Lame Duck has officially gotten out of control and we’re getting loud about it.
This Week in PM Blogging:
Thou Doth Protest the Protests
Protests are disruptive by nature. That’s why they work.
Rigging the Electoral College? Not on our watch.
Controversial laws often fly under the radar during lame duck. Here’s a breakdown.
TWIP Clips:
Last night the House voted to patch up Michigan’s crumbling roads with funds raided from public schools and local governments — yet another demonstration of our legislators’ misplaced priorities.
The amendment to add LGBT protections from discrimination to the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act died in committee. Adding insult to injury, the House passed the so-called Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which would allow people to discriminate on religious grounds.
Hazardous waste is not renewable energy
House legislators voted to redefine the definition of renewable energy sources to include fuels manufactured from hazardous waste, giving fossil fuel industries a free pass to pollute Michigan’s air and water and harm residents’ health. Just in case passing the “license to discriminate” didn’t drag Michigan far enough backward for one day.
Drug testing for welfare recipients
Passed by the House on Wednesday, this is just the latest chapter in conservative state legislators’ effort to burden already-struggling families. But when will these taxpayer-salaried legislators have to pass similar tests?
Not even Republican-sponsored prison reform bills made it out of yesterday’s legislative session unscathed. The reforms that were ultimately passed by the House had been “gutted” after opposition from A.G. Schuette and the sheriffs lobby.
Progressive Reads:
Economist: I’ve crunched the numbers, and the American Dream is dead
Proposal To Rig The Electoral College Triggers Backlash From Michigan Residents
LGBT baby boomers face tough retirement hurdles