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Signature check to be dropped from Michigan election bill, sponsor says detroitnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from detroitnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
House OKs ethics reform with financial disclosure, lobby limits View Comments Lansing Amid debate over whether the legislation went far enough, Michigan House members on Wednesday passed 13 bills and one joint resolution that proponents hope will boost transparency and ethics among lawmakers. The bills seek to create an ethics committee in each chamber, to require confidential financial disclosures from members and to prevent legislators and senior administration officials from lobbying for two years after leaving office. The bills move to the Senate next, where Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, has expressed concerns that financial disclosure requirements could discourage people from running for office. ....
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, has asserted the proposed package of bills is âmore restrictive than Georgiaâs.â However, some of the proposed bills aim to prevent similar issues presented by a directive Benson issued last October, which directed city clerks to presume signatures were valid when matching absentee ballot signatures with the voter signature on file. Although Bensonâs directive was followed while votes in the November 2020 election were tabulated, it was struck down last month by Michigan Court of Claims Judge Christopher M. Murray. âThe presumption is found nowhere in state law, Murray wrote in his opinion. The mandatory presumption goes beyond the realm of mere advice and direction, and instead is a substantive directive that adds to the pertinent signature-matching standards. ....
That’s a system that would have allowed former President Donald Trump to evenly split the state’s electors with Biden, despite his loss. State Reps. Beau LaFave or Iron Mountain and Jeff Yaroch of Richmond contend their legislation is about giving “voice” to voters in all parts of Michigan, not just those in major population centers. It would encourage presidential candidates to campaign in diverse regions of the state, they told colleagues in committee. “I’m not trying to rig the system for any political party obviously, both of them have massive flaws but we’ve got the situation in Michigan where a lot of people aren’t heard, and they don’t feel as though they’re being heard, and that their vote doesn’t count,” LaFave said. ....
The Department of Education is committed to supporting all states in assessing student learning during the pandemic to help target resources and support to the students with the greatest needs, said Ian Rosenblum, acting assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education. We also recognize that at a time when everything in our education system is different, there need to be different ways that states can administer state tests like moving them to the fall so that precious in-person learning time this year can be spent on instruction. Balancing these priorities is the best approach. If students in Michigan do have to take the test, it could have major implications for those in the third-grade. After being delayed last year due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the retention aspect of Michigan’s Read by Grade Three law is set to take effect. ....