"Today, we are about to break for a couple of weeks for the 4th of July holiday, but because of the Republican Senators and the United States Senate's failure to act on the unemployment extension and the FMAP extension, we are facing some critical issues here in the state of Michigan," said Senate Minority Leader Mike Prusi, D-Ishpeming. "If we do not get that extension passed in Washington, D.C., by next week, 97,000 families in Michigan will lose their unemployment benefits."
The Senate Republicans referred Senate Resolution 172 to the Committee on Government Operations where bills go to die. Democrats moved to discharge the committee from further consideration, but Republicans moved to postpone the motion temporarily.
Republicans have used the lame excuse that the bill will increase the federal budget deficit, but the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said the deficit was because of the Bush tax cuts for the rich that Congress did not pay for and the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The cost of allowing the unemployed an extension is just a tiny fraction of this year's budget deficit.
"I think that is rather disingenuous when this same crowd of Republicans in six of the eight years of the Bush Administration turned a $236 billion surplus into a $1.4 trillion deficit," Prusi said. "Now all of the sudden, they want to cut the deficit; they want to cut taxes; they want to cut regulations; they want to cut red tape; and the first thing they go after is cutting millions of Americans out of unemployment benefits and cutting millions of Americans off the Medicaid rolls."
The Senate was on various recesses on and off on Thursday, waiting for bills to come over from the House because the Legislature breaks for most of the summer. Senate Republicans then moved that further consideration of the resolution be postponed for the day, meaning the summer, but Democrats asked for a vote on that postponement.
As predicted, every single Republican voted to stiff Michigan's unemployed.
"Those are your constituents and my constituents that week by week will fall off the unemployment rolls; lose the support that keeps their families whole, puts food on their table, pays their rent, and allows them to live a modicum of a decent life here in the state of Michigan," Prusi said. "They are playing pure partisan politics with the lives of our constituents, and I find it reprehensible that we will not even stand up."
I hope Republicans have to go back to parades and picnics and look Michigan's unemployed constituents in the eye and tell them tax cuts for the rich are more important for their very economic survival.
With the news that Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, will unilaterally reject appointments Gov. Jennifer Granholm made to six university boards for terms that begin the day she leaves office you get an idea of the unprecedented crap she has had to put up with from the Senate.
Granholm made the appointments on April 7, and she followed previous precedent set by former Republican Gov. John Engler in making the same type of appointments. Engler made a number of appointments for board positions, including a number of cronies - including current and former department directors and closest advisers such as Community Health Director James Haveman, former Corrections Director Bill Martin, Treasurer Doug Roberts and legal counsel Lucille Taylor - right before he left office.
Bishop said back on April 7 that he did not "really like the idea of this governor making appointments for the next governor," but on Wednesday he officially affirmed that ridiculous position, and he wrote Granholm a letter to inform her of the "Republican caucus' decision to reject those appointments," according to subscription only Gongwer. It's unclear when a vote will be held. That's a vote, not the normal advise and consent hearings.
Not only that, but Bishop took it even farther and said that the Senate would reject any gubernatorial appointments made after September 3, as well as any appointments made prior to that date for terms that begin after September 3. Her term does not end until noon on Jan. 1. They will be rejected without a hearing.
Many of the appointees are Republicans, including Roberts, who Engler appointed to the Northern Michigan University board in the same procedure Bishop is rejecting out of hand.
The hypocrisy is just overwhelming, and Granholm press secretary Liz Boyd called them out on it.
"The governor's appointees are qualified, they have bipartisan support and they are entitled to a fair hearing on the merits that the Senate Republicans have promised from the beginning of the Granholm administration," Boyd told Gongwer. "They have assured us that they would not reject qualified candidates. ... This is about Senator Bishop using qualified appointees as partisan political pawns."
With all the people in Lansing tomorrow to both hear the Governor's final State of the Sate speech and protest it, you might want to come early and take in a couple of interesting committee meetings.
The so-called government reforms the Senate Republicans introduced were nothing more than pay cuts that will kill collective bargaining in Michigan, and this is the second hearing of this committee. The hearing will be held in the Senate Hearing Room in the Boji Tower. It's not hard to miss; it's the tallest building In Lansing, and it's located right across from the Capitol. The meetings are public, but if you can't be there it will also be broadcast live on the Senate web site.
Later in the day at 3 p.m. the Senate Health Policy Committee will hold a hearing on Senate Joint Resolutions K and R. These two show resolutions are almost identical, and they do little but play to the fringe of the Republican Party in an election year. It's no coincidence that one of the sponsors is running for the U.S. House.
The useless resolutions would amend the Michigan Constitution and states "that no federal law shall compel any person, employer or health care provider to participate in any public or private health care system." The resolution also says "the purchase or sale of health insurance or coverage in private health care systems shall not be prohibited by federal law or rule." It will also be in the Hearing Room in the Boji Tower. As of now it is not being televised.
We have seen this kind of theatrical performance legislation by Senate Republicans, and it never goes anywhere, nor will these resolutions.
The Republicans are right. We need to rip the "shroud of secrecy" off the stimulus spending, so, in the interest of transparency, here is the latest on what is happening with Michigan's portion of the stimulus. WXYZ, through the AP, features a story on the road funding, with the promise that both parties want to get that money "out the door". One caveat though; the West Michigan Republicans need to check it over to make sure it's "fair". And a big clue that this is indeed a political thing for the Republicans: Jud Gilbert tips his hand, and puts it in partisan terms.
"Some of the membership has been concerned that maybe some of the projects will flow more toward the Democratic-side districts than the Republican," said Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Jud Gilbert, R-Algonac.
Gilbert is Vice Chair of this new layer of government, the stimulus subcommittee that was set up by the Senate Republicans this week. By the way, they gave themselves a 5-3 majority for a program that they don't even believe in. The whole committee, courtesy of MIRS:
Appropriations Chair Ron JELINEK (R-Three Oaks) will serve as Chair and Sen. Jud GILBERT (R-Algonac) will be Vice Chair. Other members are Sen. John PAPPAGEORGE (R-Troy), Sen. Roger KAHN (R-Saginaw), Sen. Mark JANSEN (R-Gaines Twp.), Sen. Mickey SWITALSKI (D-Roseville), Sen. Deb CHERRY (D-Burton) and Sen. Irma CLARK-COLEMAN (D-Detroit).
There is your cast of characters. Switalski will stay on top of things, but will it get out that Republicans are doing what they can to delay this effort? Maybe. Coming to the surface in this AP story is the important fact that Mike Bishop, who at one time loudly proclaimed that we shouldn't use the stimulus money on the budget because it would delay making $1.6 billion in "necessary cuts", now wants to wait until May before we start putting the stimulus towards Michigan's recovery. Why? Well, not only do they have a two-week vacation in April, he wants to wait and see where the budget is at that time. Quite the about-face for a guy that wanted this separate from the budget in the first place, don't you think?
What this boils down to is: All you people looking for jobs are just going to have to wait.
But Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop says it may be better to wait until after state economists provide an updated report on Michigan's budget problems in May before more stimulus money is spent.
Democrats say existing appropriations committees can handle the recovery act spending bills. Sen. Michael Switalski, D-Roseville, says a special committee could "create more talking and less working" on stimulus bills, creating delays.
Bishop says his intent is not to delay stimulus spending but rather to make sure it's done wisely.
Yes, just as wisely as they did on the budget problem in '07, when they put the whole thing off until the very last minute and then drove the government right to a shutdown, and then took a couple more months creating the dreaded MBT surcharge that they now want to use the stimulus money to eliminate.
The track record of Senate "wisdom" speaks for itself. Other states are already putting people back to work, while our legislature will take their sweet time on Michigan's recovery.
Senate Democrats were able to get the Michigan Senate to vote on No Reason Absentee Voting today. The vote failed along a straight party line vote. Democrats for the people; Republicans against.
Two of the obstructionist GOPers - Michelle McManus and Cameron Brown - can hardly be blamed for opposing NRAV; they are running for Secretary of State. NRAV would increase voter participation in Michigan, and therefore would also increase the difficulty of the job they aspire to have. No one wants to make their own job harder.
Matt Marsden, taking a shot a Mark Schauer, 8/13/08. All from MIRS-
"Mark Schauer might want to get off the campaign trail and start paying attention to what's going on in Lansing," Marsden said, referring to Schauer's race in the 7th Congressional District against U.S. Rep. Tim WALBERG (R-Tipton).
A fun fact - the Senate only met twice in July of '08 (17th and the 24th), and twice in August of '08 (13th and the 27th). Not exactly sure what Mark Schauer was supposed to be "paying attention to" when the Republicans were at the beach and ignoring the energy legislation, but apparently he should have been there just in case they decided to show up and work. Or something.
Fast forward to today, and the accommodations that can be made... if you're a Republican. Committee assignments are being switched around; Michelle McManus is off of Finance and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education...
McManus said the process wasn't official, so she declined to comment on specific assignments, but she stressed that she's chairing for the next two years the joint Capital Outlay Committee, which she said will be "very time-consuming." She'll also remain Chair of the Campaign and Election Oversight and Natural Resources committees.
... and the Senate Republicans concede they are looking to the next election cycle.
"It's important that we have returning members on committees to create a seamless process as we move into 2010," said GOP caucus spokesman Matt MARSDEN. "Sen. McManus can also focus more on her Secretary of State run."
Already ahead of ya there, Matt. McManus is definitely all about McManus.
"I'm not worried about who's running; I'm worried about Michelle McManus and what I intend to do as the next Secretary of State," she said.
Priorities, you see. Being the Senator from the 35th might figure in there somewhere in the next two years, but it's obviously not at the top of the list.
And they're off! Senate Republicans introduced bills in yesterday's session - and the first three out of the box were all we need to know about the direction they are taking.
SB001 - Eliminate the surcharge on the MBT by '10, a problem they created in '07 with their partisan nonsense, a problem they still haven't been able to fix, even though they spent all last year saying they would do so. So easy to just cut that revenue without saying how you would replace it, or what you would cut to mitigate its loss. From MIRS:
As for replacing the roughly $700 million in revenue that the surcharge brings in, Jansen said he's open to the idea. But he said the most important thing is to send a message to the business community about the surcharge.
Former House Tax Policy Chair Steve BIEDA said he'd like to see the surcharge go the way of the dodo, as well, but it has to be done in a "realistic" manner by filling the budget hole.
"Show me the money," he said. "It's kind of like eating your dessert before your vegetables."
Wow, does that sound familiar. Once again, when it comes time to do the heavy lifting or make the hard choices on this sort of action, the Senate Republicans take a pass. They still don't have a clue when it comes to dealing with the consequences of digger the hole deeper, or they don't want to take responsibility for it, one of the two.
SB002 - Create a small business ombudsman's office and compliance advisory panel as an autonomous entity in the department of management and budget. Actually this sounds like a good idea - but it creates "more government" at a time when we are facing a huge deficit for '10. How are we going to pay for it? Members of the advisory panel would not be paid, but can be "reimbursed for expenses". Go read the bill - sounds like a powerful government office that would require a lot of support staff to accomplish its goals.
And behind Door No. 3, here is the bill that shows that the Republicans are still under the control of the extreme rightwing forces in this state. We will take this one verbatim-
SB003 - Sec. 3. In the construction of the statutes of this state, the rules stated in sections 3a to 3w 3x shall be observed, unless such that construction would be inconsistent with the manifest intent of the legislature.
Sec. 3x. The word "individual" shall be construed to mean a natural person and to include a fetus.
Get that? It's the first step to eliminating freedom of choice.
Republican priorities are exactly as the title above states: increase the deficit, grow the government, attack abortion rights.
Here is the kicker in all of this: Andy Dillon comes out yesterday, proposing sweeping changes to government. Not sure what has gotten into him, but it appears he really wants to get some things changed and make this all work for the better for our people and our state, even "choking up" at one point in his speech yesterday talking about a family in his neighborhood that lost their home. Details on his plans are sketchy at this point - but he wants to see action before summer, the biggest items being revamping our tax structure and creating a catastrophic health care plan to deal with runaway costs. Monster issues. He wants to tackle property taxes, business taxes, and there are rumblings about a graduated income tax. The News has a pretty good rundown on the items, but this quote in MIRS sums it up:
"Our tax system is too complicated and stifles economic growth," the Speaker said. "Property taxes are too high and can rise even while values are dropping. We must act aggressively to improve our business tax, repeal the surcharge and cut property taxes to help create an environment of job retention and creation.
"However, meaningful tax reform can only come through a ballot initiative, so we can address constitutional provisions that prevent us from legislating comprehensive reform. For this reason, I ask the Senate and the Governor to join us in crafting a job-creating, comprehensive tax reform measure that we can put before the voters."
Big ambition from the Speaker. Don't know how he intends to do all of this, but if he can figure it all out and protect our quality of life - go for it. Let's cheer him on.
Response from the Senate Republicans? Bet you couldn't predict this one, in the Freep...
"Enough with the cutesy stuff like ballot proposals," said Senate GOP spokesman Matt Marsden. "The Legislature was elected to do a job."
"Why doesn't Dillon send his salary in with it," Marsden said. "I mean -- if he wants the voters to do the job he was elected to do."
Yes, the Legislature was elected to "do a job", but I'm pretty sure that job doesn't entail fiscal irresponsibility, focus of divisive issues, and petty, personal attacks on a leader who wants to try and get things done. Now that Marsden has attacked both the governor and the Speaker of the House, does he really have room to talk about the "tone" of this conversation?
Apparently this is all the Senate Republicans have to offer us; no real answers to our problems, and more partisan bickering. It's starting to look like this will be a long, hard year if that is the prevailing attitude that we will have to deal with as we attempt to move our state forward in these trying times.
There are none so blind as those who will not see, and there are none so dangerous as those who insist on clinging to their failed partisan ideology in the face of the need for real, comprehensive reform in state policy. And just like the budget battle of 2007, Mike Bishop is setting the Republican Senate up to dig in their heels and ignore reality, common wisdom, and expert reports on reducing Michigan's prison costs, and instead is focusing on the Richard Shelby solution to all of life's problems; busting union contracts and cutting worker pay.
First we have to highlight this laughable and disingenuous statement. If Bishop doesn't really like "cuts", then why has it been his answer to every single problem that we face?
"I don't like to say we've got to cut, cut, cut. I never thought I'd be in government to say that. But it is the reality of our times. This is the discussion we have to have."
And why does Bishop think that the Senate should be in control of that discussion? Voters made their wishes clear this past November on which party they would like to see take the lead on policy, would have cleaned out the Senate if they could have, but Mike, in all his arrogance, dismisses the House as "rookies" who need his guidance.
Speaker Dillon, care to respond to this one while it is fresh in everyone's mind?
In 2009, he said, the budget will be the dominant topic of discussion. The Senate will have to take the lead, Bishop said, since one-third of House members will be new to the job due to term limits.
Bottom line is: If we want to see real government reform, the last person we should turn to for leadership is Mike Bishop, and his statements on the issue of cutting prison costs is just one example of why. He has a one-track mind, and that track is simply "cut".
Every single study so far has indicated that Michigan's problem is mainly our high rate of incarceration as compared to other states. From prison policy experts, to state budget analysis, the number of people we lock up and the length of time we lock them up for are seen to be the culprit for escalating costs. In the interest of brevity, let's look at the report on state budget priorities from Public Sector Consultants for the Detroit Renaissance group. Big names like Sikkema, Lannoye and Rustem wrote this up, so you can't really claim a liberal or union bias.
Changes to criminal statutes and sentencing guidelines are difficult political pills to swallow. Legislators tend to be wary of proposals that would reduce sentences and make them look "soft on crime"-a stance that is typically reinforced by the law enforcement community and victim's rights groups. However, Michigan's prison incarceration rate is 45 percent higher than the average of the Great Lakes states. In order to reduce spending now, as well as for the long term, changes must be made to the state's approach to dealing with criminal behavior. By resolving to reduce the prison population to meet the Great Lakes average, Michigan's legislators will demonstrate their commitment to appropriate fiscal practices and recognize cost avoidance annually, up to roughly $400 million per year.
An important consideration when cost savings are achieved by lowering the prison population or reducing the time that a prisoner stays in prison is the reinvestment cost of releasing prisoners back into society. Initiatives to reduce the prison population and control spending must be balanced with reinvestment dollars (such as the Michigan Prisoner Reentry Initiative), which will improve the likelihood that prisoners who are released are not returned to the custody of the state system.
Basically, get them out, and have a support system in place so they stay out. That is where your biggest cost savings can be found - significant reform in the way we handle prisoners, both in sentencing, and reintegration with society. That is what the pros tell us to do. This report, and others like it, does take a look at state employee benefits as far as health care and pension concerns go, but you are hard-pressed to find examples where employee pay (except for overtime costs) are a major factor in reducing overall prison costs.
So, in the face of this evidence, why is Bishop insisting that employee pay is the problem?
Departments may have to close or merge and some of the state's 50,000 employees may have to take pay cuts, Bishop said. As an example, he points to the state's corrections budget, which amounts to more than is spent on education. Indiana, he said, pays its corrections workers half as much as Michigan.
"The solution is not just to close prisons and release prisoners. ... The solution is how we can afford our corrections employees," he said. "This isn't about hard-working people. This is about a system ... that isn't working."
And who does Bishop sound like when he lasers in on union employees, while conveniently ignoring the rest of "the system"?
It's the same message auto workers are hearing from Congress and many others in the private sector are facing.
And somewhere out there, with the dog-whistle that only the extremists on the right can hear, Betsy DeVos still whispers in the night, "Michigan workers make too much money".
We have a report coming by the end of the month from the Justice Center at the Council of State Governments that will show us the "series of steps to create a more effective and affordable crime fighting strategy for Michigan". Sensible reductions, such as overtime pay and restructuring of benefits will probably be included, and unions will probably be willing to take a look at any reasonable proposal put forth. After all, auto workers and other union members across the country have made concessions and demonstrated that they can be flexible given the current state of the national economy.
Question now is: Will Senate Republicans also demonstrate the willingness to compromise and apply some common sense when it comes to prison reform? Given Bishop's statements so far on the issue, it's not looking good for those who yearn for true leadership from the Senate. Bishop indicates that he thinks that the governor is looking to pass the solutions on to the next adminstation; it's too bad for us that his obstructionist and partisan behavior might be the reason why we end up having to do just that.
So I'm sitting here today, watching the continuing meltdown of the world economy on CNBC, pondering Obama's debate victory and wondering just what in the world to say about all of this, because I'm finding it really difficult to be enthused about the Democrats inheriting the complete and total disaster that is the state of the country after the Republicans get done ruining every. single. thing. they. have. touched. in the past eight years. Hope? Sure I have hope. But right now I'm really bummed that this guy will be saddled with the results of this ineptitude, and worried about how long it's going to be before we really CAN "turn the page" on the economy.
So, in the middle of these deep and depressing thoughts, I get this e-mail press release from the Michigan House Democrats. It's a statement from Dillon on the MBT surcharge, and I think, "Good God, I was hoping I could just ignore the latest act of malfeasance from the Senate Republicans." Sadly, no. Political stunts are the order of the day, and, taking a tip from his leader Crankypants McCain, today Mike Bishop decided that he, too, needed to pull a political stunt on the people of Michigan.
Summoning the press to attention, lo and behold, lookee here it's a Festivus miracle, turns out... NOW Mike Bishop wants to work on state issues. The guy who spent all last year obstructing the budget, insisting on vacations, dragging his feet. The guy who spent all this year obstructing the energy legislation, costing Michigan precious time, jobs and investment. The guy who will do anything he can to avoid doing HIS job, is now complaining that the House Democrats won't jump at the snap of his fingers and serve his will RIGHT NOW on the MBT - and, get this knee-slapper - points to the impending election as the reason they won't do it.
In light of Mike Bishop's previous record of procrastination, the hypocrisy just astounds. Or not, if you have been paying any attention at all to these guys.
At a press conference in our capitol Wednesday, Senate majority leader Michael Bishop said work is needed now to repeal the Michigan business tax surcharge.
Bishop says, "The 22 percent on top of Michigan business tax is overly oppressive aggressive and burdensome on businesses in this state and it's our responsibility to repeal that surcharge and take an aggressive bold step in the right direction."
Really. Well, time to remind everyone just who is responsible for this overly "oppressive aggressive and burdensome" load on business - it's Mike Bishop.
"Hey! We can do that too!", proclaimed the Michigan House Republicans. "Let's put on a show for the media and pretend like we actually matter for a change!" And then the House Republicans went out and totally contradicted their colleagues in the Do-Nothing Senate. If it weren't so tragic, it would be comical.
You see, the House Republicans are upset that they are on vacation and can't find new ways to prove to Michigan voters how irrelevant and inept they are. They want to come back and show you once again that they certainly know how to blow up the budget, slashing money that they just got done voting to spend, and generally make a big 'ol mess out of everything they touch! From Gongwer-
With most sporting a summer bronze, a group of 15 House Republicans sounded the cry to have Democrats call the chamber back into session in order to deal with the serious problems facing the state. In response, a spokesperson for House Democrats said Republicans should give their colleagues in the Senate a nudge in working out a deal on the most crucial legislative issue of the day - the energy package.
Oops! Forgot that it is the Senate Republicans that won't come back and deal with the "serious problems"! How embarrassing for you! Here's Matt Marsden to tell you that there is no need to be in Lansing. When asked about movement on the energy package, the one thing that has the potential at creating thousands of jobs for Michigan, Marsden told MIRS that he sees no problem with taking time off.
"The Environmental Council doesn't set the agenda in Lansing. Interest groups don't get to tell the Senate when to come back to session," Marsden said. ". . . We don't come until the 27th unless there's an emergency and I don't think this rises to the level of an emergency. What's the point of people yelling, 'Fire! Fire!' in the theater?"
Dunno, Matt, why don't you run across the hall and ask Craig and Dave why they are doing that. Cause they are making y'all look really stupid at this point. Never the less, House Republicans seem to think it would be a grand idea to ignore that job producing energy package and cut a billon (or more) from the budget! From the Freep-
House Republicans called for a $500 rebate to homeowners -- at a cost of about $1 billion -- along with tweaking the state's new business tax to address exorbitant tax hikes for some businesses.
They also called for agreement on a plan to prevent property tax increases when property values fall. Democrats have introduced a similar plan.
The GOP caucus proposed a constitutional amendment that would cap college tuition rates at the rate of inflation.
"There are things we need to do to help Michigan families, and we should be doing it," said Rep. David Hildenbrand, R-Lowell.
Wow, Dave, and you waited until * looks at calendar * August 13th to complain? Back to Gongwer-
Asked why House Republicans were hitting the back to work issue now since the legislative schedule was released back in July and showed the chamber would be off for July and August save for a few Wednesday sessions, House Minority Leader Dave Hildenbrand (R-Lowell) said Republicans thought the chamber would at least be in session on those days, but for the most part those sessions have been cancelled.
Yes, after the Senate Republicans canceled session, the House followed suit. Better go talk to Marsden, because he can't see any reason why you are yelling about this stuff.
One more smart-ass shot, courtesy of MIRS-
MIRS asked Rep. Brian CALLEY (R-Portland) if the Republicans were now promoting the concept that government is needed to solve problems.
"Actually, there is some legislation we could be passing that would help," Calley responded.
In one press conference, the House Republicans not only contradict the leadership of the Senate, they undermine the whole party's philosophy. All for a silly PR stunt.
A big round of applause is in order here. Congratulations, guys. That was beautiful.
"Will our Lansing legislators finally find the will to act, or will they wimp out again on energy policy as the jobs exodus from Michigan continues? We'll find out this week." - Tom Walsh, Detroit Free Press 8/10
No, Tom, we won't. As predicted, the Senate Republicans are choosing to kick the can down the road for one more month by canceling today's session - the only one scheduled for August. But hey, what's another month, right? Not like Michigan needs the jobs or anything.
"We've got to have people understand that every day we wait, job providers are going somewhere else. We just lost one, as a matter of fact. A turbine company took us off their list because we don't have a renewable portfolio standard."
Senate Republicans, famous for springing their legislation at the last minute and holding dead-of-the-night votes without the chance for debate, suddenly need more time to "review" whether or not they want to bring economic prosperity and environmental responsibility to our state. Seems like a no-brainer to the rest of the educated world and the 28 states that have gone before us, but as they tell MIRS...
Some Senate Republicans contend that the complex nature of legislation warrants a thorough review.
"First of all, we need to see it in writing," said Sen. Patty BIRKHOLZ (R-Saugatuck).
Puh-leeze, girlfriend. Not buying that excuse. Not when Republicans have acted with lightning speed before when it came to blowing up the state budget. But we will buy the fact that the Senate Republicans are now using the election as an excuse for their inaction on energy. Watch Marsden give it away with this next statement.
The rumor going around Lansing late in the afternoon was that Senate Majority Leader Mike BISHOP (R-Rochester) had blown up the deal and asked that both sides return to square one.
Bishop Spokesman Matt MARSDEN pointed the finger at Democrats, who he said really wanted the bills passed before convention time.
Yeah, like last April, Matt. Or maybe June. Just who is playing politics here? Senate Republicans have stalled on this package until "convention time", and now want to use that against the Democrats and claim the bills are for political gain only. Which is, of course, complete and utter bullshit, but pretty much par for the course when it comes to Senate Republican obstruction.
The Bay City Times is the latest newspaper that calls for action. They review the tax credits passed to entice Hemlock Semiconductor to expand here, and add this on at the end...
We need another nudge toward this goal from our lawmakers in Lansing - one that would cost the state nothing.
Yet, the 7 percent renewable energy standard for Michigan by 2015 that the state Senate passed last month is laughable. It doesn't even reach the way-too-low standard that the House set in April - 10 percent.
Let House and Senate conference committee delegates exercise those puny targets into something with broad shoulders - 20 percent by 2020, or even a 25 percent renewable standard by 2025.
Bold statements are what are needed in order to move Michigan closer to the top of the new race toward sources of clean, renewable energy.
The only "bold statement" Senate Republicans are willing to make is that they will go anywhere and say anything to deny our state progress, and they are doing it in the name of partisan politics. Although the main players say they are "close to an agreement", this delay, and the excuses that have followed, are all the proof you need.
Birkholz noted there are political conventions and Labor Day weekend to contend with.
"House members are anxious to get back out and campaign," she noted. "They have election year concerns."
Republicans have "election year concerns" as well - preventing Michigan from gaining jobs and investment. They need things to be bad in order for Saul's talking points to stick. Always keep that in mind.
I like Tom Walsh. I really do. He is one of my favorites. But today's Freep column entitled, "Will lawmakers' fears cost state new energy policy?" misses the mark on just who is responsible for the delay in getting this work done. Just like last year's budget crisis, short government shutdown, and the subsequent MBT surcharge mess all of that created, the press erroneously tries to spread the blame evenly between both chambers on the energy bills - and that is just plain wrong.
Michigan's legislators appear poised to blow it again.
Poised to punt away a chance to create thousands of jobs.
Poised to again display cluelessness, rather than leadership, about the need for a bold, new approach to energy policy.
Members of the state House and Senate do have a chance this week to redeem themselves, to earn respect from a citizenry that sadly has come to expect ineptitude.
Walsh goes on to tell us that they can vote this Wednesday for energy bills that "set a target that 10% of Michigan's power come from renewable sources by 2015, boost energy efficiency efforts, and set the stage for construction of new, cleaner power plants by DTE Energy and CMS Energy". Sound familiar? That is because the House passed this back in April with strong bipartisan support.
Why would the Senate Republicans deny Michigan this job creating opportunity? Could it be that the Mackinac Center was against it? How about Dick DeVos? You know that these are the players that are pulling the strings in the Michigan Republican Party. They are calling the shots, and they didn't want this to happen. Came right out and said so. Mike Bishop got his orders from his owners and decided to drag this out as long as he possibly could. When the Senate finally got around to moving the bills in late June, once again they passed legislation in the dead of night with changes made that they knew would be unacceptable to the House and the governor in a move that was widely condemned by, well, nearly every newspaper in Michigan, and further delayed this process. Time for vacation!
And you know what? It worked. Now, the excuse is "the election".
A Lansing lobbyist told me Friday that the Legislature probably will delay acting on the energy bills until the lame-duck period after the November elections, or until next year.
The reason? Fear of casting a vote that might irk some citizens just before the election.
And if they had done it back in April, that wouldn't be an issue now, would it? No. We could have joined the other 28 states that are already enjoying job growth and investment from implementing a renewable portfolio standard.
Granholm, who has been aggressively recruiting advanced energy and other clean-technology firms to locate in Michigan, told me Friday that she has been embarrassed -- during talks with global energy firms and journalists from national publications -- to admit that Michigan still has no target for renewable energy.
"I keep telling my staff, we have two years and four months left in office," Granholm said. "When we look back at this extended period of economic crisis, will we be able to say we used it to really diversify the economy and change the mind-set of our citizens?"
Even T. Boone Pickens, the legendary Texas oilman and Republican Party activist, is now an outspoken advocate for wind, solar, natural gas and other energy alternatives.
Will our Lansing legislators finally find the will to act, or will they wimp out again on energy policy as the jobs exodus from Michigan continues?
We'll find out this week.
And once again, the blame is spread across the board, even though House Democrats got the job done months ago. It was Senate Republicans who held up the budget process last year, it is the Senate Republicans holding up the energy policy this year. Want proof? Just follow all these links, or hit my diaries and start reading back. It's all there.
Should have raised it to 25%, but given the Senate Republicans deliberate refusal to listen to every expert in this business as well as overwhelming public demand, we will have to take what we can get. From the House Dems-
The House plan approved today requires that the state gradually increase the amount of electricity that comes from renewable sources such as wind and biomass, reaching 10 percent by 2015. The Senate plan, in contrast, sets this Renewable Portfolio Standard at just 7 percent - a level that analysts agree is too low to cause renewable energy job providers to seriously consider making major investments in Michigan.
The Republican Senate bill's 7 percent goal falls far short of what's needed. The 7 percent figure includes efficiency measures and a new power-producing procedure known as coal gasification. That makes this plan the near beer of alternative energy solutions, weaker than laws enacted in most every other state.
Michigan is badly behind the renewable curve. Every one of our midwest neighbors, with the exception of Indiana, has enacted a renewable portfolio standard. In all, 26 states have some form of an RPS -- states as politically, demographically and economically diverse as Texas and California, Oregon and Minnesota.
The Oakland Press features quotes from the experts when they called for Michigan to join "the RPS bandwagon".
James Clift, policy director with the Michigan Environmental Council, praised adoption of House Bill 5525, which would mandate that utilities get 10 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2015, compared to the current 4.6 percent. However, Clift was critical of Senate Bill 213, which claims to raise the standard to 7 percent but, Clift says, actually "produces nothing."
HB 5525 would put Michigan "in the middle of the pack" in terms of the 26 states that have renewable portfolio standards, while SB 213 "wouldn't even put Michigan in the game," said Hugh McDiarmid, spokesman for the environmental council.
Martin Kushler, utilities program director with the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, said the renewable portfolio standards issue has been "very strongly bipartisan in other states."
Nancy Cassis stuck her fingers in her ears and went, "la la la, I can't hear you!" and brings up foreclosures, of all things, proving that the Senate has to stoop to irrelevant points to defend their undefendable position.
"Consumers always bear the costs" when mandates are placed on businesses, Cassis said. "We're mindful of passing on such costs. It wouldn't help Michigan," she said of the House version. "The economy is in such a precarious situation. We don't need more foreclosures."
Mass Megawatts Wind Power, Inc. announced last week that the company has recently opened a manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania. The new facility will be located near numerous planned projects in Pennsylvania and New York where several hundred megawatts (MW) of wind power projects have already been developed in the recent years.
Mass Megawatts has chosen to locate a production facility in Pennsylvania because of the state's dedication and leadership in the field of renewable energy, including wind power. Pennsylvania has enough wind power potential to provide electricity for nearly 5 million homes according to Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell. Pennsylvania's green power purchase is 28% of the state government's annual electricity consumption.
That is just one example. Want another? Texas is going to invest $5 billion towards bringing wind power in the western part of the state onto the grid. Wonder how many jobs that will create. More proof? California is increasing solar power by installing panels on 150 commercial rooftops, and Southern California Edison is going to build the largest photovoltaic plant in California. Republican Governor Schwarzenegger wants to hit 33% by 2020. The civilized world moves on.
Looks like our Republicans are going to continue to stick their heads in the coal mine and throw lame excuses to the wind (no pun intended but it works) and stall on this as much as they can, costing Michigan jobs and investment by the day. Gongwer tells us that the energy bills are going to conference, and since it appears the Senate will be taking August off, votes may not come until September. By that time they probably will come up with their next lame excuse because they won't want anything "good" to happen before the election.
Instead of working on legislation that can help all those struggling citizens and businesses of Michigan, Senate Republicans will be spending their time tomorrow obstructing an appointment to the Liquor Control Commission.
Why? They won't say, but given their past and/or ongoing arrogant behavior, it's probably part of the partisan game of wasting everyone's time and creating problems so the administration and government itself looks bad. Remember, Republicans need government to be dysfunctional for their talking points to stick, so, dysfunctional it shall be. Gongwer tonight-
Declaring Senate Republicans are engaging in McCarthyism, the Granholm administration stepped up the confrontation over the appointment of Colleen Pobur to the Liquor Control Commission, sending a letter demanding the release of information the majority party asserts disqualifies Ms. Pobur for the post. The letter was hand-delivered the day before it is now anticipated the Senate will reject Ms. Pobur's appointment.
A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop (R-Rochester) dismissed the letter from Granholm legal counsel Kelly Keenan to as a stunt. "The administration knows what our problems are" with Mr. Pobur, said Matt Marsden.
Liz Boyd, Ms. Granholm's spokesperson, said, "We wish that Sen. Bishop and the Senate Republicans would spend more time on job creation than they are on character assassination" of Ms. Pobur.
Senate Republicans and Saul Anuzis (dead giveaway as to partisan motive right there) are alleging that Pobur was fired from her job at Detroit Metro Airport by Ed McNamara; supporters have released a letter written by Ed himself that shows that isn't true. So that's not it. Other rumblings about her qualifications are supposedly being made - but no one will offer any details.
What could it be? A simple power play to keep one of their people on the commission. Apparently Republicans at one time were offering to trade a Pobur confirmation in exchange for keeping Engler appointee Republican Judy Allen on the board. They had no problem with Pobur then, but no deal was at hand. Pobur was slated to replace Virgie M. Rollins, and when the Republicans claimed they had this "confidential information" and asked the governor to withdraw her name, right before the vote she re-filed Pobur for Allen's spot instead. Whoop, there it is.
Ms. Pobur's appointment was nearly voted down last week when Ms. Granholm withdrew it and then resubmitted it. In the second resubmission, Ms. Pobur replaced Judy Allen. Republicans had at one time offered to approve Ms. Pobur in exchange for Ms. Allen, a Republican, staying on the LCC.
But that offer was rejected and following that Republicans say they had received confidential information that challenged Ms. Pobur's qualifications. They have refused to publicly release that information in detail.
Uh huh. Maybe because it doesn't exist? Because Republicans didn't get their way, they are going to damage this woman's reputation by inferring that something is wrong with her - they just aren't going to tell you what it is or who said it. Besides, they don't have to anyway. So there.
Senate Republican officials have indicated that one reason they have not released the information brought them is to protect the sources from possible retribution.
And Mr. Marsden, Mr. Bishop's spokesperson, said there is no requirement in the Constitution that a hearing be held on an appointment (in fact the Senate only restored an active advice and consent process when Ms. Granholm was elected governor. The chamber routinely allowed the appointments of former Governor John Engler to take office without comment.) and that the chamber can reject an appointment for any reason or no reason. "We can reject an appointment for having purple hair or wearing the wrong shoes," he said.
Hair and shoes. With that one statement, Marsden reveals the Senate Republican's continuing arrogance and immaturity and dishonors the entire chamber once again. They can waste your time, waste your money, ignore the real problems in Michigan, hurt someone's reputation - all because they want to play their partisan games.
And they wonder why that ballot proposal looks so good to the public...
In the request for an opinion from Mr. Cox, Mr. Bishop said that state law requires that two LCC members, one from each party, be named as hearing officers. But with Ms. Allen's departure, the commission now consists of three Democrats and one independent, so can an independent member then be a hearing officer, Mr. Bishop asked. Mr. Bishop also asked if future liquor violation hearings could even be held without a Republican member of the commission.
... and the administration released more letters of recommendation for Pobur from top business executives.
DTE Energy is getting ready to spend billions of dollars on alternative energy investments in Michigan, boosting the state's efforts to become a leader in this rapidly growing market.
The parent company of the Detroit Edison and MichCon utilities plans to make about $3 billion in renewable energy investments in Michigan over the next six to seven years, said Knut Simonsen, senior vice president of DTE Energy Resources Inc.
These investments depend on the state passing a new law mandating that 10% of its electricity come from renewable energy sources. The House of Representatives and the Senate have passed their own bills toward this goal, but major differences between the two must be reconciled.
Rumor has it the energy package goes to conference this week to iron out the differences between the House and Senate. As you know, the House has already passed a 10% renewable standard, and in the dead of the night, the Senate obliterated any meaning in these bills in a move the Freep called "abysmal" and the "worst possible combination of utility bills imaginable".
Although today's Freep doesn't tell us what DTE will do if the Senate decides to obstruct progress on the RPS, they do tell us what DTE has in mind as far as investment in alternative energy. Will the Senate Republicans turn down billions in investment for our state?
The bulk of DTE's multibillion-dollar investments will be in wind power in Michigan's Thumb and on the western side of the state, Simonsen said. The utility already has acquired easements on about 40,000 acres of land in Huron County for a potential wind farm.
DTE also recently decided to begin making $15 million to $20 million a year in alternative energy investments through its venture capital fund called DTE Energy Ventures, Simonsen said.
Will the Senate Republicans turn down the potential to bring new manufacturing jobs to Michigan?
The utility has already invested in a California company that's developing low-cost solar energy panels. It did not want to disclose the company's name. But Simonsen said that if the company's efforts prove successful, production of the panels could be done in Michigan in the next few years.
And if the Senate Republicans do turn down thousands of new jobs and billions in investment, what could their excuse possibly be?
DTE wants to invest in Michigan companies...
DTE Energy Ventures is one of a few corporate venture funds in the state that's focused on alternative energy.
Simonsen took over the fund about nine months ago and is rebuilding its small investment team in Ann Arbor. The fund is looking to invest in companies that already have raised their first round of venture capital.
"To the extent we can find good Michigan opportunities, all else being equal we prefer Michigan companies," Simonsen said.
Granholm said that while VC fund managers in her first few meetings were surprised and impressed by what they heard about Michigan's efforts, they also made it clear that they will look favorably on states with aggressive public policy initiatives favoring the growth of renewable energy sources.
... DTE Energy Ventures will be no different. If they can't find favorable conditions in Michigan, they will go elsewhere.
When Mike Bishop said his focus this year would be "jobs, jobs, jobs", little did we realize he was talking about sending jobs to other states.
Finally! We have a major media outlet pointing out just what the Senate Republicans did with the energy package last Friday.
Hold on to your light switches. The state Senate, in the late hours of Friday night, passed about the worst possible combination of utility bills imaginable.
First, the Senate stripped virtually all meaning out of a bill calling for a minimum amount of renewable energy and a program to promote energy efficiency. Then senators passed a bill reregulating the state's utilities, allowing their competition never to exceed 10% of the market.
There are several good reasons to allow utilities to return to regulation -- chief among them, the need to ensure that the state has adequate power supplies and does not become overly dependent on volatile national energy markets.
But another huge reason for reregulation is the ability of the state to chart its own destiny in the use of renewable power and energy efficiency programs. Without strong steps in that direction, reregulation becomes not just less attractive but almost meaningless. Upfront help with efficiency measures, particularly, will be the primary defense householders and small businesses have against rising energy prices.
It's also worth pointing out exactly how this all went down, because it's the very same pattern we saw last year with the budget battle(s). The Senate will stall until the very last minute, and then they take the legislation before them and totally screw it up. They don't talk to the House about the changes they intend on making when they know those changes will never fly, they pass it all in the dead of night when no one is looking, and then they quickly pat themselves on the back for a job well done. The short-staffed traditional media doesn't get the chance to cover it in-depth because of the rush job. What gets reported is "Legislature wraps up energy bill". Not to pick on Peter Luke who I adore - he focuses on yet another portion of this, the tax credits for Hemlock Semiconductor and the Choose Michigan Fund - but titles (which I doubt he writes) like that make "the public" think that everything is taken care of. Same thing with the AP, "Michigan Senate passes energy legislation", but, when you actually read these stories, you find out that they haven't solved anything at all.
First, let's revisit the MBT fiasco. We have established that the Senate Republicans are responsible for the problems with the surcharge on the MBT. They dallied until the very last minute on the night of the shutdown, creating the situation they now turn around and complain bitterly about, they vow to "fix" it - which turns into yet another time wasting opportunity that has lasted through this year. One anonymous Republican legislator even admitted to Phil Power that it was simply "brinkmanship" on the part of the the Republican leadership that led to the problems. And even though Republicans vowed to work with the House at the beginning of the year, their stall tactics and brinkmanship continue.
They have done the exact same thing with these energy bills. Friday afternoon, action on the package was reported to be dead for the day.
Energy regulation legislation sparked and temporarily shorted out, but then was regenerated and passed during a late night session in the Senate on Friday.
MIRS reports "rumors" that there was to be negotiations with the House on the package - but obviously not, because what they passed will never get through the House or the governor. The Senate totally gutted the portions of the package that would have brought Michigan job creation/investment in alternative energy and saved consumers money through efficiency programs. Here's Andy-
However, he said the RPS and energy efficiency standards in the Senate version are "nowhere near acceptable," and will not likely find support in the House or with the governor.
Not only that - they weakened what we currently have going now.
The chamber barely passed a bill, SB 213 , calling for a 7 percent renewal portfolio standard by 2015, but Democrats said the measure will actually result in less electricity created by renewable methods because the 7 percent standard includes energy conservation and will only require that 4 percent of electricity is generated by renewable sources, less than the 5 percent standard now in place.
So what have we accomplished here? Nothing. They made things worse. They passed a renewable portfolio standard that is a complete joke. They gutted efficiency standards that would have saved us money with lower energy bills. They claim they are "protecting the consumer" - but what they actually did was deny us job creation in a business that is exploding with growth, and they cost us more money in the long run because we will be stuck building new plants or buying expensive out-of-state power anyway. And, it's all a complete waste of time, because it never flies with the House or governor.
The Freep calls them out, but will anyone else pick up on this?
Michigan has begun to look like a backwater for not insisting on a better mix of energy supplies and efficiency programs. The House, after many months of study, passed an energy package that is weak but at least starts to move the state forward. There is almost no room for compromise with the abysmal version that the Senate passed.
Consumers have every reason to be outraged, as they appear to have been the last thing on many senators' minds. So as you're flicking on a light -- or the television or the air-conditioner -- you might want to remember that you shouldn't take your power, at home or at the ballot box, for granted.
More of this please. We need the traditional media to point out exactly what happens in our Legislature. This has been the Republican game for quite some time - and they actually admit to it - but yet blame for this will continue to fall on both parties equally.
Time for that to stop. If Michigan has any hope of moving forward, it must be brought to the public's attention exactly who is obstructing our progress.
Spectrum Health is the largest health care provider in West Michigan, owning 9 hospitals and operating 140 service sites. Priority Health, owned by Spectrum, operates one of the area's largest health care insurance plans. Faced with substantial Medicaid and Medicare losses, they will be raising rates this year for those of you who can afford to pay.
Spectrum Health, faced with mounting losses caring for Medicare and Medicaid patients, plans to raise rates at its Butterworth, Blodgett and Helen DeVos Children's hospitals an average of 8 percent in the coming year.
At the same time, Priority Health, the insurer owned by Spectrum, will increase the premiums it charges employers by about 7 percent, Michael Freed, Spectrum's chief financial officer, said Thursday at the hospital system's annual public meeting.
He attributed much of the increase to what he called a "hidden tax" on businesses, since Spectrum makes up the shortfall in Medicare and Medicaid payments by raising rates for other patients.
Remember this when the Republicans cry about "tax increases" this year; they are increasing your bills with their fiscal irresponsibility, they just call it "reform" and hope you won't notice. Our Michigan Senate Republicans propose cutting young adults from Medicaid - did you think the hospital would just absorb that cost? No, they will pass it along to you, as evidenced above. Republicans will claim they are saving money for the state, but what they are really doing is raising rates on business and people who have insurance. That way, they can avoid responsibility, and when you can't afford insurance anymore, well, it's your own damn fault.
Turning to the national level, John McCain has voted to cut, restrict and underfund Medicaid at least seven times, and Medicare a whopping 28 times. His record of slashing health care is long and downright sinister - children, seniors, veterans, no vulnerable America will be left healthy in McCain's world. Get out your checkbook.
Too bad for them, but in the end game, it's really too bad for you. But hey, according to the Republicans, it's just "reform". You can afford to pay for everyone with skyrocketing insurance rates, just don't ever call it "taxes", OK?
"We're going to challenge this Legislature to do the right thing," said Bishop, R-Rochester.
Bishop and other Republicans are up on the island vowing to fix the surcharge on the MBT once again, trying to placate business and obfuscate the truth on how this all came about in the first place. Gallant Mike issues the "challenge" - too bad he didn't want to "do the right thing" and show some leadership on this issue last year.
We wouldn't be having this conversation now if Republicans had behaved like responsible adults in the first place. Want more proof? If you won't take it from me, the one who pointed this out repeatedly last year, take it from Phil Power, who spells it out for us in a recent column.
A few days ago, I received a lengthy e-mail from a lawmaker (who wishes to remain anonymous) but who offers some valuable insights. Bottom line: "The service tax was the direct result of the brinksmanship of the GOP leadership in negotiations and (the) lack of GOP members (in) responding to the requests of their traditional supporters in the business community."
So, the GOP was intent on playing gotcha politics rather than attend to the needs of business. Go on, Phil -
That's pretty stunning (Ed note: not to those that were paying attention) - and here's my attempt to put this all into context: Leading up to the critical votes, both the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and the Detroit Chamber tried hard to persuade legislators to pass an income tax increase big enough to cover the entire deficit.
Why? Simple: To avoid additional business taxes. The House of Representative figured it out. There, Democratic Speaker of the House Andy Dillon and other leaders tried repeatedly to pass a 4.7 percent income tax that would have resolved the budget crisis without resorting to the service tax.
But neither of the Republican leaders in the legislature - Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop nor House Minority Leader Craig DeRoche - was willing to step forward. They urged their members to hold back and let the Democrats take the political hit for a vote for more taxes. At one point, it looked as though there were as many as 10 Republican representatives ready to vote for an adequate income tax hike, but DeRoche wouldn't budge.
"Business" needs to know that they were used as pawns in the Republican partisan game - and they also need to question Bishop's sincerity about fixing the problem now. The Senate already tried an irresponsible slash and burn method of cutting the MBT surcharge that was DOA in the House; they just cut revenue without taking responsibility for showing where they would cut spending, which is their standard method of operation. Why? They don't want to be the ones who are tagged with slashing education or health care or prisons or any of the other things that they are so willing to spend all that money on in an attempt to look good to their constituents. They want to have their tax cuts and eat them too.
Most of this might be much ado about nothing anyway. Most businesses received a cut in taxes from the MBT - and others are just now (or in the very near future) figuring out that their liability is not as large as the Republicans are making it out to be.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm said Thursday she's willing to listen to changes business owners want, as long as they don't jeopardize vital government services by dramatically cutting into state revenue.
But Granholm cautioned that the tax is new and still in its shakedown phase. Cuts in business owners' personal property taxes, for example, won't show up until the July tax cycle, she said.
"They may just not be aware of their tax cuts yet," Granholm said.
So to sum it up, not only are Republicans responsible for this situation that they are now crying loudly about, chances are they are over-exaggerating the ramifications of their mistake and once again trying to use it as a partisan weapon rather than being sincere about tackling the reality of taxes and spending.
The question now is - should business really trust Bishop and Co. to fix something they have repeatedly screwed up? Take a long, hard look at your "friends", business owners, and ask yourself whether they can trusted to do right by you. They are so desperate for "issues" that they have no problem selling you down the river and playing the game of CYA later. It's about time you realized that.
Time to point out every piece of legislation that the Senate has ignored - today it is the bill that will increase penalties for drive-by shootings. The House passed this with overwhelming bipartisan support over a year ago.
As yet another Michigan family prepares to bury a victim of a drive-by shooting, State Representative Brenda Clack (D-Flint) today blasted state Senate leaders for failing to act on her bipartisan plan to crack down on the individuals who so recklessly endanger our communities by committing these crimes.
...
Clack's plan would more than double the penalty for any person who intentionally fires a weapon from a vehicle. The House passed Clack's plan on a vote of 109-1 on March 15, 2007, and it has been languishing in the Senate since then. Currently, such an offense is punishable by no more than four years in prison and a $2,000 fine, regardless of the consequences of the act. Clack's plan increases the penalty to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. If the crime results in serious bodily harm to another person, the penalty increases to 15 years and $15,000.
Seems we have a pattern developing. Maybe every Tuesday the House can feature legislation that it has passed that ended up sitting in some Senate committee. Last week, it was the trash bills.
"Nearly one year ago, the House passed its plan to crack down on Canadian and out-of-state trash," Simpson said. "As we fight to bring jobs to our state now, we must also protect our communities. It's time for the Senate to take action on our tough anti-trash plan that bans new landfills and increases the dumping charge. By turning bargain-hunting trash trucks around, we will protect our water, air, roads and quality of life."
The House Democrats continue to aggressively push to pass anti-trash measures in light of a February accident in which trash trucks on their way to Michigan landfills overturned in Ontario. The legislation passed in May 2007 by the House bans new landfills and strictly limits the expansion of existing landfills until 2012.
House Democrats today called on the Republican-led Senate to pass a plan that will cut taxes for homebuyers and help spur Michigan's languishing home sales market. The plan passed the Michigan House of Representatives on March 14, 2007, with bipartisan support and has been stalled in the Senate for nearly a full year.
After a year of inaction by the Republican-led Senate, House Democrats today called on the Senate Majority Leader to pass a package of bills that will end the absolute immunity enjoyed by the pharmaceutical industry in Michigan and allow consumers to hold big drug companies accountable when dangerous drugs such as Vioxx harm or kill. The House passed the package on Feb. 22, 2007. The public is urged to sign an online petition demanding Senate action at www.housedems.com.
So forth and so on - important to point out exactly what they have tried to do for the citizens of this state that has met up with Republican obstruction.
Wish they would make a page with the list of bills passed, date passed, and where they currently languish in the Senate.
The Detroit Public Schools announced today that they will be creating smaller high schools that will offer more personalized attention to at-risk students in an attempt to improve graduation and attendance rates and meet the federal requirements of No Child Left Behind.
Three high schools -- Osborn, Henry Ford and Cody (including its freshman academy) -- will each house several independent specialized schools under phase one of the what is being called the Turn Around Schools plan. Vetal Elementary will also be restructured.
"Phase 1 of the Turn Around School initiative is intended to transform the curriculum, classrooms, technology, staff, buildings and grounds in these five schools," Calloway read from a prepared statement. She added that the plan is in the early stages and she hopes at least one of the reconstructed campuses will be open by fall.
The high school restructuring means, for instance, that each building will contain three to four smaller schools that could concentrate on preparing students for specializations such as technology or engineering. Each school within the building will have its own staff, administrators and possibly sports teams. The small school communities will each enroll 450 students, Calloway said.
Battle Creek Central High is in the third year of a federal grant to do the same thing, and is already seeing results.
Battle Creek teachers said failure rates had plummeted among freshmen because of the small learning communities and a program called No Choice But Success, in which students who do not receive a grade of 'C' or better are required to relearn material and try until they pass.
"If you let (students) fail, a lot of them will choose to fail because it's easier," said Meredith Shabani, a freshman social studies teacher. "It's easier than studying for a test or doing a project."
Battle Creek's after-school study sessions, graduation coaches who hound students about their homework and the smaller teams of teachers and students were impressive, Granholm said.
"This model is a great lesson for me and for our team, so we can say 'Look, here is an example of a school that's doing it in Michigan, that has seen the kind of results we want to trumpet,'" she said.
Smaller high schools in the Chicago area have also had success, although test scores still needed improvement.
The report found that the reform works when it comes to keeping students involved in school: 20 percent of the students enrolled in the first cohort of five new small schools dropped out by the end of their junior year, compared with 27 percent of similar students at large high schools. Author Joseph Kahne notes that "graduating from high school makes a huge difference in terms of employment and earnings. If the promising lower dropout rates noted in this study translate into improved graduation rates, this reform will substantively improve the lives of these students."
Attendance was also better: The students in small schools spent nearly a week longer in classes than those in large schools because their absence rate was lower, 25 days compared with 28 days at larger schools for juniors and 20 days for CHSRI freshmen compared with 26 days for similar students at larger schools.
In order for any school reform to be effective, researchers contend that students need more academic rigor. When compared with students in larger schools, this study found that juniors in the small schools felt more challenged by their teachers than did similar students in other schools. The small schools also had both juniors and freshmen more focused on goals for their lives after high school.
Grand Rapids joins the trend, but the Republicans have something else in mind, of course. See what over the jump...
