Latest news with #MattHall
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Hall, Nesbitt support convention to rewrite state constitution
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Twp., left, and Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Twp., participates in a PAC reception during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance) MACKINAC ISLAND – Republican leaders in the Michigan Legislature say they plan to support an initiative to hold a constitutional convention to rewrite the document. The proposal automatically appears on the ballot every 16 years. The November 2026 general election will be the fourth time since the state's current governing document, which went into effect in 1963, that voters decide whether to go back to the drawing board. House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) said he does think we need a 'Con-Con.' 'They stuff so many things in this Constitution, all kinds of things, every time,' Hall said, pointing to ballot proposals legalizing marijuana and creating an independent redistricting commission that were approved by voters as examples. 'Some of those proposals sounded good, but then had intentions that the public is frustrated about,' Hall said. While Hall was focused on taking things out of the state's constitution, Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Township) sees it as an opportunity to make updates that he said Lansing leaders haven't had the 'political courage … to actually get done.' Those include making the state superintendent an appointment of the governor rather than of the state Board of Education, as well as changes to how university boards are selected. 'I think there's a lot of things that should be discussed,' Nesbitt, who is running for governor, said. 'And the constitution could be a lot simpler than what it is right now.' That simplification could touch all aspects of the state's guiding document. Eric Lupher, president of the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan, previously told the Michigan Advance that if a constitutional convention were to be approved, 'everything is fair game, from Article One through Article 12, so it's not a piecemeal approach. It is an open document that will be examined from A-to-Z.' Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) said she hasn't given it much thought but is open to hearing pros and cons. House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton) said he wasn't familiar with specifics of the proposal but that it didn't sound like something he would support. If voters did call a constitutional convention, a special primary and general election for delegates would be held, with one delegate elected in each of the state's 110 state House and 38 state Senate districts. The convention would convene in October 2027 with no limit on how long it would last before proposing a new constitution, which voters would either approve or reject. The legislative leaders were speaking during a Detroit Regional Chamber PAC reception during the final night of the Mackinac Policy Conference. The unusually tense reception marked the first meeting of the four so-called 'quadrant' leaders, representing the four key positions in the Michigan House and Senate, with no quadrant meetings having been held since last year. Brinks said the Democratic majority in the Senate is willing to work with the Republican majority in the House on priorities like transparency reform and long-term road funding. She said that starts by having more regular conversations. 'It's important for us to sit down and negotiate the differences,' Brinks said. 'That's how the Legislature works, and it's particularly important when we have a Republican-led House and Democratic-led Senate to sit down and just hash out those differences.' Puri said it should be easy to set up plans for another meeting, pulling out his phone and saying he has time next Tuesday at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. But Hall said he doesn't need to meet with the other legislative leaders, arguing that the House is getting things done on their own, though the state has seen just four bills signed into law so far this year. Hall pointed to an Epic-MRA poll saying he has a 60% approval rating as evidence that his current strategy is working. But Puri said the polling numbers aren't indicative of the state's actual perspectives. 'I congratulate the Speaker on his polling numbers. Contrary to what you're saying, that was not statewide in Michigan, that was a select few lobbyists and Lansing insiders telling you that you're doing a great job,' Puri said. 'I don't get my validation by pleasing lobbyists, and I see some in the room, I'm sorry. My validation is waking up to a family that loves me.' Hall said he does work well with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, citing a positive vision while criticizing Brinks and Puri for offering a negative vision. 'I would encourage the Democrat leaders to empower your governor, Gretchen Whitmer,' Hall said. 'Empower her in negotiations, and her and I will get a deal done, and we'll get it done very quickly, on the budget, on roads, on many things.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Hall once again dodges commitment to finalize budget by deadline
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall leads a press conference at the Mackinac Policy Conference on May 28, 2025. | Kyle Davidson MACKINAC ISLAND – During a press conference at the Mackinac Policy Conference Wednesday, Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall once again refused to commit to finalizing the Fiscal Year 2026 State budget by its legal deadline. For years lawmakers have worked to complete a budget prior to July 1, as required by state law, although failing to finish before the deadline carries no penalties. Hall has previously argued the Legislature's responsibility under the state constitution is to pass a budget before the new Fiscal Year begins on Oct. 1, telling reporters the budget might not be finalized until Sept. 30, a move both Senate Democrats and Republicans have criticized as irresponsible. After teasing several budget items in the House's plan for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 alongside fellow House Republicans, Hall once again refused to commit to finalizing the budget before the deadline. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'Well, we'll see. You know, I think we got to work through it,' Hall said when asked if he would commit to moving a budget out of the House before July. When pressed further, Hall criticized the Democratic-led Senate's $84.6 billion budget proposal, arguing the budget was not balanced, following reports from the May 16 Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference which found lawmakers will have $320 million less in revenue than initially predicted, largely due to the impact of tariffs instituted by the Trump administration. While the House has yet to pass its own proposals, Hall told reporters its budget would be smaller than the budget passed last year, when Democrats controlled the chamber. He also promised a $12,000 per-pupil allowance in the House's education budget and $1 billion deposit in the state's rainy day fund. 'This is going to make a big impact in our local school districts across Michigan, allow them to hire more teachers, shrink class sizes, update textbooks, invest in technology, improve school safety, and also, with that $1 billion rainy day fund, we'll be able to prepare. If there's any problems in the future that'll be a good down payment toward addressing that,' Hall said In the state's higher education budget, Hall floated a $5,500 scholarship for every Michigan high school graduate attending a Michigan university or college which would be offered every year for up to four years. For community colleges, the state will offer students $2,750, Hall said. 'We look at some of the scholarships that are being offered by the government, and a lot of them are based on, not everyone gets them. Some of them are based on income, family income, things like that,' he said. 'We want our universities to be attracting and working to gain Michigan students. And so I think really taking some of these scholarships that exist, and turning them into something that every Michigan high school student will receive to help make college and universities more affordable, while also ensuring they go to a Michigan University is going to make a big difference there,' Hall said.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrat House leader sounds off on GOP speaker Matt Hall
The Brief GOP Speaker of the House Matt Hall is facing pushback in Lansing from the House Democrat leader. Ranjeev Puri accused Hall of supporting bad policies by the Trump administration that hurt Michigan. LANSING (FOX 2) - House Democrats have broken their collective silence and are taking on GOP Speaker Matt Hall for the way he is running the Michigan House. Hall has staged weekly news conference dating back to January 14. Have the House Democrats held weekly news conferences to respond? Big picture view Nope, until now. House Democratic leader Ranjeev Puri took on the speaker with a list of allegations. "When unserious people are put in the position of power they have, there are very dangerous consequences," Puri said. "I don't understand why Matt Hall has not been standing up for the people of Michigan." The House Democrats accused the speaker of following an alleged broken down agenda coming from President Donald Trump. The Democrats argued the GOP speaker ought to be rejecting Trump's tariffs with a bad impact on Michigan. "Tell Donald Trump, 'Hey, maybe a trade war isn't good for our state," Puri said. The Democrats also argue the speaker is wrong for missing the july one budget deadline that could force schools to lay off teachers during the summer. "Teachers are pink slipped, hundreds of teachers in individual districts will be put on leave this summer," he said. Of course the speaker deflects the criticism saying he is taking more time to find more waste in the budget in order to save taxpayers' Hall has criticized Lansing Democrat Senator Sarah Anthony for writing a budget that is a billion dollars out of whack. One could say that budget peace is not at hand - but the rhetoric is going up. The Source Information for this report is from an interview with House Democratic leader Ranjeev Puri.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hall floats cuts to refugee resettlement, arts and culture grants to pay for roads
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) at his weekly press briefing. May 20, 2025 | Photo by Ben Solis Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall said Tuesday that it wouldn't be difficult to cut $326 million from state government to pay for road funding – but the items that could be on the chopping block include a key DEI and refugee resettlement program, arts and culture grants and money for the state's COVID-19 Task Force. Hall (R-Richland Township) keyed in on those items during a regularly scheduled news briefing with reporters. Although the House has yet to pass a budget like its Senate counterpart, Hall said his Democratic colleagues have told him that finding $320 million in cuts to divert to roads would be nearly impossible or costly to the state in the long run. Not so, Hall said Tuesday, touting at the very least a potential framework for making deep cuts. The speaker said he and Rep. Ann Bollin (R-Brighton), chair of the House Appropriations Committee, were going line-by-line to find maximum benefit for taxpayers in their version of the budget. Hall showed where they might be going with a slide presented during Tuesday's briefing, The largest item on the block was $115 million in what Hall said were remaining corporate handouts. That includes $100 million in business attraction and community development money and $15 million for entrepreneurship ecosystem funding. Additional cuts Hall noted that could be made included $61 million from other programs – the top line being $28 million from the Office of Global Michigan. The office is a creation of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration, and touts itself as the state's arm in advancing equity and inclusion initiatives throughout the state. The office also facilitates smooth transitions for newcomers from foreign countries, immigrants, refugees and members of marginalized communities. Of that remaining $61 million, Hall eyed $22 million in cuts from the COVID-19 Task Force, also created by Whitmer, and $11 million in arts and culture grants. Hall did not mince his words on cuts for 'corporate handouts.' 'None of them, and none of these things are resulting in any job creations,' Hall said. 'We're just saying local roads are probably more important to most people than these big corporate giveaways.' Nor did he pull his punches at the various social programs that could see cuts. 'The COVID-19 Task Force. … What are these people doing?' Hall asked. 'Are they going around asking people to wear masks still? I've talked about the arts and cultural grants. The Capital City Film Festival, barbershop quartets, I mean, it's incredible. What's more important, puppet art, or roads? I think most people in Michigan would say roads.' Whitmer's Office of Global Michigan was another area Hall appeared to see as expendable in any House-passed budget, saying that the initiative housed and subsidized 'illegal aliens.' That office has been a target of Republicans for its Newcomer Rental Subsidy program, which they contend encourages illegal immigration by providing up to a year of rental assistance for 'Refugees and other Newcomer population-eligible households,' even though eligibility is based on having a legal immigration status. Another $150 million could be eliminated, he said, by cutting 2,900 unfilled state government positions, which Hall called phantom jobs. The speaker said the fact that the state hasn't filled those positions was, in his view, a product of government expanding too quickly and without a plan. Overall, Hall said the slide illustrated that deep cuts were possible despite objections from the House chamber's Democrats. 'It's very easy to do, and there's a lot more things that we could cut,' Hall said. 'I just put this up here for simplicity to show you some things that we're contemplating that are very easy to cut in this budget.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hall calls for Oversight Committee investigation into Michigan's new campaign finance portal
Michigan Speaker of the House Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) and House Oversight Committee Chair Brian BeGole (R-Antrim Township) at a press conference on April 30, 2025. | Kyle Davidson As the Michigan Department of State works to transition its campaign finance data into another system, Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) is slamming the new platform, prompting the House Oversight Committee to look into how the funding for the system was being spent. The Department launched its new personal financial disclosure system on March 14, 2025, and has faced strong criticism since its launch from reporters, campaigns and transparency advocates. Neil Thanedar, executive director of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, criticized the system in a social media post earlier this month saying the new portal provides less information to the public than the previous portal, making it harder for the nonprofit's investigators to do their jobs monitoring political spending in the state. An investigation from Bridge Michigan in March found that the upgraded system — produced through a $9.3 million contract with Texas-based Tyler Technologies — provides less information to the public than the previous system. The investigation noted lobbyist registrations no longer listed clients, and expenses could not be easily viewed, while access to the state's prior system was locked behind a login screen. Hall criticized Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who is running for governor as a Democrat, saying she should 'get off the campaign trail and fix her website.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX He also called the system 'a $9 million boondoggle,' telling reporters his House Oversight Committee should investigate what happened with that funding. 'I mean, you spent $9 million and it's worse,' he said. The House Oversight Committee has authorized a subpoena against the Department of State following five months of requests from Election Integrity Committee Chair Rachelle Smit (R-Martin) for materials used to train election workers. Smit maintains the materials she requested are basic materials provided to election clerks, while members of the Department of State have warned that disclosing these materials unredacted could carry consequences for the state's election security. 'The House Oversight Committee, after rejecting the department's multiple attempts to provide the requested materials in a way that protects the security of our election system, instead voted to issue an unnecessary subpoena for this sensitive information,' Angela Benander, Benson's chief communications officer said in a statement. 'This includes materials that show active screens of the Qualified Voter File; specific information that could be used to compromise the technology used by local election officials; specific procedures for securing voting equipment, ballots, and other election-related materials; information that could be used to gain improper access to secure communication channels used to report security risks; specific locations of election administrator training and templates for official election notices,' Benander said. Hall compared the Department's response to the Department of Technology, Management and Budget's decision to deny a public records request from the Detroit News on the occupancy levels in state office buildings. 'This is the same thing that they said about the election manuals. So Benson, 'I can't give you the election manuals because of security reasons.' Now, Whitmer administration, 'The state workers, where are they working? We can't give that to you for security reasons,'' Hall said. 'Are they coming in the office or not? We're going to find out, and we are going to bring the government workers back to the office. We're just going to do it. We're going to force them to do it in the state budget. And we're going to get the information, even if we had to subpoena them,' Hall said. Benander told the Michigan Advance in an email that the state's contract with its previous system, MERTS, expires this year, meaning the department needed to create a new system and migrate and convert massive amounts of old data, putting the department behind schedule. Those delays dramatically impacted the department's ability to conduct pre-launch data testing, Benander said, noting that they'd been finding errors and problems with the system's performance as a result. 'We understand this is a problem. We are working to fix it as quickly as possible but have had to prioritize the parts of the system that allow filers to meet their legal requirements by the filing deadline. Once the project is complete, this system will be much more transparent and accessible than the old system and the temporary issues we're experiencing now will be fully resolved,' Benander said. 'Our priority right now is to fix the problems and get the new MiTN system fully up and running over the next several weeks,' She said. Alongside his criticisms of Benson, Hall took shots at Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids), who has said she has been working to meet with Hall, without success. 'That's just false. They're not making any effort to have meetings with me,' Hall said. However, emails reviewed by the Michigan Advance show Brinks' staff made multiple attempts to schedule a weekly meeting with Hall, without success. Hall further argued Democrats had created a false narrative of funding roads versus funding education, with House Republicans passing their road funding plan in March and Senate Democrats putting forth their School Aid Budget proposal on Tuesday. House Republicans' plan removes the state's 6% sales tax on gasoline and instead increases the motor fuel tax by 20 cents, designating that funding for road upkeep. However, the gas tax contributes more than $700 million a year to the state's School Aid Fund, which Hall has suggested could be replaced with money from the state's general fund, which House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri said was 'robbing Peter to pay Paul.' Hall emphasized that education was among House Republicans' funding priorities, alongside roads and public safety, challenging Brinks to put forth her own road funding plan. 'The people of Michigan don't care if Winnie Brinks and I like each other. If she has solutions on roads, put them up for a vote, and then we'll negotiate. Simple as that. Governor Whitmer is trying to do that, and if she can't do it, then at least empower Governor Whitmer, because what Governor Whitmer is doing is much more effective than what Winnie Brinks is doing,' Hall said. Brinks spokesperson Rosie Jones directed the Michigan Advance to the majority leader's comments in a Wednesday report from Crain's Detroit Business, where she questioned if Hall was serious about coming to an agreement on roads and said Hall should stop insulting Senate Democrats. While Senate Democrats are considering ideas from both Hall's proposal — which largely consists of funding from eliminating or halting economic development spending — and Whitmer's proposal — which would draw more than half of its funding from a tax on large corporations and big tech companies — Brinks told Crain's she did not intend to pass a deal without making a deal first, emphasizing that any road funding plan should move alongside the state budget.
