Revised Calley Part Time Legislature Proposal Ends "Lame Duck"

Calley (Photo by DarKen Photography)

By Brandon Hall
(Email Him At WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com)

Lt. Governor Brian Calley has resubmitted his proposal to change Michigan's legislature to a part time system.

Calley's new language states that the legislative session must end before April 15th, thus eliminating the horrendous lame duck period that allows lawmakers who were just replaced after November elections to continue passing legislation.

Lame duck is often used to pass controversial, bad legislation without much public input.

The proposal also links legislator pay with what a teacher would make for the same amount of work, subsequently cutting lawmaker salaries in half.

The Michigan State Board Of Canvassers will now review the petition.

Calley's revision means previous signatures are no longer valid.

The proposal would be on the November 2018 ballot is enough signatures are collected.

In a press release announcing the change, John Pirich, the lawyer for Calley's "Clean Michigan Government" committee, says the change makes clarifications that will prevent opponents from prevailing in a court fight.

"Given the intense scrutiny that this petition has garnered, we decided to further protect against legal challenges,” Pirich said. “While we stand by the petition as drafted from a legal perspective, we wish to ensure that to the extent any legal challenge is filed, it will lack any merit whatsoever. The substance of the petition is unchanged, the revisions are clarifying and technical in nature."

Calley says the group will prevail over the Lansing establishment.

“The Lansing establishment has gone to great lengths to try to stall this effort, but we are standing with the people,” Calley said. “We have learned a lot about the legal strategy that opponents plan to use in court to try and defeat this effort and have decided to take every step to ensure voters have their say on this important reform."

The new language says:

"The legislature shall meet at the seat of government on the second Wednesday in January of each year at twelve o’clock noon. Each regular session shall adjourn without day, on a day determined by concurrent resolution, at twelve o’clock noon, BUT BEGINNING IN 2019, AND CONTINUING EACH YEAR THEREAFTER, EACH REGULAR SESSION SHALL ADJOURN WITHOUT DAY NO LATER THAN APRIL 15, ON A DAY DETERMINED BY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION, AT TWELVE O’CLOCK NOON. Any business, bill or joint resolution pending at the final adjournment of a regular session held in an odd numbered year shall carry over with the same status to the next regular session."

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Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.

>>>Email him at WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com
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