Nothing lame about this legislative session, frenzy continues

By Tim Skubick
Fox 2 News

LANSING, Mich. (WJBK) -- The lame duck session is winding down, but lawmakers have a long agenda of unfinished business.  That includes a business tax cut, a new home for the Detroit Red Wings and guns in schools and churches.

A relaxed Governor Rick Snyder ate a hot dog from the vendor who got clobbered in the melee on the Capitol lawn earlier this week.

Meanwhile in the legislature, his top priority was a business tax cut for Detroit automakers and other major manufacturers.  Local governments will lose revenue if the tax is repealed a lobbyist wants a guarantee they'll get the money back, but the plan on the table doesn't get there.

"That's not a guarantee," said Samantha Harkins from the Michigan Municipal League.  "We've said all along that we need full and guaranteed replacement, and that's what we're looking for."

Republican Sen. Mike Green wants to legalize concealed weapons in churches, schools, sports arenas and daycare centers over the objections of all those groups.

"There are illegal guns everywhere and people like to use them and no one has the ability to defend themselves," he said.

"So this will deter crime?" I asked him.

"I think it will," he answered.

Urban lawmakers are rejecting the governor's call for a new emergency manager law.  What they want instead is more money, but the Senate Republican leader argues even if he had the money he would not send it.

"Not until we fix the structure first.  You can't just bail people out and say we're going to continue to make bad promises," said Senator Randy Richardville.

The Mike Ilitch family wants legislation to build a new home for the Red Wings, but because Democrats are angry with the Republicans on the way they jammed through right-to-work legislation, they are threatening to withhold any yes votes.  The governor is not impressed with that.

"That's one the issues I think is really unfortunate.  That's one of the reflections about a broken political culture because shouldn't we focus on the customer?" he said.

The vote was taken in the Michigan House and the Ilitch proposal did pass with two Democratic votes and three other conservative Democrats who hooked up with Republicans to send it to the governor for signing.

Question and Answer

HUEL PERKINS: Some people are still amazed at Governor Rick Snyder, who ran as a moderate but is now apparently something else.  Is he going to sign all these bills tonight?

SKUBICK: He's on board with most of them.  He got what he wanted on Tuesday on right-to-work.  He's on board with the abortion issue, which is still pending in the House.  They have not voted on that yet.  He obviously wants the EM.  He obviously wants the Ilitch family to get that money from the state, and so he's getting his Christmas early this year.