
General Updates |
Communications Filming a video with MCLF client Jim Shake on Tuesday. Events National School Choice Week will be on January 29th. Executive Joe will be in Chicago this week for meetings with donors. Mike will be traveling to Lansing on Tuesday for his weekly update meeting and he will be on vacation on Friday, January 31st. The week of February 3rd, Mike has meetings in Lansing on Monday and then Dallas with SPN Tuesday – Thursday Operations New policy wall display is up and receiving a lot of nice feedback. Stay tuned for more policy and Impact displays to go up in the buildingSummer intern job applicants are starting to trickle in. Christine will be going to Hillsdale on 2/11 to meet with interested students and promoting who we are and what we doCoke delivery will be on Friday, in case you’ve been concerned about the dwindling inventory |
Policy Updates |
Education National School Choice Week! Excited for a student-led celebration, connecting students and school leaders from different types of different educational options with state lawmakers. Environment “Seven Principles of Sound Environmental Policy” is in layoutBeginning slides for Feb. presentation in AZ on “Where is U.S. Energy Policy Headed?”Aaron is working on lists of 50-themed env. policy issues to prep for 50th anniversary of Earth Day (this year). Fiscal LaFaive finishing off op-eds on cigarette smuggling, prevailing wage and alcohol control (in that order). Hosting annual count of proposed expansions/limitations of government in the State of the State Wednesday night in Midland Travels to Lansing on Thursday for corporate welfare-related work. Criminal Justice No updates Research Working on layouts and final edits of three reports that will be released within the next couple weeks:Jarrett’s occupational licensing study. Jason’s 7 environmental principles. Ben’s elementary/middle report card 2nd round of edits on Chris Douglas’ CAFE standards study. I’ll be gone Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week as I’ll be presenting at a conference for the Pelican Institute. Gov. Affairs Last week, we submitted cards of support for the beer self-distribution legislative package in House Regulatory Reform, and the resolution opposing labor peace agreements in state administrative rules in Senate Regulatory Reform Tomorrow, we begin our push for co-sponsors on the economic development accountability and transparency legislative package. The bills will be introduced on Thursday, and read and referred the following Tuesday. Wednesday is Governor Whitmer’s second State of the State address. Last Thursday, Progress Michigan submitted language for a horrible constitutional amendment proposed for this November’s ballot. Among its most noxious provisions: Prohibit lobbyists from giving “anything of value” including food and beverage to public officials and their immediate families. (We can’t feed legislators at I&Is or policy briefings.) Require lobbyists to keep a public record log of lobbying activities and communications. (All policy analysts have to log all communications and interactions with public officials and report them to Jocelyn Benson.) These logs must be retained for at least six years after the reports are filed. “Require an identifier on all public communications which urge the general public to influence public officials.” (We need to see the language to understand what this means for Opportunity Michigan but it’s not going to be good.) They’re expanding the definition of “lobbyable officials” to include university presidents, the highest-ranking employee in the office of each state senator and representative, members of state boards and commissions, heads of principal departments, and executive branch staff exempt from civil service. (We can’t talk to legislative chiefs of staff or the Governor’s office without reporting to Jocelyn Benson.)o Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has both rulemaking and enforcement authority for this amendment. (Unions get exempted, then we get heightened scrutiny.) |