added to the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act
- Hate crimes protections added to the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act
- Common-sense gun safety laws
- Record investments made in fixing Michigan’s crumbling infrastructure – Michigan’s “Orange Barrel Summer!”
- Tens-of-thousands of new jobs being created by major manufacturing investments, including two massive battery plants that will power Michigan’s automotive manufacturing future
And that’s just the beginning. Attorney General Nessel has been a non-stop in fighting consumer fraud, Republican-sponsored anti-liberty court cases, political corruption, battling violent and white-collar crime and taking on the telemarketers!
Secretary of State Benson has taken a branch office mess (she inherited from Republicans) that everyone hated and transformed it into an efficient, customer-friendly operation. She has also become a nationally recognized advocate for voter rights and election reforms, and is widely credited for her leadership in making Michigan’s elections the most secure in the nation.
Want to know more about what your Democratic leaders are doing in Lansing? A good place to start is with their official websites:
- Governor Gretchen Whitmer
- Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson
- Attorney General Dana Nessel
- Senate Democrats
- House Democrats
News Stories We’re Following This Week
Michigan Policy and Politics
- Michigan education budget has smaller-ticket items that may have big impact – Bridge Michigan
- Michigan Dems’ bills died under past GOP control but obtained Republican votes this time – Detroit Free Press
- Insider: Lawmakers say ‘pieces in place’ for transparency overhaul – Detroit News
- Actor Hill Harper poised to challenge Slotkin in Michigan Senate primary – POLITICO
- Michigan Senate Race Poised to Draw More Candidates Soon – Time
- GOP former congressman eyeing Michigan U.S. Senate seat – Detroit News
- Michigan Democrats move to remove GOP Senate candidate from party – Detroit News
- Hertel resigns as Whitmer legislative affairs director, fueling speculation of congressional run ⋆ Michigan Advance
- Kristina Karamo feuds with co-chair, as Michigan Republican civil war worsens – Bridge Michigan
- Ex-Michigan GOP budget chair: Karamo opposed party spending limits – Detroit News
- Prosecutor describes ‘multiple crimes’ in Michigan voting equipment probe – Detroit News
- Moms for Liberty’s focus on school races nationwide sets up political clash with teachers unions – AP News
- Democrats’ new primary calendar remains unresolved. The party insists that’s OK – AP News
- The D.N.C. Has a Primary Problem – The New York Times
- Macomb County, Prosecutor Peter Lucido hit with discrimination lawsuit – Detroit Free Press
- Critic of Chinese battery plant once lobbied for Chinese company – Detroit News
- Why Not Whitmer? – The Atlantic
- Why Gretchen Whitmer Has What It Takes for a White House Run – Vanity Fair
- Bypassing Biden: Democrats Think of What Could Have Been – POLITICO
- Biden’s hydrogen bombshell leaves Europe in the dust – POLITICO
National Policy and Politics
- Biden versus the bad news bros (Economic Fakerism) – New York Times
- Republican opposition to LGBTQ rights erupts in backlash to Pride month – The Washington Post
- After 303 Creative Decision, Large Majority of Voters Say Business Owners Should Not Be Able to Deny Services Based on Personal Beliefs
- The Supreme Court rejects Biden’s plan to wipe away $400 billion in student loan debt – WILX TV
- FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces New Actions to Provide Debt Relief and Support for Student Loan Borrowers – The White House
- Poll: 61% support Biden’s Student Loan Debt Relief Plan – Data for Progress
- Voters Not Happy with SCOTUS – Data for Progress
- Ex-GOP Ohio House speaker sentenced to 20 years for role in $60M bribery scheme; appeal expected – AP News
- The Mysterious Case of the Fake Gay Marriage Website, the Real Straight Man, and the Supreme Court – The New Republic
- Judge limits Biden administration in working with social media companies – AP News
- Trump-appointed judge botches facts – The Washington Post
- Supreme Court’s term showed conservative power, Roberts in control – The Washington Post
- One Year After Dobbs, Abortion Access Is as Important as Ever – Data for Progress
- The pandemic-era voting shift that is here to stay – POLITICO
- Former congressman Mondaire Jones launches bid to reclaim his New York seat – The Washington Post
- Supreme Court redistricting rulings could add Democratic seats in Louisiana, Alabama – The Washington Post
- Pragmatic, swing district House Republicans push back on agenda – The Washington Post