The 102nd Michigan Legislature convened in Lansing this Wednesday with 148 lawmakers from both chambers taking their oaths of office and Democrats in complete power for the first time in 40 years. While there were encouraging calls for bipartisanship, finding common ground and ending partisan bickering and political stalemates, announcements by House and Senate leaders about priority issues would suggest there may be some key areas of disagreement in early 2023.

As expected, Rep. Joe Tate (D-Detroit) was elected as Michigan’s first Black House Speaker. The vote was approved with 102 yeas, and 8 nay votes from the self-named “Freedom Caucus,” including Reps. Carra (R-Three Rivers), DeSana (R-Carleton), Fox (R-Fremont), Friske (R-Charlevoix), Hoadley (R-Au Gres), Maddock (R-Milford), Rigas (R-Caledonia) and Schriver (R-Oxford). In the Senate, Sen. Winne Brinks (D-Grand Rapids), was formally elected Senate Majority Leader and is the first woman to serve in the position.

Leaders of the new Democratic majority, including Speaker Tate and Senate Majority Leader Brinks, announced six key priorities for their caucuses in 2023. They include:

• Repealing Michigan’s landmark Right to Work law
• Restoring Michigan’s prevailing wage mandate
• Expanding the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) to include protections for the LGBTQ+ community
• Repealing the pension tax
• Expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to incentivize work and
• Repealing the state’s 1931 abortion ban.

The Chamber...

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