We’re through week two of Lame Duck without any of the most dangerous bills making it to the Governor’s desk. We have one week left – and a lot could happen in the four session days before the end of the term.
Our two greatest concerns at present: the early warning/emergency manager bill package and the potential gutting of school funding to pay for road fixes.
It’s imperative that we contact legislators and ask them to oppose any threats to public education.
Please take a moment to email your legislators, urging them to vote no on the early warning/emergency manager bills and to fix our roads without any school funding cuts.
Issue Updates
Early Warning=Early Emergency Managers
SB 951-954 and 957 attempts to create an early warning system for schools in financial distress, but it does so by requiring overly-burdensome reporting requirements that will demand more time and resources from already cash-strapped school districts. Even worse, one of the bills creates a backdoor allowing the State Treasurer to declare a financial emergency and recommend the Governor appoint an emergency manager, bypassing current emergency manager procedures.
The bills were approved by the House Financial Liability Reform Committee, and they are now awaiting a vote by the full House of Representatives. The bills have already passed the Senate, so unless they are amended, this is our last chance to stop them before they go to the governor’s desk.
Transportation Package Referred to Conference Committee
Everyone agrees that something must be done to address the dismal condition of Michigan’s roads, and also agrees that the price tag will be upwards of $1 billion. However, the House and Senate have very different ideas for how to generate the revenue. The Senate package would increase the gas tax over time, while the House plan wouldn’t raise taxes but rather divert about $1 billion from schools and communities.
We are adamantly opposed to any transportation plan that harms school funding. Please urge your legislators to address our roads while protecting school funding by emailing them now.