November 7, 1997

Legislative & Political Week in Review

• Senate approval of two bills funding the Durant public school judgment inched the arduous policy debate closer to resolution. As reported by Gongwer News Service, the Senate unanimously (34–0) approved SB 178 and HB 5083, which authorize (1) a $212-million withdrawal from the Budget Stabilization ("rainy day") Fund (BSF) for payments to plaintiff districts and (2) a combination of bond issue proceeds and additional BSF money for non-plaintiff districts. The House has not yet climbed on board, however: The word is that the lower chamber believes itself to have been inadequately consulted about certain details of the bills and will reject SB 178, forcing formation of a joint conference committee in which the details can be ironed out.
• Michigan’s much-heralded welfare reform ratcheted forward in the legislature this week with Senate passage of SB 411. The bill caps benefits received by newly arrived welfare recipients at the level paid by their former state of residence. Designed to discourage recipients from relocating to Michigan for the sake of a bigger benefit check, the measure is decried by opponents as harmful to mothers and children, the only groups eligible for substantial aid under the state’s new and tougher guidelines. Those guidelines, by the way, appear to be achieving their goal: State officials announced last week that welfare caseloads declined for the 42d consecutive month.
• Citing too many miles of bad road, AAA Michigan contends that deteriorating state highways contributed to recent premium increases levied on its members for their comprehensive coverage—the average hike is 4.6 percent. "Triple A," which writes about a quarter of the state’s vehicle insurance, announced that the number of claims for pothole damage is up 10 percent over last year and broken windshield claims are up 15 percent. The Detroit News reports that year-to-date paid claims for windshield damage from flying debris have cost AAA $151 million—up 38 percent over last year. A spokesperson for AAA told the News, "The deterioration of our roads—they have really gotten bad—is having a significant impact on the frequency of glass claims."
• Along with other past and present national leaders, Governor Engler joins former U.S. President and native son Gerald Ford in Texas this week at dedication ceremonies for the George Bush presidential library. Ford and Engler will meet again on the dedication circuit next spring in East Lansing, when the 38th president will give the keynote address at the April 21 formal opening of the Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University.
• Reinforcing her reputation as a "high-tech sec," Candice Miller vows to put campaign finance information on CD ROM. Secretary of State Miller—whose innovations have given Michigan residents the option of conducting business with her department by telephone, fax, and e-mail—is introducing a pilot program through which the agency will provide free software and training that will permit candidate committees to file financial information electronically. These reports will be available for citizen download from the department’s Web site within hours, she pledges, and on CD a few days later, for about $10. Initially, the program will save time, because electronic filing will relieve Election Bureau employees from tedious hand transcription of documents. Eventually, the system—the Michigan Electronic Reporting and Tracking System (MERTS)—will facilitate electronic audits of campaign committee filings.
• Faced with too few contributions to mount a statewide race, Rep. Jim Agee (D-Muskegon) withdrew this week from the field of Democratic gubernatorial candidates. The term-limited lawmaker has not yet given his support to another candidate in the contest; the front-runners are East Lansing attorney Larry Owen and former state Commerce Department head Doug Ross.
• Two bills bringing state environmental audit processes into compliance with federal Environmental Protection Agency regulations were passed by the Senate this week. HBs 5092 and 5093 sailed through the upper chamber without dissent and are headed to the governor for signature.