Carbon Plan Lauded by All Sides of the Debate

Following the announcement of the Clean Power Plan rules, the executive director of the Michigan Agency for Energy, Valarie Brader, and Environmental Quality Director Dan Wyant announced that the state would be producing its own carbon emissions standards implementation plan. The Clean Power Plan, released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, gave states the option to either: comply with federal statues or create a set of state regulations.

Mr. Wyant and Ms. Brader stated that the state plan would be more predictable than the federal regulations and they said that the plan would be created with the help of stakeholders. While Attorney General Bill Schuette is part of a federal court case attempting to overturn the federal regulations, Mr. Wyant and Ms. Brader both said they would not be getting involved in Mr. Schuette’s court case.

The announcement was well received throughout the energy sector. Senator Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake) supported the decision saying that giving more control to the federal government is not something that is in the best interest of Michiganders; therefore the state plan is far superior. Major utility companies, DTE Energy and Consumers Energy, also applauded the states decision to create their own regulations. According to the lean Power Plan the state regulations must be submitted in September 2016 for review and must be fully implemented by 2018.

Ms. Bader said that while the Legislature’s support is incredibly important, the Administration plans to develop the carbon emission standards through administrative rules rather than laws. A variety of environmental groups as well as businesses supported the decision for the state to take the creation of a plan into its own hands including the Michigan Manufacturers Association, the Michigan Chemistry Council, and the Michigan Environmental Council.

posted by PAA Online , Friday, September 4, 2015 10:37 AM
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House Business Office Investigation Finds Misconduct

According to the House Business Office report, which was released Monday, Representative Todd Courser (R-Silverwood) and Representative Cindy Gamrat (R-Plainwell) used state resources in order to conceal their extramarital affair. The nine page summary of the investigation states that Mr. Courser and Ms. Gamrat lied to the public and the House Business Office during the investigation, broke multiple house rules, and violated the campaign finance laws.

Following the release of the report, Michigan Republican Party Chairwoman, Ronna Romney McDaniel, called for the resignation of both Representatives, while Speaker of the House, Kevin Cotter (R-Mount Pleasant), announced that the Select Committee to Examine the Qualifications of Representatives Cindy Gamrat and Todd Courser would meet on Tuesday. The Director of the House Business Office, Tim Bowlin, stated that due to the campaign finance violations, the findings could be passed on to the Department of State. Mr. Bowlin added that the special committee also had the ability to pass the investigation along.

According to the House Business Office the termination of Mr. Allard and Mr. Graham did not fall under whistleblower protections, nor could it be considered wrongful, as they were at-will employees. The investigation report also details multiple instances in which Mr. Courser and Ms. Gamrat used state time and resources in order to work on campaign related issues, and their disrespect for staff reached unprofessional levels at times.

Additionally, the investigation found that the two representatives broke House Rule 41, when they forced staff members to forge their signatures on bluebacks for House Bill 4174, HB 4317, and HB 4318. According to sources the signatures were forged so that Mr. Courser and Ms. Gamrat could introduce the bills before another representative could do so.

posted by PAA Online , 10:37 AM
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Sentencing Case Being Appealed to the Supreme Court

Michael Wendling, St. Clair County prosecutor, said that he will appeal a Court of Appeals decision which may decide if juveniles can be sentenced to life without parole. The appeal, which would go to the Supreme Court, is the latest in a long line of court cases for People v. Skinner, a case in which a minor, Tina Skinner, arranged for the murder of her parents.

Ms. Skinner had planned the attack of her parents with her boyfriend and gave the attacker a map of her neighborhood and a clear entrance point to her home. The father was killed, but the mother survived 25 knife wounds. Ms. Skinner arranged for the attack because she was upset that her parents did not approve of her boyfriend.

Ms. Skinner was originally found guilty and sentenced to life without parole, however the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that a juvenile could not be sentenced to life without parole automatically. The decision of the Court of Appeals, which was split 2-1 used the 6^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution saying that the right to be sentenced by a jury of your peers and that allows for a life sentence without parole to be handed down.

posted by PAA Online , 10:31 AM
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PAAdvisory Briefs

Former Senate Minority Leader Returning to Legal Firm

Dickinson Wright law firm announced Monday that former Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer would be returning to work there on September 8. Ms. Whitmer previously worked at the law firm until 2001 when she was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time. Upon her return Ms. Whitmer will be working with clients who are engaging with the state government. While she is regularly rumored to be a gubernatorial candidate in 2018, the former Senate Minority Leader said that she was focused on her current work in returning to the law firm and teaching a class at the University of Michigan.

Washtenaw Judge Should be Removed Says Commission

Cedric Simpson, the Washtenaw County District Judge, should be removed from his position according to the Judicial Tenure Commission. The commission’s report stated that Mr. Simpson should be removed from the 14-A District Court bench due to his interference and attempts to interfere with a drunk driving investigation against his intern, Crystal Vargas. In addition to his interference with the drunk driving investigation it was found that Mr. Simpson lied during the investigation into his conduct.

Governor Says Detroit Public Schools are in Need

Governor Rick Snyder said Wednesday that the debt in the Detroit Public School system was “significant," but he would not provide an exact figure that he may ask the Legislature to allocate to the problem. He stated that he is currently working on his plan for reforming the school district and his proposed legislation on the issue would likely be released in the coming weeks. He also stated that the amount of money he will ask the Legislature to give will be announced once other factors surrounding the reform have been solidified.

The Push for Legislative FOIA Continues

Representative Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield) is pushing for a reform of the Freedom of Information Act to include the Legislature and the governor’s office. Mr. Moss stated that currently Michigan is one of only two states who have put an exemption in their law for the Legislature and Governor, and continued saying that the exemption should be removed for instances like the one with Representatives Courser and Gamrat. The chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, Brandon Dillon, echoed Mr. Moss’s calls for reform, arguing that a transparent government is a key principle for democracy.

posted by PAA Online , 10:30 AM
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