February 9, 1996

Legislative & Political Week in Review

• By passing SB 769 by a wide margin, the Senate is attempting to instill a sense of responsibility in high school students who are parents. The so-called "pay to play" proposal would prohibit high school students from participating in extracurricular activities—including sports—if they are more than four weeks behind on child support payments. Current state guidelines stipulate weekly payments of $8 by noncustodial parents with incomes up to $50 a week and $13 for those with incomes of $90–100.
• One of the most colorful, articulate, and unapologetically liberal House members will not be back at her desk next January. Although Rep. Maxine Berman (D-Southfield), will stay actively involved in Democratic political activities, she says "It’s time to try something else." Berman is a 14-year legislative veteran who has established herself as a force in public health, education, and women’s issues. She also will be remembered for her pointed recounting, in The Only Boobs in the House Are Men, of her experiences as a female legislator in the male-dominated chamber. She says a second book, a political novel, is in the works.
• Members of the Liquor Control Commission voted to 5–0 to approve a plan to privatize the wholesale liquor distribution system in Michigan. The commission approved the plan after it had been altered to assuage concerns articulated by businesses that sell alcohol, such as bars, restaurants, and hotels. The plan will close the state’s three main liquor warehouses and 63 smaller warehouses, eliminating 320 employees. The plan is scheduled to be implemented by May 1, 1996, but the commission chair, Phil Arthurholz, acknowledges that deadline may be affected by legal challenges to the proposed plan.
• Colleges and universities may be the big winners in the state budget sweepstakes. Governor Engler’s proposed 1996–97 spending plan includes an overall five percent increase—the largest in a decade—for higher education. The proposal includes $580 million for capital improvements on Michigan campuses. The governor’s budget also calls for additional spending for health care programs for low-income children, in-home health care for the elderly, and two new juvenile prisons.
• If you’ve got it , flaunt it. Due in large part to the increasing national political stature of Governor Engler, Grand Rapids is looking forward to getting a bit of national exposure. About two weeks after November’s presidential election, west Michigan’s largest city will host the 1996 Republican Governors’ Association annual meeting. Engler chairs the group, and media interest in the event could be considerable, depending on the outcome of the election and whether the governor’s national role continues to expand.
• The wisdom of state funds being invested in tobacco companies was questioned this week by nearly two-thirds of the registered Michigan voters contacted by the Lansing-based polling firm EPIC-MRA. Sixty-five percent gave thumbs down to the practice. Michigan, which spends nearly five million dollars a year in anti-smoking programs, has more than $400 million of its public employee pension funds invested in tobacco company stock.
• The status of Michigan’s Prevailing Wage Act will change if Attorney General Frank Kelley has his way. The legislation was struck down last fall by Judge Robert Cleland of the Eastern District Federal Court, and Kelley plans to take the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals. The law is intended to ensure that workers employed on a state building project are paid wages in line with those of other workers in that particular geographic vicinity. Judge Cleland ruled that the law is unenforceable because of a conflict with the federal Employment Retirement Income Security Act. Michigan Department of Labor director Lowell Perry had declined to appeal the ruling.