LIFE IN THE FAST LANE

Michigan Dems Take Page Out of GOP Book, Pass Flurry of Progressive Bills

The slew of progressive legislation was made possible after Democrats wrested full control of the state government for the first time in 40 years.

It was a busy day in Lansing on Wednesday, with Michigan’s Democrat-dominated Legislature moving at lightning speed to pass a slew of progressive bills, often over Republican cries of dismay. Among the approved legislation were a bill to codify protections against discrimination for LGBTQ+ Michiganders into civil rights law, a bill that would implement universal background checks for firearm purchases, and two labor bills. One of the labor measures would repeal the state’s “right-to-work” law, which prohibits unions from requiring that non-union employees pay dues even if the union bargains on their behalf, while the other requires state contractors to pay workers at union-commensurate rates. The liberal avalanche comes after Democrats were able to take full control of Michigan’s state government for the first time in 40 years. “I didn’t realize how valuable the time we have here is,” Joe Tate, the speaker of the House, told The New York Times in between passing bills. “There’s only a finite amount of time for us to get things done.”