Salon.com > Rick Snyder

Michigan, Virginia pass backdoor abortion restrictions

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 22:44:00 +0000

On the Friday before the long holiday weekend, the Republican governors of Michigan and Virginia snuck in a little New Year's surprise for the women of their states, quietly signing abortion legislation that helped make 2012 the second most restrictive year for reproductive rights.

In Michigan, Rick Snyder signed a bill passed by the lame-duck Senate -- the same one whose anti-union legislating dominated headlines in recent weeks -- requiring clinics that perform more than 120 abortions a year to become surgical outpatient facilities, a level of licensing intended to be onerous and put clinics out of business. He also approved a bill that purports to screen for women being coerced into abortions.

Snyder did veto another bill limiting insurance coverage in private employee plans, which would have required purchase of a separate abortion rider. He objected to that on the grounds that rape victims would have to pay out of pocket if they didn't buy the rider, and because, "As a practical matter, I believe this type of policy is an overreach of government into the private market." Overreach of government into other realms, of course, is another matter entirely. (According to Michigan resident Emily Magner, one legislator interrupted her to cry, "THIS ISN’T ABOUT WOMEN! THIS IS ABOUT PROTECTING FETUSES!”)

Rick Snyder vetoes bill allowing guns in Michigan schools

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 20:53:00 +0000

Update (Dec. 18, 5:08 p.m): The Detroit Free Press reports that Snyder has officially vetoed the bill to allow guns on school property, writing in a veto letter to the state legislature: “I believe that it is important that these public institutions have clear legal authority to ban weapons from their premises. Each is entrusted with the care of a vulnerable population and should have the authority to determine whether its mission would be enhanced by the addition of concealed weapons.”

From earlier:

Gov. Rick Snyder, R-Mich., will reportedly veto a bill that would have allowed firearms to be brought into schools and other “gun-free zones," according to the bill's sponsor.

The bill was introduced by state Sen. Mike Green, a Republican, and passed out of the state legislature last Thursday, the night before the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

Michigan Legislature passes harsh abortion restrictions

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 18:13:00 +0000

Fresh off passing a right-to-work law and considering a ban on Shariah, the Michigan state Legislature also passed two harsh new measures to restrict abortions in the state.

From the Detroit Free-Press:

One bill passed the Senate, 27-10, and calls for more stringent licensing of abortion clinics; the other, passed out of the House insurance committee into the full House, would allow health care providers to refuse service based on moral objections, religious reasons or matters of conscience.

Both must be voted on by the full House.

Two bills already on Snyder’s desk would limit abortion coverage on policies sold on a statewide health insurance exchange unless consumers purchase it as an add-on. The exchange is a Web-based marketplace where consumers will be able to buy insurance as health care reform takes full effect in 2014.

“Those three issues were our top issues: conscience, insurance and regulation and reform,” Ed Rivet, a spokesman for Michigan Right to Life, told the Free-Press. “That we’re doing them all simultaneously is pretty remarkable."

Meanwhile, Michigan is also considering a ban on Shariah law

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 17:56:00 +0000

As the protests in Michigan continue over the new right-to-work law, the state Legislature is now considering passing a ban on Shariah law.

The bill, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Dave Agema, would block “foreign laws that would impair constitutional rights” in the state. The Associated Press reports that though the bill "doesn’t specifically mention the Islamic legal code called sharia," its "supporters have said they are concerned about the use of sharia spreading."

From the AP:

It wasn’t immediately clear whether a vote would be taken before the lame-duck session ends. Lawmakers have said they would like to wrap up by Thursday, and they focused Tuesday on giving final approval to divisive right-to-work bills that bar unions from collecting mandatory fees from workers they represent under collective-bargaining agreements.

Agema explained: “They want specific laws applied to their specific groups. They do not want to be under our law." He added that those who are angry about the bill have "ulterior motives."

Michigan unions won’t lie down

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:17:00 +0000

In Michigan, the birthplace of the labor movement, this week’s abrupt passage of a “right-to-work” law incited the largest protest in Lansing’s history: at least 12,500 people, wearing red, chanting, singing, drumming, committing civil disobedience, and otherwise battling to be heard as lawmakers in a lame-duck session overhauled the state’s labor laws without public input or committee meetings. State house Democrats’ attempts to pass amendments that would, for example, put right-to-work up for a public vote or eliminate the $1 million appropriation seemingly designed so that the law withstands the threat of voter referendum, all failed. That $1 million appropriation is supposed to go toward educating workers and union about life under right-to-work, and, in the budget-strained state, it’s not clear what the source of the money will be.

Must-see morning clip: Jon Stewart explains right-to-work

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 14:06:00 +0000

Last night, Jon Stewart explained right-to-work, and why it's actually a lot worse than the name would suggest.

"It's really a 'right-to-work-around-the-union-for-the-corporation,'" he said. "It's one of those things that are actually named for the opposite of the thing they do. Strip bars call themselves 'gentleman's clubs.' They're not. Or the TV network dedicated to making us stupider is called The Learning Channel."

And then he rapped, "8 Mile"-style.

Watch:

Michigan’s right-to-work bill cribs ALEC

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 23:40:00 +0000

The Republican-backed right-to-work bill given final approval Tuesday in Michigan contains language cribbed verbatim from a model anti-union bill created by ALEC, according to a watchdog group.

The American Legislative Exchange Council, of course, is the corporate-backed, conservative-leaning organization that has become a bugaboo for liberals by pushing legislation to do everything from roll back environmental regulation to weaken gun control laws, as brought to the fore this year by the murder of Trayvon Martin. ALEC, like lots of groups that work in state capitols, creates “model legislation” that friendly lawmakers can introduce in whole or as a basis for their own bills.

Both Michigan’s HB 4003, which affects public sector unions, and HB 4054, which affects private sector unions, appears to pull language directly from ALEC’s model right-to-work bill. The Center for Media and Democracy, a liberal watchdog group which has been working for years to expose ALEC’s activities, created these chart comparing the language:

Right-to-work doesn’t work

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 21:40:00 +0000

Michigan lawmakers gave final approval today to a so-called right-to-work law, which bans unions from charging mandatory dues, arguing that it will be a boon for the state’s economy. “This is to move Michigan forward. It’s about more and better jobs, and it’s about worker choice,” Republican Gov. Rick Snyder told MSNBC this afternoon.

Right-to-work laws are already in place in 22 states, so do they actually create more and better jobs? We asked some experts to find out and the answer is, well, complicated.

Lonnie Stevans, a professor at Hofstra University who used quantitative models to study the issue, is not bullish on the laws. “Although right-to-work states may be more attractive to business, this would not necessarily translate into enhanced economic verve in the right-to-work state if there is little ‘trickle-down’ from business owners to the non-unionized workers," he told Salon.

Labor rights in Michigan blindsided by GOP

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 17:19:00 +0000

Last night Republican legislators backed by the Koch brothers delivered a harsh blow to the union heartland of Michigan. Right-to-work legislation was pushed through both the state House and Senate by Republican majorities, while powerless and furious protesters looked on.

It was a sneak move -- GOP lawmakers only announced Thursday morning that they intended to enact the so-called right-to-work bill (aptly described by its opponents as the "no-rights-at-work" bill). Right-to-work laws ban requirements to pay dues or fees to a union as a condition of employment -- studies have consistently shown that states with right-to-work laws have lower wages for union and non-union workers.

As a study by Elise Gould and Heidi Shierholz of the Economic Policy Institute found:

[O]ur findings -- that "right-to-work" laws are associated with significantly lower wages and reduced chances of receiving employer-sponsored health insurance and pensions -- are based on the most rigorous statistical analysis currently possible. These findings should discourage right-to-work policy initiatives. The fact is, while RTW legislation misleadingly sounds like a positive change in this weak economy, in reality the opportunity it gives workers is only that to work for lower wages and fewer benefits.

When Republicans warm to outspending Obama

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- As winter approaches in this prosperous-looking northern Michigan city, it is clear the safety net has ripped. Thousands of households can't afford to heat their homes and aid agencies predict many people will be forced to choose between eating and staying warm. Yet there are signs Republicans in Washington may be listening.

First, the bad news. The Obama administration, under pressure from Republicans to cut spending, has proposed a 50 percent cut to the main federal program that helps people keep their heat on. The latest White House budget, issued in February, proposed slashing funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, from $5.1 billion to $2.57 billion, a move that would bring the program's funding back to its 2008 level.

The program got a big budget increase under the president's stimulus program, which Obama now says needs to be scaled back.

"We doubled the home heating assistance program when I first came into office in part because there was a huge energy spike," Obama said at a press conference announcing the cuts last February. "Energy prices have now gone down but the cost of the program has stayed the same. So what we've said is let's go back to a more sustainable level."