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.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has set a date for a special election to fill Virgil Smith’s former state senate seat. Smith’s resignation became effective after beginning a 10-month jail sentence related to a shooting incident involving his ex-wife.

A primary election for the vacant 4th district seat will be held August 2, 2016. The general election is scheduled for November 8, 2016.

Gov. Snyder has called a special election to fill the vacancy in House District 28 following the appointment of State Rep. Derek Miller as the Macomb County Treasurer. The special primary election will be held on August 2, with the special general election slated for November 8. Both special elections align with the primary and general election dates for the current election cycle.

The special election is for a term running through January 1, 2017. Candidates are able to run for the term expiring on January 1, 2017 as well as the full term after.

A federal judge has put a temporary stop on a controversial part of a recently passed campaign finance bill. Senate Bill 571, which included significant changes in the state’s election law, contained a provision prohibiting the use of public resources by public entities such as schools and libraries in the 60 days before an election.

The provision was found to be unconstitutionally vague, as it did not clarify what was permissible. While several bills to fix the provision have subsequently been introduced, it is likely none of them will be passed by the upcoming March 8 election.

This week, Governor Snyder signed Senate Bill 571, a bill that affects what public officials and organizations can and cannot do within 60 days of an election. The bill prohibits local officials from publicly discussing ballot proposals or millage issues in the 60 days leading up to an election.

Despite approving the bill, Snyder urged the Legislature to pass further legislation clarifying some key provisions of the bill that some say infringe on protected free political speech. The 53 page bill was originally much shorter until last minute amendments were passed with no public hearings. Senate Bill 571 also eliminates the need for February quarterly reports for political action committees.

A special primary election has been scheduled for November 3, 2015, to fill the seats in state House Districts 80 and 82.

These seats were previously held by Rep. Cindy Gamrat and Rep. Todd Courser, respectively. Gamrat was expelled by the House on September 11, 2015, and Courser resigned the same day following allegations of misconduct and misuse of taxpayer resources in an attempt to hide their extramarital affair.

Now, despite opposition from the House, both are running in the special election to fill these seats. If either or both of them win, there is speculation the House could refuse to seat them; however, most representatives seem reluctant to commit to such action at this point.

The special general election will be held on March 8, 2016.