Court of Appeals Agrees with Lower Court on Oakland County Board Redistricting
The Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, agreed with the earlier decision of the Ingham County Circuit Court that Public Act 280 of 2011 is unconstitutional in that it is a local act and therefore requires two-thirds majority approval in both legislative chambers. The law was passed in late 2011 to transfer redistricting authority for county commission districts to the county board itself for any county with more than 21 commissioners. Oakland County is the only county with more than 21 commissioners. The case is most certainly bound for the State Supreme Court.
Final Passage Given to Union Dues Payroll Deduction Ban Measure
House Bill 4929, sponsored by Representative Joe Haveman (R-Holland), is on its way to Governor Snyder for approval after being finalized by the Legislature this week. The bill prohibits school districts from implementing automatic payroll deduction for teacher union dues. Perhaps anticipating an increasingly popular citizen-pushed referendum effort on the bill, the Senate added a $100,000 appropriation to the Michigan Employment Relations Commission, rendering the bill referendum-proof.
Unemployment Down Again
The Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget announced this week that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 9 percent for January of 2012, nearly two full percentage points lower than January of 2011 and the lowest since 2008. The total number of employed individuals increased by 16,000 from December 2011 to January 2012.
New Chair for House Education Committee
State Representative Lisa Posthumus Lyons (R-Alto) was named Chair of the House Education Committee by House Speaker Jase Bolger (R-Marshall) this week. Rep. Tom McMillin (R-Rochester) had been temporarily serving as Chair since the successful recall of former Rep. Paul Scott in late 2011. McMillin will remain a member of the panel.
Pestka to Challenge Amash
Former State Representative Steve Pestka announced his intentions to challenge current U.S. Representative Justin Amash (R-Kentwood) early this week. The former judge and prosecutor is seen as a relatively moderate Democrat and odds-on favorite for the Party’s nod in this West Michigan district.