Latest news with #MichiganConstitution
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Group launches ballot initiative to fund public schools by taxing wealthy Michiganders
The statue of former Gov. Austin Blair at the Michigan Capitol | Susan J. Demas Underfunded public schools continue to be a political football in the Michigan Legislature, but a new coalition announced Thursday has a potential solution: taxing wealthy Michiganders and using the money to pay for schools. The coalition, Invest in MI Kids, is seeking to place a proposal on the November 2026 ballot that would change the Michigan Constitution's flat tax rate of 4.25% for individuals earning more than $500,000 and couples earning more than $1 million, increasing that to a surcharge of 5% on their income in state taxes. Invest in MI Kids noted in a news release that currently, average Michiganders – including the state's own teachers – and billionaires pay the same rate. The state's schools are estimated to be underfunded at $4 billion to $5 billion annually, the coalition said. The ballot measure, which needs 600,000 signatures to be placed on the statewide ballot in the next election cycle, would direct new revenue to Michigan's School Aid Fund and allow funding for things like career and technical education, attracting and retaining teachers, and reducing class sizes. That would have a positive impact on underfunded and underserved communities, the coalition added, with the revenue estimated to generate $1.7 billion annually for public K-12 schools. Rachelle Crow-Hercher is director of the Michigan Education Justice Coalition and part of the Invest in MI Kids ballot committee. In an interview with Michigan Advance, she said that most people agree that Michigan's education system needs to be fixed, but the main question she hears is whether that's a funding or a policy fix. 'I think it's a 'both/and' situation,' Crow-Hercher said. 'We're addressing the funding situation with this ballot initiative, but the other part of what we're doing is we're strapping our shoes on and going out to meet folks where they are and get their ideas for what they think we should change at the state level to make our schools better for all our kids.' The coalition described the ballot initiative as an admittedly bold plan, one that could shore up existing 'tax the rich' sentiments but could face headwinds from anti-tax and ultra-wealthy residents. Crow-Hercher said the momentum behind making those ultra-wealthy individuals pay their fair share in taxes to fund things like education is strong enough to get the initiative over the finish line, but she also believes that Michganders realize that the Legislature has failed continually to address adequate funding for schools. 'Between those two things, my sense is Michiganders across the state, rural and urban, are sort of ready for this type of bold plan,' she said. Molly Sweeney, organizing director of 482 Forward, said in a statement that Michigan's flat tax system was designed to benefit wealthy residents, not working families. 'That's why we're coming together to rewrite the rules so those who aren't paying what they owe in taxes finally chip in to support the services we all rely on – especially public education,' Sweeney said. Charlie Cavell, an organizer with Fund MI Future, said it was a matter of fairness. 'When you include sales tax and other taxes, working and middle-class families in Michigan actually pay a higher percentage of their income in state taxes than the top 1%,' Cavell said in a statement. 'That's upside-down. Our ballot initiative will restore balance and ensure that those at the very top finally contribute to our schools and communities like the rest of us already do.' The campaign is being backed by Michigan Education Justice Coalition, the American Federation of Teachers Michigan and dozens of grassroots organizations. 'We know that for years Michigan schools have been underfunded and students are feeling forgotten and unheard,' Christina Yarn, a senior at Heritage High School in Saginaw and a member of the Michigan Education Justice Coalition's Youth Collective, said in a statement. 'We have been suffering in schools that are falling apart, with little to no school transportation, schools that have poor water and air quality, where students aren't safe in their own classes.'
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Are you ready to vote on the most important measure in Michigan's 2026 midterms?
Every federal, state or local elected or appointed official swears an oath to the constitutions of the United States, their state and their local government. Given the abuse federal and state politicos are currently shoveling onto constitutions, it's a wonder the constitutions don't swear back at them. Which leads to the most boring but ultimately critical question you will face in Michigan's 2026 election: How will you vote on the ballot proposal to call a new state Constitutional Convention? There will no shortage of headlines about the 2026 election. It's the first time there has been both an open gubernatorial and U.S. Senate seat in the same election. Whatever major disasters or stunning (and surprising) miracles President Donald Trump concocts will guide how voters decide the makeups of the U.S. Congress and our Legislature. There will be specific ballot issues. All these candidates and issues will be hyped with massive buckets-'o-bucks, ads, flyers, calls, door knocking, social media harangues … leaving us overwhelmed. But in this upcoming election, one ballot issue is already designated as Proposal 1 ― so ordered under Article XII, Section 3 of the Michigan Constitution ― and whether Michiganders vote "yes" or "no" could completely change our governmental and legal structure, affecting every aspect of life in this state: How your business runs, your kids are educated, how prisoners are punished, our natural resources managed, what taxes we pay and what the taxes pay for, who will govern us; everything we know now about Michigan rules and regulation could be turned inside out, depending on how we vote on holding a Constitutional Convention. The Michigan Constitution (last revised in 1963) requires voters be asked every 16 years if a new Con-Con (short for 'Constitutional Convention,' natch) should be called. In 1978, 1994 and 2010, voters overwhelmingly said no. Next year, voters will be asked this question again. So, start thinking about it. Time also to acquaint yourself with Michigan's Constitution, if you know nothing about it. Pay attention to this very boring subject, which, like most boring subjects, is really damn important. More Trump's crypto, the Qatar jet ― will supporters finally admit something's wrong? Constitutions are our supreme laws, guiding everything that governs and affects our lives. In some respects, the U.S. Constitution, Michigan's Constitution and your local city charter dictate how you act daily more than more than whatever scripture you follow (or ignore). Officials from the president to members of local municipal commissions (ask my wife, Cindy, who spent years on Huntington Woods' beautification commission) swear to follow and defend those supreme laws. Or they are supposed to. We have expected, experienced and enjoyed such compliance with the rules for most of this nation's nearly 250 years. What is happening now? Trump swore to 'preserve, protect and defend' the Constitution (didn't have his hand on the Bible, but still …) yet he questions if he has to 'uphold' the Constitution. How can you 'preserve, protect and defend' the Constitution if you do not 'uphold' it? His administration has ignored, thus violating, judicial rulings. He has tried to alter whole sections of the Constitution through Executive Orders, which is not permitted. He has accepted foreign gifts in violation of the Constitution. In open defiance of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, the administration is shredding the rule of law. Now there is talk the administration may suspend habeas corpus, an essential right guaranteed in the Magna Carta. (That's a governing document agreed to in 1215 by King John of England, under pressure from rebel barons.) Suspending habeas corpus is allowable only under extreme circumstances defined by the Constitution. Those circumstances do not exist. When asked to define habeas corpus, Homeland Security Security Kristi Noem gave the baffling response that it guaranteed Trump's right to remove people from the country. Nope, not even close. More Democrats better hope Michigan Gov. Whitmer changes her mind about presidential run In Michigan, our constitutional worries are less extreme, but still concerning. State House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland, has refused to submit bills passed in the previous session to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, though Michigan's Constitution specifically says that must be done (the argument wasn't helped by a goofy Court of Claims ruling that the bills should be presented, but the court didn't want to interfere in the spat.) Hall has also recently suggested passing a budget isn't required by the state constitution (granted, the constitution doesn't set requirements on enacting a budget, but refers to a budget. A little thing called state law requires when a budget be passed). And earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal brought by 11 Republican legislators challenging the citizens' right to amend the state constitution on certain election issues. Lower federal courts already told the legislators to stuff it, though in nicer legal terms. Approaching the 2026 Con-Con vote, we face a populace and political establishment arguably more badly divided than in any period since maybe the Civil War. Many are driven by fear, anger and even hatred towards their fellow citizens, and unsympathetic to our constitutional principles. Michigan is under its fourth constitution (tidbit: Michigan's Archives will soon transport the first 1835 Constitution ― drafted two years before we became a state ― to Boston specialists for a bit of fixup before it enters a new display in Lansing). After the 1835 Constitution ― which specified only white men could vote ― we had constitutions written in 1850 and 1908. Our current constitution was drafted at the 1961-62 Con-Con, which launched a number of major political careers. Primary among them: George Romney, one of Michigan's greater governors, and longtime Detroit Mayor Coleman Young. Including Michigan, 11 states are on their fourth constitution. Another 20 states use their original constitutions, with Massachusetts' Constitution adopted in 1780. Louisiana is on its 11th constitution, and Georgia's 10th constitution is the most recent, adopted in 1983. Because state constitutions deal with more minutia involving state and local operations, they are longer than the 4,500 or so words in the U.S. Constitution. Michigan's comes in around 31,200 words; a breezy read compared to Alabama's 7th constitution, at nearly 403,000 words. State constitutions are also amended more frequently. In 237 years, the U.S. Constitution has been amended 27 times. Michigan's voters have amended our constitution 39 times, with 85 proposed amendments since it took effect in 1963. The state constitution, and its amendments, state essential Michigan principles. The constitution bans capital punishment, and establishes our court system, principles of education and which schools get state funding ― through our tax dollars ― and guarantees our state colleges and universities are free from political and legislative interference. It prohibits a graduated income tax. It guarantees ― through a recently adopted amendment ― reproductive rights for women. It also sets rules on overall state finance, on how old you must be to go boozing, it determines that we elect 148 total legislators and not hundreds more, and that we have a Senate and House and not a unicameral legislature. The current constitution was written to simplify and modernize Michigan government to face more current realities. The state endured serious recessions in the 1950s, and simply ran out of money. Neither the 1908 Constitution nor lawmakers were able to resolve the problems. Lots more officials were elected ― including the state treasurer and highway commissioner ― and every official served for two-year terms, exhausting voters. That 1960s Con-Con reflected new social and economic realities. It was the first to include women and Black delegates. Labor with business and agricultural interests played a major role. And in those post World War II years, the state and nation had a more positive outlook. There were tensions, of course, with the Cold War, changing roles of women, the Civil Rights movement; but most Americans were optimistic to the future. The chief issue dividing support for the 1963 constitution was that it did not did not recognize the principle of one man-one vote (that issue was resolved eventually by the U.S. Supreme Court). The last three times they were asked, voters declined to call a new Con-Con. But, in each election opposition has declined. In 1978 nearly 77% said no; by 2010, it was nearly 67%. Still a landslide, but what drives the increased support for a new Con-Con? An actual call for change ― either for more progressive government or more conservative ― or just a 'yeah, whatever' mood too many people seem to currently embrace? Or, given our current discontent with one another, do some voters see a new constitution as a way of imposing greater control over those they dislike? The question cannot be ignored. You, the voters, will answer these questions soon enough. Make sure you know why you are answering them the way you do. Free Press contributing columnist John Lindstrom has covered Michigan politics for 50 years. He retired as publisher of Gongwer, a Lansing news service, in 2019. Submit a letter to the editor at and we may publish it online and in print. Like what you're reading? Please consider supporting local journalism and getting unlimited digital access with a Detroit Free Press subscription. We depend on readers like you. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Will Michigan say yes to Constitutional Convention in 2026? | Opinion
CNN
13-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Judge overturns Michigan's 24-hour waiting period before an abortion
A judge on Tuesday struck down Michigan's 24-hour waiting period before an abortion, saying it conflicts with a voter-approved amendment that locked abortion rights in the state constitution in 2022. 'Michiganders have the fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including the right to abortion care, and the state cannot deny, burden or infringe upon this freedom barring a compelling state interest to protect the health of the individual seeking care,' Judge Sima Patel said. The waiting period had been in place for years, though Patel temporarily blocked it earlier in litigation in 2024. The judge said a mandatory 24-hour delay 'exacerbates the burdens that patients experience seeking abortion care.' Patel also overturned a regulation that required abortion providers to provide a fetal development chart and information about alternatives, declaring them 'coercive and stigmatizing.' The judge stopped a requirement that only a physician, not other health professionals, can perform an abortion. The lawsuit was filed by Northland Family Planning Centers and a group called Medical Students for Choice. Michigan's attorney general and health director agreed that the challenged regulations were unconstitutional, though state attorneys were assigned to defend them in court. Abortion rights were added to the state constitution by nearly 57% of voters in 2022, months after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Patel's ruling 'reaffirms that Michigan is a state where you can make your own decisions about your own body with a trusted health care provider, without political interference,' Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, said.
CNN
13-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Judge overturns Michigan's 24-hour waiting period before an abortion
A judge on Tuesday struck down Michigan's 24-hour waiting period before an abortion, saying it conflicts with a voter-approved amendment that locked abortion rights in the state constitution in 2022. 'Michiganders have the fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including the right to abortion care, and the state cannot deny, burden or infringe upon this freedom barring a compelling state interest to protect the health of the individual seeking care,' Judge Sima Patel said. The waiting period had been in place for years, though Patel temporarily blocked it earlier in litigation in 2024. The judge said a mandatory 24-hour delay 'exacerbates the burdens that patients experience seeking abortion care.' Patel also overturned a regulation that required abortion providers to provide a fetal development chart and information about alternatives, declaring them 'coercive and stigmatizing.' The judge stopped a requirement that only a physician, not other health professionals, can perform an abortion. The lawsuit was filed by Northland Family Planning Centers and a group called Medical Students for Choice. Michigan's attorney general and health director agreed that the challenged regulations were unconstitutional, though state attorneys were assigned to defend them in court. Abortion rights were added to the state constitution by nearly 57% of voters in 2022, months after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Patel's ruling 'reaffirms that Michigan is a state where you can make your own decisions about your own body with a trusted health care provider, without political interference,' Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, said.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michigan lawmaker responds to colleague's insults that she is 'very low IQ'
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways [Source] Michigan State Rep. Mai Xiong (D-Warren) issued a forceful response after House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) publicly called her 'a very low IQ representative' and 'probably one of the dumbest ones in the legislature' during a press briefing on April 30. What happened The confrontation began when Hall launched into a series of insults directed at Xiong after she criticized him for canceling the previous day's legislative session to attend a rally with President Donald Trump marking his first 100 days in office. 'We have this very low IQ representative named Mai Xiong, probably one of the dumbest ones in the Legislature, and I saw this video of her, and she's like 'the House Speaker is not here today. We need to have session. You know? We need to work for the people of Michigan, Macomb County,'' Hall told reporters. He then defended his absence, saying he was 'delivering a new mission with President Trump for Selfridge Air Force Base' while claiming Xiong was 'doing nothing for her county and for her district.' Trending on NextShark: Daniel Dae Kim is first Asian American to be nominated for Tony lead actor award Standing up to 'bullies' Xiong, the first Hmong American elected to the Michigan House — and currently the only Asian American woman in the Michigan legislature — responded with a statement later that day, saying she was 'deeply disheartened and disappointed' by Hall's remarks. 'These words weren't just disrespectful — they were meant to demean, belittle and devalue,' she said. She also countered Hall's claims by highlighting her legislative work and criticizing Hall for allegedly violating the Michigan Constitution by 'hijacking' nine bills, including one she authored to support public workers. Trending on NextShark: Vietnamese refugee suffering from dementia dies in ICE custody in Texas In a follow-up statement over the weekend, Xiong emphasized the importance of accountability. 'I want my children and others to know that standing up to bullies is always the right thing to do,' she stressed. 'I want them to see that strong leadership means lifting others up not tearing them down.' This is not the first time Xiong has had to deal with offensive remarks. Last year, she was also forced to release a statement after facing racially motivated attacks on social media, including accusations that she is a member of the Chinese Communist Party. Trending on NextShark: Korean American astronaut Jonny Kim shares gochujang burger recipe from space This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter — a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices. Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what we're building, consider becoming a paid member — your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community. Subscribe here now! Trending on NextShark: Indian American student wearing pro-Trump hat attacked near WSU Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today!
