March 7, 1997

Legislative & Political Week in Review

• Education issues took their place at the front of the class this week. In his address Thursday to a joint session of the Michigan Legislature, President Clinton stressed that public schools need to train students to meet high standards, be open to all who want attend them, and be held to high levels of accountability. Clinton would like to see voluntary national standards established—among them, reading tests for fourth graders and math and science tests for eighth graders—to prepare students for the changing nature of work opportunities in the 21st century. The president supports creating more charter schools and efforts to connect every classroom to the Internet by 2000. On noneducation matters, he lauded various welfare reform programs and challenged the legislature and private employers to "make sure jobs are there if [welfare recipients] go to work."
• Senate Republicans, cognizant of Clinton’s support of the charter school concept, brought to the floor this week a measure (SB 146) to lift the cap on the number of charter schools allowed in the state; it passed 20–16. Currently, the number is capped at 100. The bill removes the cap for schools created in economically disadvantaged areas and allows academies to be established for disabled or at-risk students.
• The constitutionality of Michigan’s original charter school law was debated this week before the Michigan Supreme Court; a court of appeals panel earlier had held that the law was flawed because it does not provide sufficient public accountability and control over the newly created schools.
• A circuit court judge issued a temporary injunction Thursday against one of Governor Engler’s executive orders, EO 1996-11, that co-opts certain of the State Board of Education’s powers; the request was filed by Democrats on the education board and supported by the legislative Democratic caucus. The judge denied the request for injunction against the second order (EO 1996-12), because it does not take effect until July.
• The House Education Committee has reported a bill (HB 4244) seeking to stimulate adoption of model core curriculum standards. The bill—passed along partisan lines—offers a $5-per-student bonus to school districts that can certify compliance.
• A measure (HB 4191) to expand college tuition tax credits has been unanimously passed by the House Taxation Committee; the bill raises the credit ceiling from $250 to $500.
• More items on the House Democrats’ tax-cutting agenda were passed by the full chamber but not without considerable partisan wrangling. A measure (HB 4180) offering a child-care tax credit to working parents making less than $100,000 annually eventually passed 78–26. Republican lawmakers offered amendments that would have broadened the scope of the bill to include all child-care arrangements used by parents; the amendments were adopted but then not included in the substitute version of the bill, which passed. The partisan rhetoric was no less vitriolic a day later as the lower chamber passed a bill (HB 4189) to create a state earned-income tax credit for lower-income residents. GOP members railed against instituting a policy of income redistribution; Democrats claimed that those on the lower end of the economic scale—not just the well-heeled—deserve tax relief too.
• The saga of Michigan roads took new twists and turns this week as Sen. Jim Berryman (D-Adrian) went to court to force the governor to adhere to a 1987 law requiring that broad-based transportation needs committees be established; such panels would assess—and make recommendations regarding—the physical and fiscal priorities for state roadways. Meanwhile, two other funding approaches were broached: In Washington, Congressman Joe Knollenburg (R-Bloomfield Hills) wants to capture $200 million for Michigan road repair by returning to the states the money generated by a 1993 federal gasoline-tax increase, and, back in Lansing, Rep. Beverly Hammerstrom (R-Temperance) offered up a three-bill video-gaming package (HBs 4409–11) as a way to raise up to $500 million for highway needs and the School Aid Fund.