KEY LEGISLATION:
Senate Approves Racinos Bill
A House bill allowing Michigan horseracing tracks to install slot machines and video lottery terminals passed the Senate after intense debate. The bill passed by the narrowest of margins, 20-18, after 41 amendments were considered and 20 added to the bill.
The Senate-passed version is more restrictive than the House-passed version, which may cause problems with supporters in the House. The bill is expected to be sent to a joint House-Senate Conference Committee next week for final negotiations. Governor Granholm has not indicated whether she will sign the bill if it makes its way to her desk, other than to say any consideration of it should occur after the budgets are completed.
Opposition to the package is coming from anti-gambling advocates as well as Detroit legislators who don’t want their city’s casino revenues threatened. The bill is believed to be linked with the tobacco tax-increase legislation that Senate Majority Leader Ken Sikkema supports to help balance the budget. House Speaker Rick Johnson is one of the main proponents of the racino package, and since movement in the Senate has now occurred, this may clear the way for the tobacco tax hike to move in the House.
Speaker’s Race Coming into Focus
An alliance in the race for next Speaker of the House came to light and brought several candidacies into the open. Reps. Craig DeRoche (R-Novi) and Scott Hummel (R-DeWitt) have formed an alliance whereby DeRoche would be Speaker and Hummel would occupy some other leadership position—probably Majority Floor Leader. Hummel confirmed the alliance.
Following news of the Hummel-DeRoche alliance, other speaker candidates announced they, too, are running for the position. Reps. Brian Palmer (R-Romeo), Barb Vander Veen (R-Allendale), Jerry Kooiman (R-Grand Rapids), Judy Emmons (R-Sheridan) and Mike Nofs (R-Battle Creek) all indicated their desire to seek the position. There are rumors about other potential candidates and alliances as well.
Endorsement Boosts Bisbee-for-Congress Campaign
Rep. Clark Bisbee (R-Jackson) received the coveted endorsement of Michigan Right to Life in his race for the Republican nomination in the 7th Congressional District. The district is regarded as very conservative, and the endorsement is considered crucial to a candidate’s chances for victory.
The announcement now vaults Bisbee and former Sen. John Schwarz (R-Battle Creek) into the spotlight as the top two contestants in the seven-candidate primary. Schwarz is pro-choice and more moderate than any of the other Republican candidates, but he has tremendous name identification in the district from his many years of legislative representation of the area and his failed run for governor in 2002.
KEY BILL INTRODUCTIONS:
No New Bill Introductions to Report at this Time.
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