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You can have a say in protecting our Great Lakes from destruction. Now’s your chance to weigh in on the Line 5 tunnel’s fate! Luckily, we’ve put together a guide to help you figure out what you can tell our government officials to stop this dangerous oil tunnel from being built and how to send…

An overview of right-wing extremism in Michigan, including hate groups, militias, and anti-government groups that have recently made the news.  The events of recent years, including the January 6, 2021, insurrection at our nation’s Capitol, and the alleged plot to kidnap and potentially execute Governor Gretchen Whitmer, have made it more apparent than ever that…

A summary of the events leading up to and following the 2020 election, and why they matter for Michigan voters today and in the future.  With so much happening all the time, it’s hard to remember what happened last week much less last year. But as we head into another election season, we can’t let…

Fighting the climate crisis is a team effort. Everyone must get involved if we want to see results that matter. For their part, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration released its draft MI Healthy Climate Plan, and they’re looking for feedback from the public – that means it’s a perfect opportunity for us to make sure it’s the…

In Michigan throughout the past year, we have seen countless individuals, including right-wing elected officials, invoke the Holocaust when discussing COVID-19. Whether it’s regarding vaccination records, disgusting characterizations of our governor’s public health response, or the House Oversight Committee giving a platform to notorious conspiracy theorists, each of      these gross comparisons to a…

It’s no secret that the Michigan Republican Party wanted to keep our redistricting process happening behind closed doors where they could work with special interests to gerrymander our maps to their advantage. They fought tooth and nail in 2018 against the creation of Michigan’s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission and a transparent process that would create…

In recent years, America’s police have come under well-deserved scrutiny for practices that protect their own at the expense of public safety. One of these methods is extremely simple: keeping misconduct records a secret. If the public doesn’t know when police officers have done wrong, there is no way for us to ensure accountability.  This…

As Michigan Senate Republicans continue to pass anti-voter legislation, local business leaders have spoken out to criticize these efforts to silence the voice of Michigan voters. But many of them and their corporations have financially supported and are likely to continue to financially support the very Republicans who are working to restrict our access to the polls.  According to the…

I will always remember when I saw a Confederate flag and swastika decal on a car zipping past me on the freeway. I was working as a field organizer in rural Michigan during the 2018 election, and I stopped right in my tracks. To see a clear message of racism and oppression fly right by…

Recently, I’ve watched in awe as woman after woman in Lansing, including one staff member here at Progress Michigan, has stepped forward to tell her story, to talk about her experiences and to expose harmful behavior at the hands of men in power and those with political influence.  As a young staffer in the Michigan…

Fifty-five-years-ago today President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into effect. As we consider the state of the world today a lot has changed, and a lot hasn’t. The Voting Rights Act was possibly the greatest piece of civil rights legislation to have passed through Congress at the time, and it was overwhelmingly approved by…

The Michigan Supreme Court is a critical arm of Michigan’s government. Justices should act based on the law, not their own personal agendas.  Mary Kelly is a Michigan Supreme Court Candidate and we have some questions. Questions about Nepotism Last year, Kelly was hired by the St. Clair County Circuit Court to serve as guardian…

If you’ve ever stood outside our state Capitol, it’s hard to miss the statue that stands out front looking east down Michigan Avenue. For those that don’t know, the statue is of former Michigan Governor Austin Blair. Blair spent his life working to end capital punishment, fighting for women and black peoples’ ability to vote,…

For many of us, Sexual Assault Awareness Month is a tough time of year. Having experienced sexual violence and all the pain that comes with it, I honestly can’t think of many things I want to do less than talk or even think about it—but as uncomfortable as the topic is for survivors and for…

Working people face a lot of hardships. From growing inequality to stagnant wages to a lack of benefits like paid sick leave and overtime pay, many workers struggle to get by as their bosses get richer—and though we still have strides to make to ensure things like a livable wage and paid sick days for…

In the past two weeks, we’ve seen new budget proposals from both Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and President Donald Trump. Coming shortly after Governor Whitmer delivered a Democratic response to Trump’s State of the Union address, these budgets provide further insight into the wildly different priorities being pushed by our two major parties. A budget…

For the last six years, Gary Peters has consistently been doing the work Michiganders want to see in Washington, while keeping a relatively low profile. He’s not flashy, but it’s clear from his time in the U.S. Senate he’s been focused on getting results, not seeking the spotlight.  Here’s what you need to know about…

If I had a dollar for every time a man in power said something sexist to a woman because he believed he’d get away with it, I’d probably have enough money to pay off my crippling student loan debt. If I had another dollar every time they tried to gaslight their way out of it,…

We’ve got some bad news about the environment in Michigan and across the country, actually, a lot of bad news. In fact, it seems like almost every news story that comes out about our air, our water, and the large and growing threat of climate change, is bad. Enbridge, the oil company responsible for Line…

This week, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced that a new policy will allow people who are transgender and non-binary to update their drivers licenses with their correct gender. This is one step the state of Michigan has taken in the right direction in a long time for people in the LGBTQ+ community.  Time and…

Sometimes the slow progress of government processes is no one’s fault. Sometimes it’s a partisan issue. In the case of Michigan’s ongoing budget negotiations—which should and could have been resolved already—there is exactly one person to blame: Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey. This whole process started back in March, when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer introduced a…

It’s no secret that, since he was elected in 2016, Donald Trump and his administration have consistently chipped away at workers’ rights and the social safety net, undermined environmental protections, and terrorized our immigrant community. Now, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and AG Dana Nessel are fighting back. In just the last few weeks, Whitmer has issued…

Two weeks ago, Kalamazoo County voted to make Election Day a paid holiday so that county workers may have a chance to exercise their right to vote. Kalamazoo County is headed in the right direction, and it’s time for the rest of Michigan—and the rest of the country as a matter of fact—to catch up.…

  Democracy works best when everyone participates. Unfortunately, Michigan Republicans don’t seem to agree. Every eligible voter should be able to make their voice heard. Every vote should count the same. These truths are pretty much fundamental to the idea of fair government of, by, and for the people and yet, Republicans in Michigan and…

  “There is a big difference between ‘coerced’ and forced.’” -Mackinac Center for Public Policy employee Jarrett Skorup, responding to an article about women being coerced into sex while completely missing the point and invalidating the sexual trauma of women across the country. This response is pretty gross, and it reflects a broader problem with…

  Last week, Capitol Confidential published an article whining about an Ann Arbor teacher who wrote and directed a musical about Betsy DeVos and her family’s disastrous impact on Michiganders and our public schools. The musical was an effort by a private citizen to poke fun at a very powerful and very public figure, but…

  Earlier this year, the Trump Administration announced a gag rule that will ban any clinic receiving federal money through Title X, more commonly known as family planning money, from referring patients for abortion services.  Tens of thousands of Michiganders will be affected by this decision.  Doctors cannot say the word abortion, refer a patient…

  Last week, Rep. Lynn Afendoulis of Grand Rapids introduced a bill that, frankly, is insulting to the LGTBQ+ community and its allies. The bill would make flying any flag above government buildings besides the state flag, governor’s flag, and the American flag against the law. Bills like Afendoulis’s are not just wrong – they’re…

  Our country has an immigration problem—and it’s not immigrants who are causing it. Over the past few years, the Trump administration has taken our nation’s approach to undocumented immigrants from bad to worse in an effort to pander to racists in his base and further the agenda of white nationalism. Families have been separated,…

  In an era where our access to reproductive health care is under constant attack from the GOP, the last thing we need is Democrats carrying water for the anti-abortion cause. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what Michiganders will be getting when the national Dems for Life conference arrives in East Lansing this weekend. The group’s agenda…

  Last year, a 30-year-old man in Lansing stole a semiautomatic handgun from a shooting range and killed his estranged girlfriend in a JoAnn Fabrics before turning the gun on himself. One year prior, a two-year-old boy from Flint was left in critical condition when he accidentally shot himself when a loaded gun was left…

  We’ve got bad news: The party that brought you Right to Work and prevailing wage repeal is back in action with a sneaky attempt at union-busting. Last week, the Detroit News reported on a measure included in House Republicans’ proposed budget that would prohibit the state from entering into road-building contracts with firms whose…

  Last week, the legislature took up bills that would make some minor changes to the Medicaid work requirements signed into law by then-Gov. Rick Snyder last year. We’re here to tell you exactly why those changes are nowhere near good enough. First and foremost, let’s make one thing very clear: these work requirements are…

  It’s no secret that Republicans do not like Dana Nessel. Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey has floated the idea of impeaching her, right-wing front groups have made a habit of attacking her on social media, and corporate lobbyists like the Rich Studley have been complaining about her efforts to protect the Great Lakes. Unfortunately…

  Thanks to nearly a decade of total Republican control and years of cuts to public education, Michigan schools are struggling to afford resources for their students and educators. Between the Education Achievement Authority, cuts to teachers’ pensions, and stifling budget cuts to K-12 education here in the state, it’s no surprise that students are…

  “Transparency hawk” is a pretty cool title—like a superhero name, but for an elected official who goes above and beyond the call of duty in the fight to ensure our government is truly accountable to the people. Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, despite using that term to describe himself…does not do that. In fact,…

  This week, activists with Michigan Clean Water Action gathered at the Michigan Chamber of Commerce to protest the Chamber’s environmental positions, which favor corporate polluters at the expense of Michiganders’ right to clean air and water. The link here is pretty simple: The Chamber represents businesses across Michigan, corporations often pollute our water and…

  In the last few weeks we’ve seen states across the country gut access to abortion, and Michigan took heat from the organized attack by anti-abortion extremists this week. With the passing of House Bills 4320 and 4321 and Senate Bills 229 and 230, the legislation will now go to the Governor’s desk. Even with…

  Republicans in the Michigan Legislature have a plan for auto insurance reform. Unfortunately, it’s not a good one. Last week, both the House and Senate passed bills that would make several changes to our insurance system, most notably letting drivers opt out of unlimited personal injury protection. The House version calls for a reduction…

  Last week, it was announced that a private company will be allowed to run a prison in Michigan to house undocumented immigrants. This is not good news. What makes the deal especially disheartening is the intersection of two major problems: our continued mistreatment of undocumented immigrants and the concerning trend toward privatized incarceration. For…

  When most of us think about Election Day, we probably think of November of 2020, when people across the country will vote for a new president—but for many Michiganders, Election Day is also today, May 7. Of Michigan’s 83 counties, 65 are voting today—many on school millages that help fund local public education. You…

  It’s no secret how we at Progress Michigan feel about unions. We recognize the right of working people to collectively bargain with employers for fair contracts that secure the wages benefits and working conditions they deserve. Today, we want to shine a light on a group of workers whose struggles are often overlooked and…

  This week, the House Committee on Families held a hearing to discuss bills that would ban a standard abortion procedure and punish doctors who perform the procedure with two years in prison. It’s the latest in a long list of GOP-led attempts to sacrifice our reproductive rights to pander to religious conservatives—and Michiganders are…

  We need to talk about student loan debt. It’s an issue that affects 70 percent of college graduates, totaling more than 40 million Americans. Here in Michigan, 58 percent of 2017 graduates owe money on student loans, with an average debt of $31,289. Nationally and in our state, the problem is only getting worse.…

  This week, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order creating a bipartisan task force to work on jails and pretrial detention in our state. The committee will include members from the legislature, the courts, and the executive branch and will attempt to reduce jail populations, ensure due process, and bring down recidivism rates while…

Last year, Michigan CEOs made an average of 313 times more than their employees. No, that’s not a typo—and it’s not an anomaly, either. In Michigan and across the country, the very rich are getting richer, while the rest of us are left behind. Of course, income and wealth inequality have always existed, but both…

  Who is she? House Minority Leader Christine Greig represents House District 37, serving Farmington and Farmington Hills. She is the minority leader and serves on the Government Operations and House Fiscal Agency governing committees. Representative Greig is serving her third term in the House. Prior to serving in the House of Representatives, Rep. Greig…

Who is she? Representative Vanessa Guerra represents House District 95, serving Bridgeport Township, Buena Vista Township, Carrollton Township, James Township, Kochville Township, the city of Saginaw, Spaulding Township, Zilwaukee and Zilwaukee Township. She serves on the elections and ethics and judiciary committees. Representative Guerra is serving her third term in the House. Before joining the…

  Last week, Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell spoke on the House floor in favor of reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which has encountered opposition from Republicans and NRA due to a provision that would prevent convicted stalkers and abusers from buying guns. She delivered a passionate defense of the reform and asked Republicans…

  Who is she? Senator Stephanie Chang represents Senate District 1, serving Detroit and Downriver communities. Senator Chang seves as the Minority Floor Leader and serves on the Finance, Government Operations, Judiciary and Public Safety committees. She was elected to the Senate in 2018 after serving two terms in the House. Prior to being elected,…

  Who is he? Rep. Darrin Camilleri represents the 23rd District, including Gibraltar, Grosse Ile, Huron, Trenton, Woodhaven, and Brownstown. He currently serves as the Minority Whip and previously served on the Education Reform, Energy Policy, and Commerce and Trade Committees. Rep. Camilleri was elected in 2016 at age 24, the youngest Latino and first…

  Who is he? Rep. Yousef Rabhi was first elected to the House in 2016 to represent the 53rd district, which includes parts of Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor Township, Pittsfield Township, and Scio Township. He currently serves as the Democratic Floor Leader. During his college years, Rep. Rabhi was an activist in the peace, labor,…

  Who is he? Rep. Jon Hoadley represents Michigan’s 60th house district, including parts of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Township, and Portage. He serves on the following committees: House Appropriations, House Fiscal Agency Governing, General Government, Health and Human Services, and Higher Education and Community College Appropriations. Before his election to the House in 2014, Hoadley worked…

Monte Scott, a 12-year-old in Muskegon, made headlines this week with his efforts to fix the damn roads by filling potholes in his neighborhood. On the surface, Scott’s story is an aspirational one, where a kid who has watched his mother struggle with repair bills decides to step up and do his part to help…

This week, Michigan’s minimum wage will be raised to $9.45 in the first of a dozen annual increases building up to a $12.05 minimum wage in 2030. It’s good news on the surface—but not nearly as good as it should have been. Though the law passed last December, this story really starts last summer, when…

Last week, the Michigan Carpenters announced plans to build a $30 million training center in metro Detroit. The facility will offer classroom instruction and job training to Detroit residents through a free apprenticeship program designed to give them the skills they need to succeed in the trade. This endeavor is a significant investment in the…

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and House Speaker Lee Chatfield criticized the lack of detail in Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s hour-long State of the State address. This week, House Republicans put out their own plan, which offers approximately zero details. The 2019 action plan starts with a section on roads, which doesn’t really say…

“I will veto bills designed to cut out the public’s right of referendum.” This quote from Governor Gretchen Whitmer came in the middle of a State of the State speech full of great moments, so it might not have stood out to everyone—but it represents an important promise to stand up for the people’s right…

This morning, House Speaker Lee Chatfield and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey delivered a response to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s State of the State address, and because we don’t think you should have to sit through it, we’re bringing you the highlights. First on the agenda: Fixing the damn roads. The discussion consisted mainly of Chatfield…

This week, Governor Gretchen Whitmer an executive order to make a few key changes in her administration, most notably restructuring the MDEQ to focus on keeping our water clean and doing away with an environmental panel designed to let businesses regulate themselves. To most people, these moves seem like common sense—after all, we all want…

In 2019, it’s hard to believe we’re still having this conversation—but in response to House Speaker Lee Chatfield’s ignorant comments about why he doesn’t believe in protecting LGBTQ+ Michiganders’ civil rights, let’s make one thing really clear: Despite Chatfield’s bizarre world view, civilized society must not protect bigotry.   Of course, this isn’t new. It’s the…

This week, teachers in LA are on strike for the first time in 30 years, demanding better pay and smaller class sizes. Their strike reflects a broader debate between two approaches to education policy: those who want to lift up public schools, and those who favor privatization in the form of for-profit charter schools. Here…

In response to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive directive working to end the gender wage gap, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey recently made the elementary argument that he doesn’t see a gap, therefore none exists.   Shirkey recently told the Michigan Advance, “I don’t. I have no evidence of such. I have both a staff…

You wouldn’t expect someone who doesn’t speak a foreign language to be your translator. You wouldn’t want a pediatrician designing bridge construction. And you wouldn’t want someone who doesn’t understand the basics of firearms safety to be dictating gun laws in Michigan, would you? Probably not, but unfortunately, Republican Lee Chatfield is the Speaker of…

With a new year comes an old conversation: how to fix Michigan’s sky-high auto insurance rates. Addressing this problem seems to be at the top of the list for Republicans House Speaker Lee Chatfield and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey. As is often the case in public policy, discrimination based on race and gender are…

During an interview with WDET, Republican House Speaker Lee Chatfield said his top two priorities for the House this year are lowering Michigan’s auto insurance rates and expanding the Freedom of Information Act. We’ll focus on the latter of those two issues for this piece because, frankly, this problem can be corrected today. When it…

This week, Detroit News editor Nolan Finley published an op-ed calling for bold solutions in the fight against cancer. He shares his experiences of losing loved ones to cancer, laments that many folks can’t afford care even in cases when treatments would likely succeed, and concludes that we as a society must come together to…

What would the Brian Calley of 2017 say to the Brian Calley of 2019? I pose this question because back in June of 2017, Brian Calley rightly called out the problem of the revolving door of lawmakers becoming lobbyists as soon as they leave office. In a 10-point package of (mostly bad, but some good)…

After retaking the U.S. House in the 2018 midterms, Democrats have announced their first act: an overhaul of voting rights that includes automatic voter registration, independent redistricting, an end to Citizens United-era corporate spending, and a full restoration of the Voting Rights Act. Michiganders also took some of these steps at the ballot box this…

In a state where water contamination is a growing crisis, threats to our Great Lakes go unchecked, and corporate interests lobby to dump pollution into our air and water, people are rightly concerned about the records and proposed policies of those seeking higher office. Throughout the last year, Attorney General Bill Schuette’s record on the…

The rise of the alt-right in the U.S. and abroad poses a direct threat to vulnerable communities and the integrity of our democracy–and it’s past time to hold the Republican Party accountable for their role in promoting violence and white supremacy in our country. Last week, members of the fascist group the Proud Boys garnered…

This week, a group of climate science experts released a report showing the consequences of  global warming could be far worse and come far sooner than previously expected. It’s disheartening, to say the least, especially considering it will take incredibly large, coordinated actions to reverse this trend, and many of our Republican elected officials refuse…

It’s no secret that the response to allegations of sexual assault against Brett Kavanaugh has been heavily influenced by gender, with women much more likely to support his accusers while men circle the wagons to defend the nominee. While many say they simply don’t believe the allegations, a common talking point among men is that…

When we picture the attorney general our state needs, we think of someone honest and dependable, someone with a proven track record of standing up for the people of Michigan. Republican House Speaker Tom Leonard doesn’t exactly live up to that expectation. During his career in our legislature, Tom Leonard has supported and helped pass…

A few weeks ago, the Michigan House GOP released a progress report on their 2017-2018 agenda. We took a look to see what they say they’ve accomplished. Much of the report is an attempt to disguise actions Republicans have taken that directly hurt Michiganders and re-brand them as progress–most notably, their newest budget. They praise…

For people of color in the United States, being conscious of one’s racial identity isn’t an option. White folks, on the other hand, have made up the majority of the population for centuries. As a result, we often view ourselves as a sort of default population whose race is insignificant–almost as if we have no…

Schuette’s Auto Insurance Problem It’s not news to anyone that Michigan has the highest auto insurance rates in the country.  But what may be a surprise is Bill Schuette’s record of supporting policies that jack up auto insurance rates for Michigan’s working families, especially in urban areas. Bill Schuette released an ad saying he would…

On Saturday, Michigan Republicans rejected Tonya Schuitmaker and selected Speaker of the House Tom Leonard as their nominee for Michigan Attorney General. One of the main duties of Attorney General is to hold the powerful accountable by launching investigations to protect the people of Michigan. In light of his nomination it’s important to look at…

Bill Schuette gets a lot of press coverage. From his loyalty to corporate donors like Betsy DeVos to his use of public resources to further his political career, his record has been widely covered in the media – after all, he’s been in elected office for over 30 years. But you might not know as…

At a time when many public officials are working to undermine the voice of voters through gerrymandering and restrictive voting laws, city clerks in Lansing and Detroit are doing the opposite. While Michigan law does not provide opportunities for early voting, these public officials go out of their way every election season to make voting…

Since Justice Anthony Kennedy’s recent retirement, the battle for control of the U.S. Supreme Court has taken center-stage in many political conversations. President Trump’s nominee to replace him, Brett Kavanaugh, falls to Kennedy’s right and would undoubtedly shift the court in a more conservative direction. Democrats in the Senate have promised to do everything they…

“It’s the economy, stupid,” is a slogan that has guided campaigns for decades. It makes a good point; voters certainly do care about the economy, and just about everyone can agree we want the economy to be good. It also leaves us with important questions: What do we mean by the economy and how do…

In recent years, debates about health care have taken center-stage in the political landscape, both in Michigan and across the country. While ensuring everyone can access the care they need seems like something we should all be able to agree on, many of our elected officials are fighting for exactly the opposite. Here in Michigan,…

After gathering more than 430,000 signatures, Michigan’s Promote the Vote campaign has submitted a proposed ballot initiative that, simply put, would make voting easier. The changes proposed include allowing straight-ticket voting, no-reason absentee voting, same-day registration, and automatic voter registration. Each of these policies would be a step toward ensuring every Michigander can exercise their…

In a tenure marked mostly by continued attacks on Michigan’s most vulnerable communities, Governor Rick Snyder, with the help of progressive groups on the ground, accomplished one really good thing: the Healthy Michigan Plan, a Medicaid expansion plan allowing hundreds of thousands of low-income Michiganders to receive health insurance. Expanding Medicaid was a welcome departure…

It’s seem like it’s every other day a corporation shows up in Lansing with its hand out asking for tax dollars to conduct business. From FoxConn to Dan Gilbert to Amazon, there is no shortage of wealthy folks asking hard working Michiganders to give them money. The Michigan Strategic Fund is the entity that decides…

This week, Michigan legislators passed a budget that continues to chip away at women’s reproductive rights through funding cuts to Planned Parenthood. Part of a broader agenda to prioritize pleasing religious conservatives over women’s right to health care, these cuts threaten low-income women’s access to services such as contraception, STI treatment, and cancer screenings in…

Right now, you or someone you know might be one of the 62.4 million people in the U.S. who gets birth control without any out-of-pocket costs. And that’s great, because when people have access to affordable birth control, they’re in control of a whole bunch of important things in their lives. But copay-free birth control…

For three decades, Attorney General Bill Schuette has had the chance to stand up against discrimination, Islamophobia and racism, and he has continually — and willfully — chosen the wrong side. Case in point, when asked about anti-Muslim comments made by one of his primary opponents, State Senator Patrick Colbeck, Schuette’s spokesperson had this to say: Schuette…

Today is Tax Day and a big topic of discussion has been the fallout from the GOP Tax Scam that was passed in 2017. Republicans like Congressman Mike Bishop and Attorney General Bill Schuette have been singing the plan’s praises ever since it passed. They claim that the tax plan is benefitting working families. But…

Republican former Governor John Engler, serving as the interim president at Michigan State University, was a mistake from the beginning. As Progress Michigan has detailed before, Engler doesn’t have much of a record to stand on when it comes to protecting public education and/or vulnerable people from sexual abuse. He refused to allow the U.S.…

Lonnie Scott, executive director When I first met Tony I was the State Communications Director for Know Your Care/Protect Your Care. I was asked to be on his radio show to talk about the ACA for a 15-minute segment, after our conversation Tony asked me to join him regularly to talk about ACA, the positive…

Education Secretary and mega Trump donor Betsy DeVos had a hard time in her 60 Minutes interview. Despite the fact that Secretary DeVos had advanced notice of the interview, she did not perform well. DeVos looked like a student giving an oral book report despite never cracking open the book. DeVos stumbled when asked about…

In the wake of yet another mass shooting, Americans are fed up with the status quo and want sensible policy solutions to prevent this type of violence. Unfortunately, we shouldn’t rely on Schuette to be part of the solution. Bill Schuette says he’s a voice for victims, but in truth, he’s only a voice for…

Michiganders have a right to know how their government works, and Representative Jeremy Moss believes we should have more tools to get information on exactly what is happening behind closed doors. Michigan is one of the worst states in the country for transparency and accountability in government, so Moss introduced legislation to make the governor’s…

Too often, elected officials who come to work each day and quietly work on behalf of their constituents don’t make headlines, but they are an integral part of improving peoples’ lives and helping those who reach out to elected officials nonetheless. Enter Representative Erika Geiss, who, while you may not always see her physically in…

Not many new members of the legislature hit the ground running as fast as Darrin Camilleri. Perhaps it is Representative Camilleri’s previous experience as a teacher that led to his all-action approach as an elected official: As a teacher, he had to be prepared to educate his students as soon as the bell rang. Camilleri…

Leadership isn’t a word many would associate with our elected officials in Lansing during the last decade. With Governor Rick Snyder’s failures in Flint, Detroit, and the roads, and Bill Schuette’s failure to protect all people, many have a sour taste about leadership in Lansing. However, one leader stood out in 2017 – Senate Minority…

For Representative Stephanie Chang, standing up for your values means standing up for your constituents in the face of powerful opposition. In 2017, Representative Chang continued her strong record of standing up for her values. Last year, Chang was named Legislator of the Month for her stance to defend American values by opposing President Donald…

The least you can do when someone invites you to do something is politely decline. Not answering is just plain rude. And when you want to be the top elected official in the state and you decline to even respond to questions posed by a media outlet, that’s just shady. Enter Bill Schuette, who for…