On all bankrupt cities, counties, towns and locals,
fire employees, boards and officials as well as break all contracts so as to
return these to financial solvency
This too is excellent news that should make hearts rejoice.
Under the
legislation, the
The measure passed in the state Senate this week; the House passed its own
version earlier. The two versions of the bill are expected to be reconciled
next week, and Republican Gov. Rick Snyder has said he will sign the bill the
bill into law.
Democrats and their allies are decrying the legislation as a power grab and
say it's part of a wider effort taking place in
several states, such as
Wisconsin, to weaken labor unions.
"It takes every decision in a city or school district and puts it in
the hands of the manager, from when the streets get plowed to who plows them
and how much they are paid," said
Mark Gaffney, president of the Michigan State AFL-CIO. "This is a takeover
by the right wing and it's an assault on democracy like I've never seen."
U.S. Rep. John Conyers, a Democrat who represents
He said the legislation raises "serious constitutional concerns."
On top of that, he said, allowing an "emergency manager" to dissolve
locally elected bodies "implicitly targets minority communities that are
disproportionately impacted by the economic downturn, without providing
meaningful support for improved economic opportunity."
Republican state Sen. Jack Brandenburg said several urban areas of the
state, especially
The emergency manager, he said, "has to have the backbone, he has to
have the power, to null and void a contract." In response to concerns that
local leaders will have to cede control,
An emergency manager would only be put in place if several other steps to
save a city's finances failed, and Snyder has said in recent weeks that
removing elected officials or breaking contracts would be a last resort for an
emergency manager. In addition, the legislature would have the power to remove
an emergency manager.
As the "emergency manager" bill nears final passage, state
lawmakers are also considering Snyder's proposed budget, which would cut
spending on schools, universities, prisons and communities, according
to the Detroit Free Press.
Snyder has also proposed eliminating $1.7 billion in tax breaks for
individuals while cutting $1.8 billion in taxes for businesses to spur job growth.
Much of the $1.7 billion in new tax revenue would be "coming from
retirees, senior citizens and the working poor," the Free Press wrote in
an editorial.