Campaign Action
Michigan Republicans aren’t content with gutting a minimum wage increase and paid sick leave. With Democrats set to take over as governor, attorney general, and secretary of state, Republicans are also considering a power grab in the style of Wisconsin Republicans, though they’re a step behind and not going quite as far:
A House bill introduced Thursday by state Rep. Rob VerHeulen, R-Walker, and quickly praised by Republican leaders seeks to guarantee the GOP-led Legislature could intervene in legal battles involving state laws that Democrats may be hesitant to defend.
A separate proposal from Sen. Dave Robertson, R-Grand Blanc, would shift oversight of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act from the Secretary of State’s Office to a newly proposed “fair political practices commission.”
A key legal battle Republicans might want to intervene in would be to defend a law allowing faith-based adoption agencies to refuse to work with LGBTQ couples, a law that Attorney General-elect Dana Nessel has suggested she would not defend because it’s unconstitutional. They’re also considering getting in the way of Nessel’s ability to investigate and shut down fraudulent charities.
But while the Michigan proposal isn’t as sweeping a power grab as Wisconsin Republicans carried out, you have to give Michigan bonus points in the evil competition for their minimum wage and paid sick leave abuse of democracy.