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    • Michigan Senate targets polluters, charter schools and sex abuse in marathon session
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    Michigan Senate targets polluters, charter schools and sex abuse in marathon session

    Pabio Posted on

    Lansing — A Michigan Senate session that lasted more than 17 hours saw state lawmakers approve bills that could have broad implications for police departments, charter schools and businesses early Friday morning.

    The Senate and House of Representatives – both currently controlled by Democrats – are expected to make their final votes next week for the 2023-2024 legislature. In this scenario, for any of the pending bills to become law, it would need to pass one of the chambers by the end of this week, due to a provision in the Constitution of Michigan which requires bills to be in the possession of the Legislature. House or Senate for at least five days.

    There is added pressure on the Democratic majority to act, as Republicans will take control of the House in January.

    The Senate approved bills Friday morning that would extend the statute of limitations for prosecutions involving criminal sexual conduct, impose new regulations governing pollution cleanup and require charter schools to publicly report additional financial information.

    Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, the chamber’s top Republican, blasted the Democratic majority over the charter school measure before the vote just after 2 a.m. Friday. Senators initially met at 10 a.m. Thursday.

    “The goal is not transparency,” Nesbitt said. “This is not good governance. This is about closing the doors to our public charter schools in Michigan.”

    Bills were circulating in the Senate under “the cover of darkness,” Nesbitt said at one point.

    THE invoices would require charter schools must disclose financial statements about expenditures of money received by the organizations that operate the schools and notices of non-compliance with state standards.

    Sen. Dayna Polehanki, Democrat of Livonia, argued that companies that operate charter schools should be required to have financial transparency equal to that faced by traditional public schools.

    “Michiganians have the right to know how much of their tax dollars go to charter school children and teachers, versus how much is kept as pure profit by the for-profit corporations that oversee more than 80 percent. charter schools in Michigan,” Polehanki said. said in June.

    The charter school bills passed in a 20-13 vote, with Democrats supporting and Republicans opposing. Five Republicans were not present for the votes.

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    “Polluter pays” package

    Nesbitt, of Porter Township, also criticized Democrats for passing a 76-page bill around 5 a.m. Friday that sets new regulations for cleaning up contaminated sites.

    The bill was part of the Democrats’ so-called “polluter pays” plan.

    “A company can dump a toxic chemical, clean it up under its own recognizance and never tell anyone,” Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, said last year. “Senate Bill 605 would end these secret cleanups and make a wide range of information public, including baseline environmental assessments and cleanup plans.”

    The bill did not go through the normal committee process and was not the subject of a public analysis by the nonpartisan Senate Fiscal Agency before the full House vote. Senate, as most proposals do.

    The Senate voted in favor of this measure along party lines: 20 votes to 13. Democrats were for and Republicans against.

    Among other standards, the bill requires the use of so-called “due diligence plans,” written documents that detail response activities necessary to monitor the effectiveness of mitigating hazardous exposures .

    Nesbitt said the bills showed Democrats were more concerned about “radical environmental ideology” than redevelopment of urban centers.

    The bills would need to pass the House and get Whitmer’s signature to become law.

    More: Pharmaceutical industry gave to Michigan Democrats as efforts to cut prices stalled, tax filings show

    Statute of limitations in cases of sexual abuse

    The Senate also approved long-debated bills Friday morning that would extend the statute of limitations for victims to file sexual abuse-related lawsuits.

    One of the measures would extend the civil statute of limitations for criminal sexual conduct to 10 years, seven years after an individual realizes they have been the victim of a crime, or to their 52nd birthday, depending on which period is later. longer, according to Senate Democrats. .

    The limits are currently set at the victim’s 28th birthday if they were a minor at the time of the abuse, or three years after discovering the abuse.

    The bill, which passed 24-9, would also allow someone to recover damages suffered due to criminal sexual conduct within past time limits, provided only one plaintiff recovers no single defendant more than $1.5 million in damages.

    A press release from Senate Democrats noted that Michigan “made national headlines when Michigan State University’s Larry Nassar was accused of sexually assaulting more than 150 young women and the victims of the deceased University of Michigan physician Robert Anderson reached a $490 million settlement with the school.

    “At their core, these bills are about justice and accountability,” said Sen. Kevin Hertel, D-St. Clair Shores, said. “They aim to provide a path to justice and healing for survivors, while holding abusers and the institutions that enable them accountable for their despicable actions.”

    The bills would need to pass the House and get Whitmer’s signature to become law.

    More: Michigan Senate approves bill that would fine those who lie about election details

    Use of force policies

    Additionally, the Senate approved a bill that would require Michigan police departments to adopt “use of force” standards.

    Policies must include a requirement that “a law enforcement officer may only use physical force that is objectively reasonable” and “considerations” for “the use of physical force on an individual,” according to the language of the bill.

    It passed 21 to 12. Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan, voted with Democrats in favor of the proposal. It was sponsored by Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit.

    “Michiganians across the political spectrum want and deserve safety in their communities and that includes safety in interactions with law enforcement,” Chang said.

    But Nesbitt accused Democrats of rushing changes introduced in November. The vote took place Friday around 5:30 a.m.

    “Our law enforcement officers deserve better,” Nesbitt said. “But some just want another public act before the end of the year. And that’s very unfortunate for those who protect us every day.”

    The bill would still need to be approved by the State House and signed by Whitmer.

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    Pabio
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