The 91st Legislature convened on January 10 for opening ceremonies
and
swearing in of House members. The House includes 21 new members.
House and Senate committee meetings and caucus retreats are
scheduled for
the coming weeks. Regular Tuesday through Thursday sessions will begin
January 30, with major legislative business postponed until after Gov. John
Engler's State of the State Address on January 31. Lawmakers will be in
session until early April, when they will recess for two weeks at Easter.
The legislature continues forming committees and organizing
for the new
session, which began January 10. Major bill introductions will wait until
after the governor's State of the State Address on January 31.
In the meantime, the House will vote January 25 on whether to
reject the 35
percent legislative pay increase recommended by the State Officers
Compensation Commission. A similar bill has been introduced
in the Senate
but is unlikely to be brought to a vote.
The pay increase will take effect automatically unless two-thirds
of both
houses vote to reject it before February 1. The large increase was
recommended to make up for previous smaller increases that did not keep
pace with inflation.
Governor John Engler has finished attending to bills passed
during the 90th
Legislature, signing the final pieces of legislation on Tuesday.
A total of 782 bills were signed into law during the 1999-2000
session - 276
in 1999 and 506 in 2000.
Former Democratic Governor James Blanchard formed a campaign
committee to
begin raising funds for his expected run for governor in 2002.
Blanchard served as governor from 1983 to 1990 but lost to Gov.
Engler in
1990. Since then he has served as U.S. ambassador to Canada and chaired the
group opposing the school voucher proposal last fall.
Other expected Democratic candidates are Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith
(D-Salem
Township), U.S. Rep. David Bonior (D-Mt. Clemens) and possibly Sen. Gary
Peters (D-Bloomfield Township). Attorney General Jennifer Granholm, one of
the most popular choices among Democrats, has not declared an intention to run.
Potential Republican candidates are Lieutenant Governor Dick
Posthumus and
Secretary of State Candice Miller. Gov. Engler cannot run for re-election
because of term limits.
Michigan's unemployment rate hit a record low in 2000,
averaging 3.4
percent for the year. That's the lowest figure since the current method
of
determining unemployment began in 1970.
December also marked the 69th straight month (more than five
and a half
years) that the state has done better than the national average for unemployment.
Nationwide
unemployment in December was 4 percent, compared to
3.8 percent in Michigan.
Michigan Supreme Court Justice Maura Corrigan was elected by
a 6-1 vote
of her peers to the position of chief justice. She replaces Elizabeth Weaver,
who had completed one two-year term as chief justice.
Corrigan was appointed to the Court of Appeals by Gov. Engler
in 1992 and
won election to the Supreme Court in 1998.
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Specific comments or questions regarding this bulletin should
be directed to:
Jeanette Towsley, Administrative Assistant to the Governmental
Affairs Department at jtowsley@retailers.com.
Michigan Retailers Association
603 South Washington Avenue
Lansing, MI 48933
Phone: 517.372.5656
Toll Free: 800.366.3699
Fax: 517.372.1303
govt_affairs@retailers.com
http://www.retailers.com
http://www.mallofmichigan.com
Click
here to find more information about any of the bills referenced above.