MichMash Politics

There are many ways interest groups try to get lawmakers to pay attention to their pet issues. Some hold rallies on the state Capitol lawn. Others choose to operate behind-the-scenes.

Highlighting the latter category is a report that came out this week from the Michigan Campaign Finance Network (MCFN). It shows lobbyists have spent a record amount of money on food and drinks for state officials in the first seven months of 2019. The total comes to $517,000, and three members of the state House have each received more than $4,000 in free dining expenses from lobbyists in that time.

“Those totals are larger than what we usually see for an entire year,” MCFN Executive Director Craig Mauger tells MichMash.

“The top beneficiary of lobbyist-sponsored wining and dining so far in 2019 has been Rep. Brandt Iden, a Republican from Oshtemo Township who chairs the powerful House Ways and Means Committee,” the report says. ”House leadership created the committee for the 2019-2020 session. It’s in charge of vetting bills that have already passed other committees before they go before the full House.”

Iden reportedly received $5,682 on food and drink from lobbyists so far this year. Of that, $2,555 came from a single firm called Governmental Consultant Services, Inc., according to the report.

MichMash hosts Cheyna Roth and Jake Neher talk about the authority the governor has to ban an entire product in the name of public health.

Supporters of the vaping industry in Michigan are threatening legal action over a plan to ban flavored vaping products.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently ordered the Michigan Department is Health and Human Services to issue emergency rules to ban the sale of flavored nicotine vaping products in stores and online.

Critics, especially retailers who sell the products, say it will devastate their bottom line and question whether its legal for the governor to act alone without a law from the state legislature.

But the governor’s administration say its confident it is on sound legal standing — and it has the legal backing of the Michigan attorney general’s office.