November ballot proposals

Ballot proposals for this November are getting a bit clearer. To date, the Emergency Manager Law, collective bargaining rights, renewable energy and home health care proposals have all been given the go-ahead. The other proposals did not receive enough support from the State Board of Canvassers and as of this date are off the ballot.

 

However, the state Supreme Court is wasting no time, having already scheduled a hearing on the remaining proposals for this Thursday afternoon.  This includes the mandate for a two-thirds legislative vote for any tax increase, the Ambassador Bridge-led vote on future international bridges, the addition of eight new casinos as well as the collective bargaining question.

 

The League continues to work with a coalition of groups involved in opposing the 2/3 proposal. We’ll continue to provide updates as events unfold.

 

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.

Emergency Manager Law repeal ordered to be on November ballot

There will be at least one measure on the November ballot, with six more waiting in the wings. The Michigan Supreme Court, on a split 4-3 decision, has ordered the State Board of Canvassers to place on the ballot the referendum calling for the repeal of Public Act 4.

Since the question on the ballot will essentially be should PA 4 be maintained, those who wish to keep in place PA 4 will actually have to vote “yes” and those want it repealed with have to vote “no”, a situation that always causes a good deal of confusion.

This is but the first of several issues that could be on the statewide November ballot.  The League will continue to monitor each and provide information when and if others are certified.

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.

USDOT makes available $17 billion in loans for infrastructure

The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced it is making available $17 billion in loans for critical infrastructure projects. The loans are part of an expansion of the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program in the recently approved MAP-21 transportation bill.

MAP-21 provided a large increase in the TIFIA program, which provides direct loans, loan guarantees, and standby lines of credit to major infrastructure projects.

Since its inception, the TIFIA program has used $9.2 billion in funding to leverage more than $36.4 billion in private and other capital to help build 27 major transportation projects around the country.

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.

USDOT announces funding for Michigan transit projects

The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced that over $45 million will be awarded to local communities in Michigan and MDOT to modernize and replace aging transit facilities and vehicles.  The awards are part of a total of $787 million being awarded across the country.  

Seven projects in Michigan will be funded including renovation and expansion of the MSU/East Lansing Amtrak station, vehicle replacements in Grand Haven, Flint, Livingston County and Detroit and providing safer access for bus service in Port Huron.

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatves and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.

MAP-21 Webinar and resources

On August 2nd, one of the League’s partners on national transportation issues, Transportation for America, will be hosting a webinar to discuss the newly enacted federal transportation act, “MAP-21” (Moving ahead for Progress in the 21st Century).

The webinar will begin at 2 pm on Thursday, August 2nd and feature a panel of experts who will share insights about the specific policies contained in MAP-21. Please join us to learn more about the bill and ask any questions you may have. You can join the webinar by calling (866) 740-1260 and using the passcode: 3355141.

On-line resources are also available. Transportation Issues Daily has a robust site with links to actual copies of the final legislation as well as congressional analyses.

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.

Congress to begin summer break

As Congress begins their annual August break, the opportunity presents itself for local officials to speak with their federal representatives about a number of different issues. This includes not only local matters, but others that have the potential to impact communities in Michigan and around our country for years to come.

Of course I’m talking about the federal deficit and the pressure on Congress and the President to put together a compromise by the end of the year or be faced with $600 billion in automatic cuts and tax increases. As I’ve noted before this is due to the debt ceiling deal struck in 2011.  Programs cuts would occur across the board and the most visible of tax increases would come from ending the so-called “Bush tax cuts”.

Naturally, this has turned into one of the larger election year issues.  While work continues on a overall 2013 budget, Congressional Republicans look to exempt defense spending from the automatic cuts and Democrats seek to end tax cuts for those Americans making $250,000 or more.  And right now, they seek to blame each of other for a unwillingness to compromise.

There will be more and more in the media about the “fiscal cliff” or “taxmageddon” over the coming days, weeks, and months.  And while there is no doubt from all quarters that the issue of the nation’s deficit must be addressed, it is important to note that previous solutions have included a mix of spending cuts and revenue increases. Without such a mix again, cuts will occur to every federal program that helps to improve quality of life in our communities.

As such, the MML Board has adopted a resolution asking Congress and the President to take a balanced approach to the matter. And the League urges this topic to be a part of the conversation with your congressional representatives as you meet with them. 

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.

Defend Michigan Democracy coalition formed

The Michigan Municipal League, along with a number of other statewide organizations, has formed a coalition to defend the constitutional principle of majority rule that would be eliminated by a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow just one-third of the members of one chamber of Michigan’s Legislature to obstruct any state tax reform or re-approval to broaden the base of a tax.

Defend Michigan Democracy“, is a broad-based bipartisan coalition representing a diverse segment of Michigan’s residents.  Its members include business, health care, local govenment, nonprofit and labor organizations who together oppose this particular ballot proposal.  If enacted it would make it virtually impossible for Michigan to take steps to modernize its tax system in years to come.

And, a recently filed campaign finance report makes it clear that the signature collection effort was largely funded by a shadow group believed to be comprised of out-state interests trying to use the Michigan constitution for their own purposes.

The citizens of Michigan cannot stand idly by while wealthy, out-state funders look to corrupt the principle of majority rule established as a basic commandment of both our national and state constitutions.

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League.

 

November ballot could be crowded

If you were out enjoying the weather over the last couple of months, chances are you were met by someone carrying any number of clipboards tryng to get you to sign a petition to place a issue on the November ballot. 

And the clipboard holders wound up being very successful. When all was said and done, signatures for six constitutional amendments and one referendum were submitted. If all make the ballot, it will be the most proposals before voters since 1982 when seven also appeared on the ballot. The six constitutional amendments matches the six voters faced in 1980.

Those proposals that submitted signatures would 1) require a 2/3 legislative vote or a vote of the people on tax increases, 2) require statewide voter approval of new international border crossings, 3) ensure that the state’s home help workers can unionize, 4) establish a 25 percent renewable energy standard by 2025, 5) guarantee collective bargaining rights in the constitution, 6) approve eight new casinos, and 7) get rid of PA 4, commonly known as the Emergency Manager Law.  The fate of the PA 4 measure making it to the ballot is now in the courts.

Of all those turned in, the League is particularly studying the proposal that would require a 2/3 majority vote in the Michigan House and Senate or a statewide public of approval to raise taxes.  The proposal was sponsored by the “Michigan Alliance for Prosperity”. The group was just formed in April, so there is little information on who it really is or its donors.

Other interest groups are expressing concern with the sheer number of proposals. One, “Citizens Protecting Michigan’s Constitution” recently issued a statement deriding “attempts by narrow special interests to hijack our constitution”.

The State Board of Canvassers, the body responsible for certifying the petitions for the ballot, will be setting its schedule shortly. Stay tuned as to which of these will actually make it to the November election.

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.

 

MAP-21 resources available

For those interested in information, reports, and analysis of the new transportation authorization act known as “MAP-21” (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century), you are encouraged to visit Transportation Issues Daily, “MAP-21 Learning Center”. 

The site contains links to congressional summaries and reports as well as webpages and news reports from any number of different stakeholder groups.

Want to read the entire 599 page bill, check; or how about the 91 page House-Senate negotiating committee report, check: or any other number of summaries and reports, news articles, its all here.

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.

 

“Fiscal Cliff” on the horizon

With the presidential election heating up, the debate over how to deal with federal deficit is coming into sharper focus. Recall that as part of the deficit deal of last year, automatic spending cuts and tax hikes will take effect if no deal is reached by the end of this year.

Expect to hear more and more about this so-called “fiscal cliff” or “taxmageddon” over the next several months. If there is no overall deal, $600 billion worth of spending cuts and tax hikes go into effect on January 1, 2013.

Democrats are calling for a debate on cuts and increased revenues by letting the Bush era tax cuts expire, meaning a tax increase for everyone including the wealthiest Americans. To date, congressional Republicans have balked at anything other than spending cuts.

There is little doubt that spending cuts will be a part of any final agreement to cut the nation’s deficit. That said, we cannot simply cut our way to prosperity and the League board has adopted a resolution calling for a balanced approach to the matter.  Local officials are encouraged to study the issue carefully and talk to their congressional representatives about the importance of programs that have been used to improve quality of life in your community.

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.