Senate Democrats protect utility workers, and citizens from unauthorized utility hookups

A package of bills sponsored by Senate Democrats o prevent energy theft from dangerous unauthorized utility connections and protect utility workers when they go out to disconnect those hookups unanimously passed the Senate today.

The four-bill package aimed at protecting citizens and workers —Senate Bills 1310-1313— were sponsored by Sens. Irma Clark-Coleman, D-Detroit; Tupac A. Hunter, D-Detroit; Dennis Olshove, D-Warren; and Buzz Thomas, D-Detroit.

“Unauthorized utility connections are dangerous and can cause damage, fires, and even the loss of lives,” Hunter said. “These bills will help protect citizens and utilities from the problems these unauthorized connections cause.”

This package caused some tension in the Republican Caucus last month when Sen. Bruce Patterson, R-Canton, blasted his caucus leader, Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, with a press release accusing Bishop of playing “insider political games” that “put Michigan lives at risk” after Bishop referred the package to the Judiciary Committee instead of Patterson’s committee - the Energy Policy and Public Utilities Committee - where preliminary work had been done.

SB 1310, sponsored by Hunter, would require a utility to use a best practices approach to stopping theft and the unauthorized use of service. In the event of unauthorized use, a customer would be required to provide proof of residence or property ownership and payment of damages and any past due charges before service is re-established.

SB 1311, sponsored by Thomas - the Senate Democratic Floor Leader - would make it a crime for a person to attempt to sell or transfer electricity or natural gas with penalties of up to five years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines or both. SB 1312, sponsored by Olshove, sets sentencing guidelines for energy theft.

“Whether it’s a car, money or energy, we cannot allow people to take what’s not theirs,” Olshove said. “We need to take strong measures to protect our energy resources, the people who legally pay for them, and the workers charged with distributing them.

Clark-Coleman sponsored SB 1313, which would create penalties for an assault on a utility worker while performing duties ranging from a misdemeanor to a felony with a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a $10,000 fine for causing a worker’s death.

“It is our job to protect the public and those whose jobs are essential to everyday life,” Clark-Coleman said. "Utility workers should have the same protections as postal workers and others who directly serve the community.”

The package now goes to the House Committee on Energy and Technology.

The next Michigan AG will pay a visit to Livingston County

The next Michigan Attorney General, Richard Bernstein, will pay a visit to Livingston County on Thursday, Feb. 25.

Bernstein, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Attorney General, and Dennis Denno, who is seeking one of two Democratic nominations for Michigan State University board of trustees, both will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday at the monthly meeting of the Livingston County Democratic Party executive committee. The meeting is open to all.

Bernstein, an attorney with the Sam Bernstein Law Firm in Farmington Hills, is chair of the Wayne State University board of governors. His practice focuses on complicated issues of public policy, often fighting for the rights of the underrepresented.

Denno is chief of staff for Michigan Senate Democratic Floor Leader Buzz Thomas, D-Detroit. He has been active in Democratic politics and various Arab-American causes his entire adult life. Denno has a bachelor's degree from Michigan State and is a lifetime member of the Michigan State Alumni Association.

Nominations for Attorney General, Secretary of State, and the university boards will be voted on at the Michigan Democratic Party's August convention. The party, however, will endorse candidates for secretary of state and attorney general at an April 17 endorsement convention. The meeting will take place at the party headquarters, 10321 East Grand River Ave. Suite 600 in the Fonda Office Park, 48116.

Senate Republicans thumb their noses at Michigan consumers

LANSING -- Michigan Senate Republicans continue to stand up for the powerful and thumb their noses at Michigan consumers, but Sen. Buzz Thomas, D-Detroit, called them out on the Senate floor on Wednesday.

The House passed a package of 12-bills last week on Aug. 19 that holds insurance companies accountable who wrongfully deny customer claims. The package of bills were referred to the Senate Committee on Economic Development and Regulatory Reform today, and the chair of the Committee, Sen. Alan Sanborn, R-Richmond, is an extreme right-winger, and he has said publicly he has no intention of even holding a hearing on the bills.

That did not sit well with the Senate Minority Floor Leader.

“I object to those referrals and hope that the Senate would change that referral,” Thomas said. “I do so because the chair of the committee has already indicated, even before those bills were sent over to the Senate, that they would receive absolutely zero consideration or debate. In fact, one news report quoted the chair as saying, ‘Do you want these bills labeled do not resuscitate or dead on arrival when they come to the Senate.’"

The House Insurance Committee took some very emotional testimony as people talked about paying their premiums for years, but the insurance company simply refusing to pay at all or delaying it for years so they can settle for a much lower cost.

“Michigan citizens who routinely and regularly pay their insurance premiums expect, when they file a claim, to be offered an opportunity at some form of benefit, “ Thomas said. “The issue of insurance companies wrongfully denying consumers who have legitimate claims in their time of need deserves a thorough, open discussion in the Michigan Senate.”

The chair of the House insurance Committee, Rep. Barb Byrum, D-Onondaga, was targeted with robo calls, and she and Democratic members of the committee were subjected to attack radio ads by a group called the “Coalition to Insure Michigan's Future.” Sanborn even showed up at the House committee hearings to assure the insurance industry that they had nothing to fear as they continue to reap record profits.

“If the chair of the committee is so confident in his position that he is willing to attend a House hearing and declare this effort over before it's even begun, he should have the courage to hold the hearings and take a vote,“ Thomas said. “If he truly believes his own rhetoric and reasoning, debate your position and let us move on to a vote.”

Senate Republicans have routinely given insurance companies every protection possible at the expense of consumers. In fact, 46 other states have enacted similar protections proposed for consumers that have been bankrupted by profiteering insurance companies who put profits above people.

“If the majority expects anyone to take them seriously when they claim to care about the economic struggles of Michigan families, they will refer these bills to a committee willing to consider them, since again, regretfully, the chair of the committee now with jurisdiction is apparently unwilling to hear from those who have been wronged,” Thomas said.

Michigan insurance companies have also been allowed to legally discriminate against Detroit drivers and other urban drivers for years in the form of Redlining. Detroit consumers pay an average of more than $5,000 a year for auto insurance, the highest rate in the nation. Michigan consumers pay among the highest insurance rates in the nation.

But Senate Republicans refuse to allow the redlining bills to move. Sen. Martha G. Scott, D-Highlander Park, is the sponsor of the anti-redlining bills, and a rally is planned for September 30 on the Capitol lawn to fight the practice of redlining and the high cost of auto insurance.

A pair of Senate Republicans display a rare but brief show of independence

LANSING – Senate Republican’s lock-step discipline faltered a little on Tuesday with the passage of House Bill 4438 that sets the budget for higher education, and two members actually showed a brief flash of independence.

The budget basically guts financial aid for students and eliminates the $4.000 Promise Scholarship. The program promises up to $4,000 to high school graduates for successfully completing two years of postsecondary education.

The Senate Republicans have continued their draconian budget cuts as they prepare for their two-week vacation that begins Thursday; knowing the House will bail them out. The devastating cuts to the higher education budget come at a time when Michigan is trying to diversify its economy and counter the jobs because of the state’s largest employer – the Big 3 – losing market share.

“We must keep our promise of granting Michigan citizens access to an affordable college education,” said Sen. Liz Brater, D-Ann Arbor. “With our traditional manufacturing job base shrinking and our unemployment rate continuing to rise, our kids need a college education now more than ever to qualify for the jobs of the 21st Century. This is an extremely shortsighted decision that sets our students and our state back even further.”

Senate Democrats tried to fight off the deep and damaging cuts, but all the amendments they introduced lost along party lines. But Democrats got some surprising support when fiscally conservative Sen. Nancy Cassis, R-Novi, the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, introduced an amendment that cut the $4,000 scholarship to $2,000.

When it looked like it would pass, Majority Floor Leader Alan Cropsey, R-DeWitt, moved the amendment be passed temporarily, and a closed door caucus was immediately called to take Cassis to the woodshed and get her back in line. When the Senate reconvened, Cassis lost her brief flirtation with independence and she dropped the amendment and introduced one that left the now Broken Promise Grant line-item with a $100 placeholder that was approved.

Sen. Buzz Thomas, D-Detroit, then introduced the same amendment as Cassis had to restore half of the money for the Promise Scholarship, but it failed along party lines.

HB 4438 received just enough votes to pass, and it was approved almost along party lines with a vote of 19-17. Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland, the chair of the Senate Education Committee, joined the Democrats in voting no on the budget.

Senate Republicans put office budgets ahead of public safety

LANSING – Senate Republicans had an opportunity to save some the jobs of some of the 80 Michigan state Troopers who will be laid off because of an Executive Order approved by the Senate and House Appropriations Committees earlier this week that cut $350 million front the current state budget that only has five months left, but they chose to keep the extra $3.5 million for themselves.

The Democrats tried to discharge Senate Resolution 15, sponsored by Sen. Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing, from committee for a second time Thursday, but it was again defeated along party lines, 21-16. The resolution would set the office budgets the same for both Republicans and Democrats. Under the current situation, GOP Senate offices have five full-time staffers, but Democrats only have three. Over in the Democratic controlled House, each office has the same amount of staffers; two in each office, regardless of party. The money saved would go to the State Police Budget.

“Certainly, you Republicans can serve and operate your office budgets on the same amount in which we Democrats serve our constituents,” Whitmer said. “These are challenging times, and the Senate should show some leadership and step up on behalf of public safety in the state of Michigan.”

Why are constituents who live in the 21 Michigan Senate Districts represented by Republicans deserve better service than the 16 – currently – districts represented by Democrats? That was the simple question asked by Senate Minority Leader Buzz Thomas, D-Detroit.

“I see no reason why the Senator from Kentwood should have more money to represent his constituents as the Senator from the City of Detroit,” Thomas said. “That just doesn’t make sense. Are my constituents any different? I don’t think so.”

Senate Majority Floor Leader Alan Cropsey, R-DeWitt, by far the most bombastic and partisan lawmaker in Lansing, made the claim that the GOP needed the two extra employers because the GOP is in the majority, and they are committee chairs. He never explained why the Democrats who control the House have the same amount of staffers as the minority Republicans. Even if the disparity was three staffers to four instead of five, there would be enough money to keep at least 21 troopers.

He then tried the ridiculous tack that the House Democrats have bigger office budgets, and that the Senate Democrats – and Whitmer - should also go to Washington, D.C. and tell them what to do.

“Well, I would suggest that maybe she walk across the rotunda and tell the Speaker of the House to equalize everyone’s budget over there,” Cropsey said. “I would suggest that maybe she go to Washington, D.C., where the Democrats have total dictatorial powers and suggest to them that maybe they ought to start playing fair and not do partisanship.”

But Thomas pointed out that even if the budgets in the House were equal like they were in 2006 when Democrats took control of the House, it would only saved $200,000 instead of $3.5 million.

“Well, the House already has acted, and the disparity that exists there is about $200,000 for 110 members, and out of our 37 members, $3.5 million,” Thomas said. “That, to me, sounds outrageous. It sounds like crocodile tears being cried on the other side.”

That was a view held by the Michigan State Troopers Association (MSPTA).

"The Troopers Association has tremendous concerns regarding the effect these layoffs will have on all of public safety," said MSPTA Vice President Christopher Luty, according to subscription only MIRS. "We appreciate that our lawmakers are willing to consider any measure that will keep our troopers working."

To avoid further embarrassment, the Senate Republicans used their majority to push a measure that will not allow the Resolution to be taken up until Dec. 31. It will remain in the Committee on Government Operations and Reform, where bills go to die because it rarely meets.

The executive order approved Tuesday was the result of the Governor working with the legislative leaders in the House and Senate. The cuts include across the board cuts to every state department of at least 4 percent, cutting more than 200 state jobs, requiring at least six unpaid furlough days by state workers and cuts to local governments of more than $41 million.

Prusi chosen as the new Senate Minority Leader

LANSING – The Senate Democratic Caucus chose Sen. Mike Prusi, D-Ishpeming, as the new Senate Minority Leader today to replace Sen. Mark Schauer, who was elected to U.S. Congress from the 7th District on Nov. 4.

The caucus went behind closed doors this morning before session after days of lobbying, and Prusi and Democratic Floor Leader Sen. Buzz Thomas, D-Detroit, emerged as the leading two candidates. Following session, Schauer announced Prusi was chosen as the new leader and Thomas will keep his position.

"The most pressing item on my agenda is to address what is currently going on in Michigan," Prusi said. "We need to find common ground to address the problems facing Michigan."

Prusi currently serves as the Democratic Vice-Chair for the Senate Finance Committee. He is in his second and final term in the Senate, and he served three terms in the Michigan House of Representatives before being elected to the Senate.

"Senator Prusi has been at the forefront of the most pressing issues facing our state, including energy policy and the state budget," Schauer said. "These experiences will serve him well, and I am confident he will excel in his new role as Caucus Leader. We will work closely to ensure a smooth, productive transition."

Only four of the 17 Democratic Senators will be returning in 2010, and some people thought one of the returning Senators would be more motivated to help win a Democratic majority in the Senate in 2010. But apparently experience won out.

Hathaway set to unseat the leader of the Republican majority of activist judges known as the ‘Gang of Four’

LANSING -- Democrats at the Michigan Democratic State Convention Saturday demonstrated democracy in action when they chose Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Diane Marie Hathaway as their Supreme Court nominee in a close floor vote.

Hathaway just edged out fellow Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Debra Thomas by some 200 votes, and she earned the right to run against incumbent Cliff Taylor. He leads the Republican majority of activist judges known as the “Gang of Four.” Groups like the Michigan Justice Caucus have made it a major goal to unseat Taylor

“It’s time to make a change on the Supreme Court,” said Sen. Buzz Thomas, the co-chair of the convention. “The future of our children and a free society depends on it.”

Despite the close defeat and the effort Thomas put into the race already, she was quick to endorse Hathaway.

“We both believe in fairness and justice,” she told the convention delegates. “Cliff Taylor has to go.”

Under Taylor’s leadership, the court has gutted consumer protection laws, watered down environmental protection laws and weakened individual rights. The doors of justice have been slammed shut in the face of ordinary citizens and swung wide open for insurance companies and corporations. No individual has won a case against an insurance company in more than a decade.

In May the University of Chicago Law School released a study that rated the Michigan Supreme Court dead last in effectiveness under Taylor’s leadership. The study cited a lack of judicial independence as the report’s most glaring finding, and it said the Court seems to be especially supportive of businesses.

Michigan Lawyers Weekly began an online poll shortly after Hathaway announced her intention to run, and lawyers of all stripes chose Hathaway overwhelmingly 91 to 9 percent.

“He is against everything Michigan stands for, except insurance companies,” Hathaway said. “If you see justice in the name, he really belongs in the hall of shame.”

It’s difficult to unseat an incumbent justice, and it has been estimated the Justice title can be worth up to a 30 percent edge in the vote. Taylor has been on the state Supreme Court since 1997, but he was appointed by Gov. John Engler to fill a vacant seat. He used that title to be elected in 1998.

Hathaway pointed out one of Taylor’s many conflicts of interest. His wife, Lucille Taylor, was Engler's legal counsel. She still does work for Republican Attorney General Mike Cox.

“Cliff Taylor is a walking conflict of interest, and he has got to go,” Hathaway said.

Hathaway grew up in Detroit as the daughter of a 30-year Detroit police officer. She was a Macomb County Assistant Prosecutor for six years, and she has been a circuit court judge since 1993.

Supreme Court races are on the nonpartisan part of the ballot, and many people do not continue on to that part of the ballot., In fact, it’s estimated there is a 37 percent drop off on that part of the ballot.

“You have not voted all the way, until you have voted Hathaway,” she said.