Michigan State Senate

It’s been a busy week for Washtenaw County state lawmakers in Lansing with thousands of extra vaccines being offered to the county and the annual call to an end Daylight Saving Time.

Washtenaw County is one of nearly two dozen Michigan communities to be awarded hundreds of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to help enhance the state's vaccine equity strategy, according to state senator Jeff Irwin.

WEMU's Lisa Barry talks with the state senator about that and the approaching resumption of Daylight Saving Time, which he opposes.

WEMU's Women's History Month coverage continues with two giants in the world of environmental advocacy.  David Fair caught up with Lana Pollack and Lisa Wozniak to discuss their work and the women who preceded and worked alongside them.  Pollack is a former State Senator from Ann Arbor who, among other things, authored Michigan's short-lived 'Polluter Pay' laws.  Wozniak presently heads up the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, which continues to positively impact policy and protections. 

"The Racial Roots of Vaccine Skepticism" is what an upcoming virtual roundtable discussion involving several state and local lawmakers is being called.  WEMU's Lisa Barry talks with State Senator Jeff Irwin and Charles Wilson from the Washtenaw County Health Department about the planned community conversation on the racial roots of vaccine skepticism as part of Black History Month.

Despite a very difficult year of 2020, Governor Whitmer's third State of the State address had a very positive tone.  Even though he knew it's what Michiganders needed to hear, Michigan Senator Jeff Irwin of Ann Arbor acknowledged that it will take a lot of work to achieve bipartisanship in the state Legislature.  Irwin talks about his thoughts on the governor's speech with WEMU's David Fair.

Since 2007, Rebekah Warren has represented Washtenaw County in the Michigan Legislature.  The Ann Arbor Democrat was first elected to the state House from the 53rd District.  After one term, she won election to the state Senate where she served two terms.  Then, after a move to a different part of the city, Warren won another session in the House, but from the 55th district.  Now, term limits will bring an end to that part of her career.  WEMU’s David Fair spent some time with the outgoing representative, reflecting on a long legislative career and looking to what comes next.

The state’s Chief Medical Executive was among those who testified Monday before a joint House and Senate committee examining the state’s COVID-19 response.  We have more from Rick Pluta. 

The legislative committee looking into the state’s COVID-19 response meets again today.  Top health officials in Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s administration will face questions from the committee.  We have more from Rick Pluta.

Public health and education are expected to be two main components in the State of Michigan’s 2021 fiscal year budget that lawmakers will vote on later this week.  

State Senator Jeff Irwin wants all future elections to be done entirely with absentee ballots.

The Michigan state Legislature garnered national attention Thursday with reports that protesters with rifles faced off against security and some lawmakers hoping their voices would be heard opposing an extension of the Governor's emergency order in response to the current health pandemic.

After a long day on the state Senate floor, WEMU's Lisa Barry spoke with Washtenaw County state Senator Jeff Irwin to get his take on what happened Thursday at the state Capitol.

The state Senate was in Lansing Tuesday and, as we hear from Rick Pluta, the Republican-controlled chamber adopted resolutions asking Governor Gretchen Whitmer to reconsider aspects of her stay-at-home orders.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer is expected to outline plans Friday to lift some travel restrictions and to allow some businesses to resume operating – even if it’s at just partial capacity.  Many Republicans in the Legislature have been unhappy with how Whitmer’s used her authority during the COVID-19 crisis.  GOP leaders have called a special Friday session to vote on measures to place new restrictions on her emergency powers. Rick Pluta reports.

The state Senate leader says he wants to start planning now to allow some businesses to resume operations amid the coronavirus crisis.  Rick Pluta reports.

The Legislature convened Tuesday to adopt a resolution extending Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s emergency authority to address the COVID-19 health crisis.  We have more from Rick Pluta.

State lawmakers will return to Lansing today for the first time since March 17th.  They expect to vote on a resolution to extend Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s emergency powers to deal with the coronavirus crisis.  Rick Pluta explains.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has asked the Legislature to extend her authority to deal with the coronavirus crisis.  We have more from Rick Pluta.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer continues to issue emergency orders that close public places in an effort to contain the spread of the new coronavirus

The governor closed schools for three weeks with the expectation that they would re-open April 6th.  That order can be extended and that now appears likely.

That leaves students, families, administrators, and teachers in limbo.  And they’re wondering how to ensure students are getting the education they deserve under this new reality.

We have more from Michigan Public Radio’s Rick Pluta. 

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders won Michigan in an upset during the 2016 primary.  That wasn't the case Tuesday as former Vice President Joe Biden won the vote in the state and in Washtenaw County.  Sanders still has support and a measure of hope.  18th District State Senator Jeff Irwin of Ann Arbor discussed what happened and what is to come as we move towards the November general election.  Irwin joined WEMU's David Fair today to discuss results and possibilities. 

Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently released the latest Michigan state budget, and it includes funding for a number of environmental programs.  And, it builds on the initiatives launched in her first budget cycle as governor.  In this week's "Issues of the Environment," WEMU's David Fair talks over environmental priorities, progress, and challenges with State Senator Jeff Irwin. 

Republican leaders in the Legislature say they are ready to adopt a petition-initiated bill to place new restrictions on abortion.  Rick Pluta tells us Republicans are looking to press the limits of the Roe versus Wade decision.

Trust – or the lack of it – is holding up a deal to restore hundreds of millions of dollars in budget cuts to rural hospitals, law enforcement agencies, and not-for-profit organizations.  A deal seemed close Thursday, but the state Senate Republican leader says he’s lost faith that Governor Gretchen Whitmer would hold up her end of any bargain.  And so, he wants a new state law to seal the deal.  We have more from Rick Pluta.

A state lawmaker says Michigan’s hate crime law is overdue for an update.  State Senator Adam Hollier says it’s time to add violence or threats based on sexual orientation or gender identification as a deterrent to hate crimes.  Rick Pluta reports.

Abortion has moved to the forefront of national politics.  Where lawmakers stand on the issue has become a litmus test when determining if someone is a Republican or Democrat.  But it hasn’t always been this way.  As part of a joint project with the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, Cheyna Roth reports, the political shift started around 1980...

A state lawmaker wants to make sure Michigan doesn't have any privately run prisons.  Michigan Public Radio Network's Cheyna Roth has more.

A lawmaker in Lansing wants to make it mandatory for people working in certain professions to report suspected animal abuse and neglect.  Cheyna Roth has more.

A state lawmaker says people with misdemeanor marijuana convictions should have their records cleared automatically now that Michigan has legalized it.  Rick Pluta reports.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer is urging the Legislature to return to Lansing to vote on the state budget and revenue to fix the roads.  GOP leaders say they won’t be pushed.  Rick Pluta was with the governor during a stop at a community college in Detroit.

Anti-abortion groups will soon be on sidewalks and at events around the state, asking voters to support measures that would restrict abortion in Michigan.  There are two groups trying to get enough signatures for their ballot initiatives.

Cheyna Roth breaks down the measures and how Michigan could effectively outlaw abortion in the near future.

New measures would ban abortions after a doctor detects a fetus’s heartbeat.  Michigan Public Radio’s Cheyna Roth reports bills were introduced Wednesday in the state Senate.

The Republican leadership in the state House and Senate has filed a challenge to a recent opinion by Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel.