Latest news with #MichiganHouseOversightCommittee
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michigan State Police director defends leadership amid calls for his resignation
Michigan State Police Director Col. James Grady speaks to reporters following a joint meeting of the Michigan House Oversight Committee and the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Michigan State Police. July 1, 2025 | Photo by Ben Solis/Michigan Advance Michigan State Police Director Col. James Grady said Tuesday that a no confidence vote from troopers and command officers didn't represent the full scope of his department, and that he was working to address issues of low morale that began before his time as the head of the agency. Grady's comments came during a joint hearing of the Michigan House Oversight Committee and the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Michigan State Police. Some members of the Republican-led House of Representatives and the GOP members of the Senate have called for Grady's resignation due to complaints from troopers and command officers who have claimed they are fearful of speaking up about department policies under Grady and have faced retaliation when they have. Grady said that the vote of no confidence from the Michigan State Police Troopers Association and the Michigan State Police Command Officers Association in June was not an MSP-sanctioned survey nor was it reflective of employee surveys issued by the department. Overall, Grady highlighted his years of service to the department and the discretion that comes with his position to make leadership and command changes if needed. 'I'm doing the work, representative,' Grady said in response to questions from Republican state Reps. Mike Mueller and Jay DeBoyer, the respective chairs of the joint committees. 'I'm doing everything that I can to ensure that the morale increases, because I, again, respect all of the members of our agency, and I want them to be well. I want them to be in a good place. I want them to want to come to work, because when they're in a good place, they can come and do the work effectively and efficiently every day. And that's something that I support as a leader of this department.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX That was how Grady responded to most of the questions lobbed at him from Republicans and Democrats alike on the joint panel, much of which were fastballs and somewhat critical of Grady and his handling of the department. Grady further noted multiple worksite visits, feedback missions and an open door policy as ways he was trying hard to boost morale. Grady was appointed in Sept. 2023 as director of the department by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, following the departure of former director Joseph Gasper. Over the last few years, troopers and command officers have complained that Grady was out of line when he came out with a statement that did not initially support former trooper Brian Keely when he was charged in May 2024 in the death of Samuel Sterling. The charges against Keely have since been dropped by a U.S. District Court judge, but the Michigan Department of Attorney General has said it would appeal the dismissal. Troopers and command officers also took issue with Grady promoting Chief Deputy Director Aimee Brimacombe as his second-in-command because of her alleged lack of experience and multiple complaints made against her before she was elevated several ranks. Other grievances include Grady's decision to not keep existing command or leadership staff and replacing them with a new team, which Grady said Tuesday was a means to better serve the department and bring commanders on board with unique strengths. Troopers filed an ethics complaint against Grady and Brimacombe in January. A handful of troopers also filed lawsuits against Brimacombe questioning her leadership, and questioned performance bonuses Grady and Brimacombe received after only a short time in their roles. The morass culminated in the vote of no confidence, which Grady said was a first, but later noted that similar questions have been posed to trooper and command officer unions in the past questioning the leadership of previous directors, dating back to 2018. Some have questioned whether the complaints have an undertone of racial or gender bias, seeing as troopers have in the past complained or sued over the department's diversity recruitment policies that emerged under Gasper, but before Grady's ascension to his current role. Although Grady is not the first Black officer to be promoted to colonel, some have called into question the deluge of complaints against the combo of Grady and Brimacombe as the department's leaders. That said, DeBoyer, Mueller and others noted that although they have great respect for the department and Grady's years of service in law enforcement, maybe he wasn't the right leader for the agency despite his commitment to the department and its troopers. 'I appreciate that, and I don't have any reason to believe that that is not who you are, but the results of the survey, unfortunately, and with all due respect, says otherwise,' DeBoyer said. 'You made the statement that the Michigan State Police is one of the most respected agencies in the entire country, frankly, and it has been for decades. So, when you see that level of lack of confidence, that's very concerning to us as legislators.' Mueller, a former law enforcement officer, also said that it appeared to him Grady wasn't a bad person, but sometimes good people aren't great leaders. 'It's not anything about your character at all. It's about the men and women, 98% of the men and women, that drive around those police cars [who] fear retaliation,' Mueller said. The gloves were off, however, after that first bit of cordial opening statements. DeBoyer noted that the House Oversight Committee, which he chairs, has deposed several members of Michigan State Police in the matter of his leadership and had several say that there was a culture of fear in the department for either saying the wrong things, sharing their opinions or speaking up on leadership matters. The depositions, which were not shared in full during the committee nor made public elsewhere, also showed troopers and command officers experienced retaliation for doing so, resulting in work assignment loss or other reprimands. State Rep. Jamie Greene (R-Richmond) read some of the commentary from MSP's 2024 employment engagement survey. One response noted that it was allegedly well known within the department that Grady and Brimacombe didn't take kindly to criticism on their leadership decisions, and if they do, they pay the price. 'This is incredibly disturbing,' Greene added. 'This department seems to be fostering a culture of fear and isolation, which is extremely harmful in such a high stress career.' Greene asked Grady why retaliation was the running theme in some of the responses if he was working to mend bridges and communicating with his troopers about their concerns. Grady again leaned on his commitment to hearing officers out and said again that he believed those comments did not represent that majority of the department. The director also defended Brimacombe and his decision to elevate her, noting that she has 25 years of experience with the department and a law degree. Greene asked him if she thought the results of the surveys were fabricated. Grady did not directly respond, but did say there appeared to be copycat or repeated similar responses. State Rep. Will Snyder (D-Muskegon) said it was his understanding that there were approximately 700 vacant positions within the department and that 500 of them are at the trooper level. Snyder worked that out to be a 20% vacancy rate, which he said was exceedingly high. Grady said the department had over the last 10 years hired nearly 1,000 troopers, leading the nation in hiring among state police organizations. He also noted that the department has an aggressive recruiting plan. But DeBoyer later countered by saying that morale continues to dip and then turned to question Grady about reports of doxing within the department. The names of some of the troopers and command officers who were deposed during recent closed-door hearings of the House Oversight Committee were reported by the Detroit Free Press ahead of Tuesday's hearing. DeBoyer said that revelation was appalling, and grilled Grady about how and why someone within the department who was familiar with those discussions leaked that information to the press. The chair as 'That is doxing people within your organization, people who we have asked to communicate with us in private … in fairness and openness and transparency with others members of our committee,' DeBoyer said. 'And this morning, in the media, we read three names that only your agency had. That's inexcusable. … The fact that someone in your agency would dox their own members, Colonel, that is a clear demonstration of why there's a lack of confidence in leadership at Michigan State Police, because at all costs, they will protect themselves and they will sacrifice their members.' While DeBoyer called for an investigation, Grady said he wasn't aware of that leak and would look into it. Following testimony, Grady spoke to reporters and said he thought the committee hearing was generally unfair and that he was proud of the job that he was doing. 'I'm not the type of Colonel that doesn't make himself available or accessible. I'll talk to anybody, and so I have those conversations, and they're positive,' Grady said of his outreach to troopers. 'People enjoy working for the State Police. That's why, when we do have vacancies, they don't last long. They don't remain vacant, because people apply to the positions they want to work here in this department. People want to be state troopers.'
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Opponents of Marshall, Michigan battery plant seize on Bill Ford's warning
LANSING — Opponents of Ford Motor's Co. under-construction $2.5 billion, 1,700-job electric vehicle battery plant 100 miles West of Detroit in Marshall, Mich. welcomed Bill Ford's warning that it is at risk if federal production tax credits go away, saying residents never wanted the factory. Marshall Township Treasurer Glenn Kowalske and grassroots activist Julie Ann Bryant, critics of the project that was announced in 2023, were given the floor on June 4 to voice their concerns to the Republican-led Michigan House Oversight Committee's corporate subsidies and state investments subcommittee, which is scrutinizing economic development deals. Ford's BlueOval Battery Park Michigan was thrust back into the spotlight last week when Bill Ford, the Dearborn-based automaker's executive chairman, said if Congress makes the plant ineligible for a key manufacturing subsidy due to its ties to China-based Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL), it would 'imperil what we do in Marshall.' The project also is being supported with state and local tax incentives and state infrastructure grants. 'I'm encouraged that the project could be stopped,' said Kowalske, who won election in November. 'It's going to sound funny because it's 60 percent complete, right? However, I think right from the beginning … the community really didn't want this facility. It didn't want this industrial development. We still don't want it.' Future Product Find our what powertrains, redesigns and freshenings are planned for the next four years. View the list Brand future product timelines The Committee for Marshall-Not the Megasite tried to challenge the development with a referendum but lost in trial and appellate courts, which ruled the matter could not go to voters because Marshall included an appropriation in an ordinance rezoning the land. Its appeal is pending before the Michigan Supreme Court. 'It certainly is frustrating that so much time, energy and resources (have) been spent using taxpayer dollars to destroy a community like yours for a project that may not even come to fruition.' the subcommittee chair, Rep. Steve Carra, R-Three Rivers, told Kowalske. 'But I'm encouraged that there's a chance that it may not come to fruition. I appreciate the hard work that you and everybody else has put into shedding light on what's going on in your community there.' The hearing was one-sided in favor of the factory's opponents. The Michigan Economic Development Corp. will testify in support of the project and answer legislators' questions at a second hearing next week, Carra said. He publicly called on James Durian, CEO of the Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance, to be there, too, alleging that Durian had been unresponsive to requests to testify. In a letter to Carra and other subcommittee members released later on June 4, Durian said he will not attend the meeting. He highlighted the plant's benefits, saying more than 1,500 construction workers are at the site daily and it will eventually have 1,700 long-term, high-paid workers. Sign up for the quarterly Automotive News U.S. Sales report to get data and news sent to your inbox as soon as it's compiled. 'It's important this project stays on track so we can continue to experience the economic boost already being felt as our small businesses, shops and restaurants see an uptick in foot traffic,' he wrote. 'This kind of economic growth is hugely important for our region, which has seen population decline and job losses over the past 20 years. Ford BlueOval Battery Park Michigan is helping us reverse that trend.' MAEDA noted that more than 100 Marshall-area business owners, school leaders, elected officials and other community stakeholders sent a letter to Michigan's congressional delegation last week backing the plant and urging the tax credit's preservation. A House-passed tax plan would end the credit and restrict the use of Chinese components and technology. The bill is now in the Senate. 'The economic impact of this investment on this region cannot be overstated,' the letter stated. MEDC spokesperson Otie McKinley said the agency 'continues to support Ford and their investment plans that will help Michigan secure our position as the global leader in mobility and highly advanced manufacturing.' In the hearing, however, critics told lawmakers their voices were ignored, blaming many factors including that key state and local elected officials signed non-disclosure agreements preventing them from gauging the community's interest in such a project. 'There are so many reasons that the residents didn't want this factory in our small town of 7,000 people,' said Bryant, who administers the Stop the CPP Ford Marshall Megasite group on Facebook. 'This is a national security issue. This is a corporate welfare issue. This is a huge environmental issue.' Rep. Dylan Wegela, D-Garden City, expressed concern that a 'dark money'-backed advertising campaign — one that the Detroit Free Press has tied to Democrats and allies of Whitmer — made it harder to fight the plan. Carra, like Wegela, opposes economic development subsidies for businesses generally — though other legislators in both parties have backed them over time. Carra said the federal government should 'look very closely' at the BlueOval Battery Park and Gotion Inc.'s $2.4 billion EV battery plant near Big Rapids and see that 'communities don't want these things.' Ford's comments, he said, 'are indicative that this is abundantly dependent on taxpayers' dollars, that people are not buying this product (EVs) near at the demand that is being supplied by government. Continuing to shed light on this is I think of importance.' Ford told reporters after a panel discussion at the Mackinac Policy Conference that it is fine for politicians to agree or disagree on things like production tax credits. 'But don't change the rules once you've already made the investment, because that to me is just a question of fairness, and that's unfair,' he said. Have an opinion about this story? Tell us about it and we may publish it in print. Click here to submit a letter to the editor.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Michigan Republicans allude to dismantling Department of Education in fiery hearing
Michigan Board of Education President Pamela Pugh (left) and Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction Michael Rice (right) listen to members of the Michigan House Oversight Committee on Tuesday, June 3, 2025 | Photo by Ben Solis Two top officials with the Michigan Department of Education on Tuesday defended the current state of Michigan schools amid House Republican calls for dismantling the department and allusions to taking public education back to a time when literacy rates were at some of their lowest in modern American history. Board of Education President Pamela Pugh and Superintendent for Public Instruction Michael Rice appeared Tuesday before the Michigan House Oversight Committee, which included a lengthy presentation on the department's goals, its latest budget requests and some heavy back and forth between Republican lawmakers. Several Republican members of the committee, including its chair, Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay), lambasted Pugh and Rice over low literacy rates and flailing math scores. Eventually, the specter of tearing down the department and starting anew with a department controlled closely by the Michigan Legislature materialized from Rep. Jaime Green (R-Richmond). Before dismantling the department became a topic of conversation, Rice and Pugh attempted to show the committee that schools, students and educators have been making progress in multiple ways to achieve Michigan's Top 10 Strategic Plan, which did include record achievement in several areas. Part of that forward progress was seen in the passage of new literacy and dyslexia laws, some of which were spearheaded by Greene, who worked closely with Rice to make that reality. Rice and Pugh extolled how much of a difference those laws will make in the screening of all children for dyslexia, for example. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The pair also praised the Legislature for increasing funding to public schools over the last few years, but said those budgets did not make up for decades of underinvestment in public schools a decade earlier. Pugh discussed some of the challenges currently facing schools and the effect disinvestment has had on public schools, not only on student needs and achievement, but also the state's teacher shortage. 'It is critical and crucial to understand that the challenges before us are not new,' Pugh said. 'They are the result of long standing policy decisions that prioritize cost-cutting over sustained investment in our children and our schools. Despite these challenges, the state Board of Education has remained resolute in our mission to reverse those harms and build an educational system that truly serves all Michigan students.' Pugh said students, as well as teachers, parents and administrators, were doing their best to provide a quality education in the face of crowded classrooms, aging buildings, limited access to mental health and special education services and what she called an alarming shortage of adequately paid teachers. 'These issues are not anecdotal,' Pugh said. 'They are symptoms of systemic neglect.' Rice added that Michigan's four-year graduation rate had improved to the highest level in state history, growing to about 83% in 2024, which is also the highest that figure has been in the last 10 years. The percentage of adults with a post-secondary certification (51.8%) was on track toward Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's Sixty by 30 goal. The initiative aims to have 60% of Michigan adults between ages 25 and 64 holding some sort of post-secondary credential by 2030. There were moments of seeming common ground between Rice and the Republicans who control the powerful House Oversight Committee, with Rice praising Public Act 146 and Public Act 147 of 2024 addressing literacy coaching and dyslexia screening assessments and interventions. Progress was being made, but Rice noted that Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, or LETRS, training was needed for educators to keep up pace and do better on the literacy front. Rice called for mandatory LETRS training for kindergarten through fifth grade classroom teachers, and lower class sizes for kindergarten through third grade classrooms. Rice said there was also a need for more in-person instructional time, as there had been cases of professional development days being treated as student instruction days in 2019, and 15 virtual days being counted as the same in 2023. The meeting, however, was not one of the House Education Committee meant to discuss budgetary needs and goals, but rather one designed as a means to grill department officials over failures in public education. That became clear in lines of questioning from Rep. Brad Paquette (R-Niles), who engaged in a lengthy and at times testy tit-for-tat with Rice and Pugh. Paquette, a former teacher, said he's seen all the headlines showing the breadth of Michigan's public schools struggles and that he has been on various House committees in the past that dealt with public education and the budget. In that vein, Paquette said he's seen similar presentations from Rice before and, despite additional funding over the last few years, Michigan schools are continuing to struggle. 'We've increased funding yet results are still tracking downward,' Paquette said. 'When does accountability come into play?' As Paquette became frustrated with Rice and Pugh's answers, Pugh said accountability needed to be based in reality. From there, Greene, who received a shout out from Rice for her work on the dyslexia screening law, turned the conversation toward the perceived need to dismantle the department, echoing Congressional Republican calls to do the same at the federal level. Pugh said that studies have shown that states with elected boards like Michigan's, and not under the control of the governor's office or the Legislature, provided critical checks and balances, and correlated with better student outcomes. Those systems were also tied to more equity in funding and policy consistency. Rep. Josh Schriver (R-Oxford), hailed the fact that the 'Greatest Generation' of the early 20th Century had class sizes of 30, 40 or sometimes 50 children and that they fared fine. He made other meandering comments before being cut off by DeBoyer in the essence of time. More questions than answers on school vouchers as a legislative oversight committee wraps up As the meeting wrapped, Rep. Dylan Wegela (D-Garden City), tried to set the record straight on various comments made by his Republican colleagues. Wegela called out Schriver's point, noting that the early 20th Century was a time of rampant racial segregation, and that literacy rates today were far higher than they were in the 1920s. Schriver at one point brought up vouchers for school choice programs, which Wegela said in Arizona, it was found that parents spent that money on items like toys and other merchandise instead. He also noted that Michigan cannot talk about its problem with schools without looking at funding adjusted for inflation. 'Record funding is only as good as saying we have record wages today,' Wegela said. 'When you adjust for inflation, we are barely ahead of the year 2000. This has created a classroom size problem, and a teacher shortage.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Flint water crisis legal costs dispute continues between Michigan AG, Republican House
The office of Attorney General Dana Nessel in the G. Mennen Williams Building in Lansing, Mich., on May 15, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance) Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Friday responded to accusations that her office was stonewalling the Republican-controlled Michigan House Oversight Committee this week, saying the committee's member statements were inaccurate and misinformed. Nessel in a letter highlighted the fact that she has been in constant communication with the committee and its chair, Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Township), and that she agreed to provide the full scope of the litigation expenses from her term and her predecessor's. Although DeBoyer and his fellow Republicans threw barbs this week after only getting half of what was requested, Nessel said she needs additional time to produce the remaining documents. Those documents that were handed over were also shared with members of the Michigan Capitol press corps, which was another area of frustration for House Republicans. 'By June 17, as committed, we will, likewise, share the second production with the chair and our Capitol press corps to ensure transparency,' Nessel said. 'It has always been my belief that these documents and the evidence belong to the people, as allowed for under Michigan law, and I have committed to nothing less since the close of my department's prosecutions.' Nessel Letter 5.23.25 The request revolves around the Flint water criminal prosecution that resulted in zero convictions after the cases were dismissed, but not before the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the prosecution team violated the due process rights of the defendants by indicting them using a one-man grand jury. The move disallowed several members of former Republican Gov. Rick Snyder's administration – who were accused of negligence that fueled a state-created danger – from having a preliminary examination that would have given them a chance to poke holes in the state's probable cause arguments. Snyder's associates were charged with felonies, but Snyder was only charged with a misdemeanor before all charges were dismissed. The prosecution team was led by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy and former Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud, while Nessel spearheaded the civil litigation side of the Flint crisis, which resulted in a mammoth settlement. When Republicans took back control of the Michigan House of Representatives this year, Rep. Angela Rigas (R-Caledonia), chair of the House Oversight Subcommittee on the Weaponization of Government, requested contracts, invoices, itemized lists of billable hours, memoranda of understanding with third-party entities and other financial items related to the investigation and prosecution that occurred under Nessel's regime. Her predecessor, former Attorney General Bill Schuette, led an investigation and began a prosecution of his own by employing a special counsel, attorney Todd Flood. That investigation remained active when Nessel became attorney general in 2018, but Nessel soon after dissolved Schuette's case and began anew with her own investigation. Although Rigas had asked pretty pointedly for documents related to Nessel's time as attorney general, the department said it would endeavor to show the whole scope of the cost of the prosecution, which included Schuette's tenure. Those documents would take time to process and deliver to Rigas' subcommittee, Nessel said from the outset, and requested an extension of the initial March 25 deadline. That deadline was Tuesday. Nessel delivered a document package on a secured hard drive on Wednesday. But the documents delivered only covered Schuette's term, and Nessel stated that the remaining document haul would take about another four weeks to produce. The continued back and forth angered Rigas, who called Nessel's office onto the carpet. On Thursday evening, DeBoyer sent Nessel's office a letter demanding production of the remaining documents. 'Most, if not all, of those records appear to be Verizon cell phone bills related to Todd Flood,' DeBoyer wrote. 'Your office failed to produce any documents from your own tenure as attorney general. It is apparent that you and your office willfully refused to provide documentation relative to your own tenure in office and instead spent your time digging up irrelevant documents from a prior administration.' DeBoyer demanded that the documents be presented no later than noon on May 30, and delivered electronically – and presumably not on a password protected drive. DeBoyer Letter 5-22-25 In response, Nessel said she was transparent with Rigas and agreed to deliver documentation from 2016 [when Schuette was still in office] to the close of the Nessel era prosecution in 2023. 'As requested, this includes documents from the prior administration, which began the prosecutions,' Nessel wrote in a letter to DeBoyer issued Friday. 'I was also clear that this involved thousands of pages of documents, which would take some time to produce and require redirection of staff efforts to fulfill.' Nessel also said she provided Rigas and DeBoyer with a link to a publicly available website including all costs incurred by the state in the matter. She provided that link again in her letter to DeBoyer. 'If you were not provided this information previously, you have it now,' Nessel wrote. 'Also, despite your and Rep. Rigas' claims, yesterday's production included 28 megabytes of documents which satisfies the requested first and third categories through 2019, with the commitment to provide 2019-2023 by June 17.' Nessel did not appear to budge from her position that the documents would be delivered by June 17, seemingly bucking DeBoyer's new request for production by May 30. Nessel said that there were no settlements or cost recoveries related to the prosecutions, so there was nothing to provide the committee or Rigas' subcommittee in that regard. The attorney general added that the documents her office turned over were not mere cell phone bills. 'In total, my department delivered over 450 documents, separated into subfolders under the headings, 'invoices,' and 'contracts,' to help navigate this extensive production,' Nessel wrote. 'Billable hours for outside counsel, expense forms, associated costs and more are all itemized throughout those documents. If you had reviewed the entire production, you would see it was far more extensive than simply Verizon cell phone bills from one attorney.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michigan House tees up contempt resolution against Benson over election manuals subpoena
Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Township), chair of the Michigan House Oversight Committee, announcing plan for a resolution to hold Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in contempt. On the left is Rep. Ann Bollin (R-Brighton Township), chair of the House Appropriations Committee, and on his right is Rep. Rachelle Smit (R-Martin), chair of the House Election Integrity Committee. May 22. 2025 | Photo by Ben Solis Three key Michigan House Republicans on Thursday said they will request a resolution to hold Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in contempt for bucking a subpoena request for unredacted election training manuals. Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Township), chair of the Michigan House Oversight Committee, announced the plan at a news conference with Rep. Ann Bollin (R-Brighton Township), chair of the House Appropriations Committee, and Rep. Rachelle Smit (R-Martin), chair of the House Election Integrity Committee. The move could result in litigation against the department, presumably with a request for the court to order Benson to hand over the information. In a statement to Michigan Advance, the Department of State said their concerns for safety of election information were valid given the fact that the House gave DeBoyer authority to disclose confidential information to anyone he chooses at his discretion. Smit, when she was the minority vice chair of the House Elections Committee, requested access to the Bureau of Elections' e-learning portal, which holds education and training materials for the state's local clerks. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX When she became chair of the now-renamed Election Integrity Committee, Smit brought the matter to DeBoyer's oversight committee, which then issued a subpoena to the Michigan Department of State for any materials that had not already been provided to DeBoyer by May 13. The department said multiple times that it was working to fulfill Smit's and DeBoyer's individual requests, but the department was wary of releasing the materials without review or redaction for security reasons. On Thursday, Bollin, DeBoyer and Smit called foul on that position and said enough was enough. '[Our] olive branch was that we said … we'll give you until 11 a.m. today to sit down and have an opportunity to discuss some of the items that they believe are privileged or protected items,' DeBoyer said. 'Whether we agree or disagree with the theory, we believe in professionalism. So we did that, and the response to us, essentially in a letter that was returned to us this morning, said now they're not providing us with anything further with regard to that.' That included declining the offer to sit down and hash it out, DeBoyer said. 'That's a pretty disappointing thing,' he said. 'After all, the Legislature is the body that determines how elections are run, the time, the manner, the place, the laws by which they are implemented. [Smit] has not only the right but the duty in that role to request the information that is used to train local clerks with regard to how they administer elections.' That said, in the letter sent Thursday the department did agree to sit down for a meeting with House legal counsel, but indicated that it would like to have an independent third-party mediator present to resolve questions about disclosing confidential information. It also questioned the scope and purpose of the committee's inquiry. 'The Committee's generalized purpose of investigating how every election law is implemented by DOS is so broad as to emit no purpose. But even if that purpose were assumed to be legitimate, the Committee has made no effort to explain why the sensitive information is pertinent to or necessary for its investigation,' the letter said. A spokesperson for the department said it would have additional comment on the issue later. 2025.05.22 FINAL Pattwell House 2025 Subpoenas But, given the perception that the House was being stonewalled, DeBoyer said House Republicans had no choice but to ask the full chamber to support a resolution holding Benson in contempt. The next steps could include litigation. 'I think that's a strong possibility, but what a sad day for Michigan,' DeBoyer said. 'I happened to be a local clerk, as well, in 2020 when [Benson] told local clerks to not worry about signature verification on returned absentee ballots. … This is a continual problem, and the fact that we have to perhaps go to court is a shame for the people of the state of Michigan.' Smit, who also served a clerk prior to serving in the Legislature, said she could not fathom the security risks cited by Benson and the department as reasons to not release the documents or to spend excess time redacting and reviewing them. 'it just makes us [ask]: What is it that the Department of State is hiding [in] the training materials? If there is such sensitive and protected information, then why can't Secretary of State Benson explain to us what that is and sit down?' Smit questioned. 'I have been asking to have this since November 7, 2023. It is nearly seven months. We are still here without the information.' Bollin, also a former clerk, said many of these documents are available on the secretary of state's website under the election administrator tab. She wondered what was so secretive about the e-learning portal as opposed to that front-facing information. The cadre of representatives was asked if it appeared as though Benson was trying to run out the clock on the request. DeBoyer said he didn't want to speculate on her thinking, but said that has been a tactic he's seen play out in Lansing before. Bollin added that the people of Michigan deserved transparency and confidence in their elections, and that Benson's unwillingness to comply with requests from the Republican-controlled House did not instill confidence. DeBoyer went a step further and called Benson's action lawless. Benson is one of several names in the race to seek the Democratic nomination for governor. Her campaign has stumbled a bit out of the gate, with the pending contempt resolution adding to headaches over the disastrous rollout of the Michigan Transparency Network campaign finance system and the Department of Attorney General finding her in violation of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act for holding her announcement event in the lobby of the building that houses her department.
