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News From the Capitol, Nov 8, 2024
November 8, 2024 by MASB Government Relations
  • U.S. Senate, MI House Flip in Election 
  • Senate Passes Open Meetings Act Addressing Disabilities 
  • Senate Passes Stop Arm Camera Changes   
  • MASB Legislative Priority Meetings Wrapping Up 
  • Registration is Now Open for Views From the Capitol – Lame Duck Edition 

 

U.S. Senate, MI House Flip in Election 

On Tuesday, our country went to the polls to elect a new President, among many other offices.  Former President Donald Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris, with 295 electoral college votes, easily passing the 270 needed to win.   

Also on the national level, control of the U.S. Senate switched from the Democrats to the Republicans. And the U.S. House is expected to remain in Republican control, but there are still 25 races to call so neither party has the majority yet.  As of this writing it is 211-199 Republican, with 218 needed for majority. One seat in Michigan flipped with Tom Barrett beating Curtis Hertel to replace U.S. Rep Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) in the 7th District. Rep. Slotkin did go on to win the MI Senate seat to replace retiring U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). 

At the State level, the Michigan House flipped to Republican control. There may be a recount or two coming, but right now it looks like a 58-52 majority. The Republican caucus chose Rep. Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) to serve as Speaker of the House. The Democrats have chosen Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton) to serve as minority leader.  Both of these posts will be made official on the first day of the 2025-2026 session. 

While the Michigan Senate was not up for election this year, one of its members was running for Congress. State Senator Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City) beat challenger Paul Junge for the 8th Congressional district, replacing retiring U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint). The Senate will remain in Democratic control, but the margin will be very tight at 19-18. The Governor may wait until the new year to call a special election in the 35th District. 

Finally, at the state level, the MI Supreme Court had two seats up for election this year.  Justice Kyra Harris Bolden was reelected and Kimberly Thomas defeated Andrew Fink for the open seat on the court,. Iincreasing the Democratic supported members of the court and making the court overwhelmingly female. 

Check your local clerk sites or the state election page for more election results. 

Senate Passes Open Meetings Act Addressing Disabilities 

On Thursday, Senate Bill 870, which would amend the Open Meetings Act to allow members of a public body with a disability to fully participate in a meeting remotely, was voted out of the Senate. Currently only individuals who are absent due to active military service are allowed to participate remotely. The disability requirement requires a determinable physical or mental characteristic which is the from disease, injury, congenital condition of birth, or functional disorder. 

 Persons with disabilities often face barriers to participating in meetings that are held at locations that are not accessible to those with mobility issues. Transportation and the need for specialized tools may also limit a disabled person’s ability to participate. A remote attendance provision would allow full participation in a meeting including formal votes, resolutions or ordinances. The member must be physically in Michigan in order to participate remotely.  

MASB supports this legislation as it is inclusive of those seeking to participate in their elected duties and will give more insight and actual life experience from those with disabilities.  

 The bill is now before the House Government Operations Committee.  

 Senate Passes Stop Arm Camera Changes   

The Senate passed House Bills 4928-4930, which amend the law allowing stop-arm camera systems on school buses. The bills would increase fines and redirect potential revenue from tickets for passing a stopped school bus from libraries to schools, to then be used to pay for the camera system. This fits the business model of one particular vendor. 

MASB opposed these bills due to the revenue structure which shifts fines from libraries to schools. This does not create consistent revenue to cover the costs of the equipment, nor should it be taken from our libraries. Also, current law already allows a school to install and operate a stop-arm camera system or enter into a contract with a private vendor to do it. Therefore, we believe these bills are unnecessary and may make changes that limit the available vendors.    

The bills are now headed to the Governor for her consideration.  We will be sharing our concerns with her office. 

MASB Legislative Priority Meetings Wrapping Up 

Your Government Relations team has traveled the state over the last two months, holding legislative priority-setting meetings. There is one last meeting to be held on Thursday, November 14 in Region 8 at Oakland Schools. Registration is still available for the event. This will be the last meeting before we move to step two in the process.   

Following the last meeting, we will be compiling all the ideas we collected into a survey, which will go out the week of Nov 18. Watch your email for the link. We encourage all our members to take a moment to fill out the survey and identify the issues that MASB should make its legislative priorities for the coming session. The highest vote-getters from the survey will go to the Government Relations Committee in December for consideration and to narrow down. After approval from the Committee, the Board of Directors will review and approve at the January meeting. 

Please take a moment to participate in this process, the more voices, the stronger our agenda. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. 

Registration is Now Open for Views From the Capitol – Lame Duck Edition 

Register is now open for the upcoming Views From the Capitol – Lame Duck Edition. It will be held at noon on November 18, 2024. Grab a sandwich and join your MASB Government Relations Team as we discuss what we are watching for in lame duck, what rumors are still swirling and take your questions. 

Register Today! 

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