State Rep. Brian Banks resigned as part of a plea deal related to charges involving fraudulent pay stubs.

To fill the vacancy, Gov. Rick Snyder announced a special election to fill the First House District seat.

The special primary will be held on August 8, 2017, and the special general election will be held on November 7, 2017.

The special election coincides with the regular election to save taxpayers money.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed a U.S District Court’s decision to issue a preliminary injunction against provisions of Senate Bill 571, which enables corporations to deduct PAC contributions from employees’ paychecks while prohibiting labor unions from doing the same.

Ultimately, Sixth Circuit Judge Jeffrey Sutton relied on similar cases stating “absent a burden on a constitutionally cognizable right, the government may regulate what is at best a speech-facilitating mechanism.” Michigan State AFL-CIO v. Schuette, No. 16-2100, at *8 (6th Cir., Feb. 9, 2017).

The Bureau of Elections adjusted lobbying reporting thresholds, fees and penalties for the new year. These annual adjustments reflect changes in the Detroit consumer price index and are effective January 1, 2017.

Updates include a $50 increase in the expenditure threshold. Any lobbyist or lobbyist agent is required to register if expenditures exceed $2400 during a 12-month period. Transactions of $1200 or more between a lobbyist/lobbyist agent and a public official must be reported. The 2016 threshold was $1175.

Additionally, the permitted value of food and beverages purchased for public officials in any one month increased from $58 to $59.

Ann Arbor voters approved a ballot measure to increase terms for mayor and city council to four years (Proposal 1). The ballot proposal will have the mayor and five city council seats elected in even-numbered years coinciding with Michigan gubernatorial elections and the other five city council seats will be elected in even-numbered years coinciding with presidential elections.

Previously, half of the city council was elected on odd-numbered years.

The proposal will begin with 2018 elections and city council members elected in 2017 will serve a three-year term.

On October 19, 2016, two bills were introduced to the Michigan Legislature regarding campaign finance and ethics regulation.

House Bill 6007 prohibits, for 18 months after leaving office, a former member of the Michigan Legislature from making expenditures or receiving compensation or reimbursement for actual expenses for lobbying that equal or exceed the limit established to require registration as a lobbyist agent.

House Bill 5959 prohibits campaign contributions except during a year there is a primary, general, or special election for the office the candidate is seeking to be elected.

The Legislature has 11 scheduled days to approve bills for the 2016 legislative session.

The state representative for the 106^th District, Peter Pettalia, tragically passed away from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident on September 12, 2016.

Pettalia was elected to the Michigan House in 2010 and previously served as Presque Isle Township supervisor for 16 years.

Pettalia was term-limited. The state GOP will decide who finishes Pettalia’s remaining term, and his seat will be filled at the general election on November 8, 2016.

Photo of Rep. Peter Pettalia courtesy of the Michigan House Republicans website.

Gov. Rick Snyder has called for a special primary election to take place August 30.

Candidates will be running to fill the vacancy created after the sudden death of state Rep. Julie Plawecki, who served the 11^th House District.

The general election for the completion of Plawecki’s term will be held November 8, with the winner serving through the end of 2016.

This November, voters will decide whether term limits for the mayor and City Council members should be increased from two to four years.

Election cycles would remain staggered, but the proposed amendment to the city charter would eliminate elections in odd years, which have typically had low turnout.

Opponents of the amendment argue longer terms will decease officials’ accountability to voters, while those in favor hope for higher city election participation as a result of the new terms.

Photo of downtown Ann Arbor by Andrew Horne on Wikimedia Commons.

A U.S District Court has issued a preliminary injunction against provisions of Senate Bill 571, which enable corporations to deduct PAC contributions from employees’ paychecks while prohibiting labor unions from doing the same.

The ruling supporting the court’s decision cited freedom of political speech and evenhanded application of law as reasons for the injunction.

This is the second provision of the law to be successfully challenged; earlier in the year, a federal judge halted a different portion of the law prohibiting communication with community residents regarding ballot proposals during the 60 days prior to an election.

The City Council will begin voting next week on existing city-funded demolition contracts worth over $25,000.

Mayor Mike Duggan’s administration discovered the existing contracts have never sought required City Council approval during a review of purchasing ordinances. Going forward, officials have committed to a council vote on all contracts valued over $25,000, as required by law.

The city is still investigating the number of contracts performed without proper council approval since Duggan revamped the demolition program in 2014.

The Legislature has adjourned until July 13, 2016.

Lobbying, ethics, and campaign finance were not matters of primary focus during this session; instead, bills passing the Legislature on its final day in session were focused on improving the state’s horse racing industry, rights for domestic violence victims, authorizing police to alert cell phone users in areas where there are active shooters, and updating driving under the influence tests to better screen for drug use.

The House and Senate will be back in session for one day each in July and August, but are expected to address primarily housekeeping matters in those sessions.

Photo of the Michigan State Capitol by Brian Charles Watson on Wikimedia Commons.

A package of government transparency bills making the governor and Legislature subject to Michigan public record laws has reported out of a House committee in a unanimous vote.

The reform package strives to open the majority of the Legislature’s records to public inspection and would eliminate many existing public records exemptions for the governor and lieutenant governor by including these records under the umbrella of the Freedom of Information Act.

Lawmakers are hopeful the bills will pass the Legislature prior to adjournment for the summer. If passed, the reform measures would apply only to records created after January 1, 2017.

The Michigan election law enacted by last session’s Senate Bill 571 is facing yet another legal challenge. A group of labor unions filed suit against the State of Michigan claiming that the law is unconstitutional.

The contested provision of the law allows corporations to use payroll deductions for employees to make contributions to the business’ political action committee (PAC). The unions claim this is unfair because they are prohibited from using payroll deductions for members to make contributions to union PACs.

The lawsuit comes just weeks after a federal judge in a separate matter found other provisions of this law unconstitutionally vague.

Michigan State Rep. Gary Glenn recently introduced legislation to increase lobbyist reporting requirements.

House Bill 5535 would require lobbyists and lobbyist agents to file reports on a quarterly basis. Currently, reports are only required to be filed on a semi-annual basis.

The bill is now in the Committee on Oversight and Ethics and has yet to pass either house.

Photo of the Michigan State Capitol by Brian Charles Watson on Wikimedia Commons.