6 key battles Michigan’s lawmakers could tackle this fall
Republican and Democratic leaders in the state
But there are a few issues that all can agree will become a focus during the next three months.
No-fault auto insurance reform
More: No-fault car insurance in
The key sticking point has been trying to put a cap on
"This issue affects nobody more than him and the 600,000 people that he represents in
Senate Majority Leader
"It's not unreasonable with some of the policies Mayor Duggan is talking about, but I think he's overly optimistic on getting it through politically," Meekhof said.
Both Senate Minority Leader
"We've always been open to having a comprehensive conversation on no-fault auto insurance reform, but the last proposal I saw only cut
Veto override
Both the
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But Snyder vetoed the legislation, saying it would create additional pressures on the state budget.
With votes of 37-0 in the
Meekhof said it's something he'll discuss with his caucus this week, but that he's leaning toward bringing it up for the rare vote, even though he realizes it might negatively impact his working relationship with Snyder.
"The last Republican governor that happened to (former Gov.
The 2013 legislation, known as the "sales tax on the difference" legislation, reduces the sales tax paid by buyers who use a trade-in toward the purchase. Once fully phased in, buyers would only pay 6% sales tax on the difference between the price of the vehicle they were buying and the value given to their trade-in.
The tax cut was supposed to gradually happen over 25 years, but the legislation greatly accelerated the phase-in of the cut.
Ananich said he's ready to take the vote, while Leonard and Singh said they've got to take the temperature of their members before pledging support for the override.
Municipal pension and retirement benefit reform
The issue was one of the key Republican victories earlier this year, when teacher pension reform passed with only Republican support. And now Meekhof wants to expand that reform to municipal employee pension and retirement benefits.
"We have communities struggling with these legacy costs," he said of his top priority for the rest of the legislative session. "We have to find a way to protect taxpayers."
More: With teacher pension changes signed into law, Legislature wants more benefit changes
The last time legislators tried to tinker with municipal pensions and retirement benefits last year, throngs of police and firefighters -- a potent voice in
If it comes up again, the opposition will once again be fierce.
Mental health reforms
At the top of Leonard's wish list is reforming the delivery of mental health services in
"We've done some great work expanding the mental health courts, but we've got to get to these people sooner than that," Leonard said, noting that at least 25% of the inmates in
The other legislative leaders believe the goal is admirable, but probably deserves a broader debate.
"That's a longer public policy discussion," Meekhof said. "There is a growing need and it bleeds into corrections and health care. I just don't know what all the solutions would be."
Ongoing
As another means to help
He'd also like to take up policy initiatives that would address some of the problems identified in
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Meekhof said he thinks the promise zone legislation is a no-brainer, but is skeptical of other legislation. He wants to make sure that the
Proposals to put more money into the state's roads and tackle the high cost of prescription drugs are at the top of the list for Democratic leaders. But both are long shots in the Republican-controlled Legislature.
Singh wants to put more money from the state's rainy day fund into Michigan roads, bridges and water infrastructure. In the budget passed in June,
"If you look at the roads, bridges and our water systems throughout the state, they need significant support," Singh said. "We have a very healthy rainy day fund, but it's raining. Things are leaking literally."
With the failure of
"With so much uncertainty in
Getting the Medicaid expansion through the Legislature was a challenge in 2013 and the
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