Michigan in Focus

 As a part of the new statewide budget for the 2025 fiscal year, bipartisan support was given toward opioid addiction services. About $48.2 million will be allocated to fighting the opioid epidemic. Statistics show one Michigan resident dies from an opioid overdose every four hours. All funding comes from a settlement reached with opioid companies at the end of 2023.

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After denying any interest in replacing President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination this fall, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined a team of fellow Democratic governors at a White House meeting Wednesday. It’s currently unknown what the meeting entailed, but Biden was also scheduled to have lunch with Vice President Kamala Harris. Whitmer said on social media Monday the president can still be reelected in her state, following rumors of her doubting his chances after last week’s debate.

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Michigan’s $82.5 billion budget for fiscal year 2025 passed in the House at 4 a.m. on Thursday following hours of debate over spending. With a surplus this past year, the House Democratic majority focused on urban community projects, affordable housing, free community college and a new firearm injury grant. House Republicans argue the budget does not emphasize rural communities, infrastructure or small businesses enough, prioritizing instead corporate programming and liberal policies.

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 Two years after Roe v. Wade was overturned, a Michigan court blocked the state’s required 24-hour waiting period before an abortion. Michigan Court of Claims Judge Sima Patel ruled the requirement infringes on the state’s constitutional right to abortion, which was approved by voters in November 2022. The ruling also stops the state from mandating certain information be given before the procedure, saying it can be coercive.

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In an effort to boost voter turnout, the state of Michigan plans to bring politics to schools, workplaces and social media. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson played host to a roundtable earlier this week to discuss solutions to voter turnout gaps among young Michiganders. Compared to the rest of the nation, Michigan boasted a higher turnout of voters aged 18-29 in the 2022 midterm election. Yet, nearly 60% of active registered voters in that age group did not cast a ballot in 2022, according to Michigan Department of State data and national surveys on youth voter turnout.

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The Michigan House of Representatives is set to vote on legislation that supporters say will protect the state’s elections from bad actors. House Bill 5551, sponsored by Rep. Noah Arbit, D-West Bloomfield, would amend the Michigan Election Law to prohibit individuals convicted of election-related crimes from serving on the board of state or county canvassers, which certify the election results. Michigan Election Law already prohibits those convicted of election crimes from serving as election inspectors at precincts. 

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SOAR is taking a fall against House Republican scrutiny, with numerous amendments preventing the package from leaving the House Economic Development Committee. The Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve Fund, first introduced in 2021 as a means of keeping business in Michigan, has faced recent backlash from both sides of the aisle for its high spending and lack of results. Governor Gretchen Whitmer is looking to right these wrongs with a rebranding of SOAR to the Make it in Michigan Fund, which would use $250 million toward “community investments.” Some Democrats want more extensive changes, as seen with pending House bills 5768-5770, which focus on public transport, housing, and an additional mobility trust fund.

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Michigan farms affected by the rise in bird flu cases are now eligible for financial assistance but at a cost. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has determined 20 Michigan dairy farms are eligible for up to $28,000 each, so long as they assist in researching the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Since first detected in March, 24 cow herds have been infected, alongside three Michigan farmers, making it the state with the highest cattle and human cases in the country.

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 Two bills looking to fight against deed fraud have passed the Michigan House with bipartisan support. If successful in a Senate vote, HB 5598 and 5599 would enforce a new 10-year felony for anyone who tries to falsify information on a property deed, such as ownership or a forged signature. The bills would also allow registrar employees to submit fraudulent documents to a county prosecutor for analysis.

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In what Republicans are calling a win for election integrity, the Michigan Court of Claims ruled election clerks cannot initially presume voter signatures are valid. The decision struck down Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s second attempt in 2023 to adjust signature verification requirements, even after the court ruled in 2021 that those changes were invalid. The December 2023 guidance manual issued by Benson to help polling clerks stated “voter signatures are entitled to an initial presumption of validity.”

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