LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – As the clock ticks down to a Republican-led Michigan House, Democratic legislators are pulling out all the stops to leave their mark in the “lame duck” session – and by mark, we’re talking about a legislative marathon that could redefine Michigan’s future. From auto-generated traffic tickets to “re-education” mandates and sweeping corporate subsidies, it looks like Michigan Democrats have adopted a “pass anything we can while we have the chance” approach.

A laundry list of early Christmas presents the Democrats are hoping for.

In an email from the group “Coalition to Rescue Michigan” Michigan News Source received notifications about several pieces of legislation that planned to be on the calendar this week. Some stayed on the calendar and some were taken off but that doesn’t mean that they won’t be rescheduled at a later time.

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The flurry of bills listed reads like a checklist of progressive Democratic policies. Michigan News Source reached out to the press secretary of a House member to try to wade through all of the legislation pointed to by Rescue Michigan. However, there are many moving parts and things are changing at a rapid pace.

Starting out, we have House Bill 4224, which ditches Medicaid’s work requirement for the Healthy Michigan program. This was on the calendar on Tuesday, passed by the House and now goes to the Senate. Next, we have House Bill 4740, a proposal that fast-tracks Medicaid benefits for “pregnant people” and children of illegal immigrants (taken off the calendar for now).

And there’s HB 4928/29/30 which allows school buses to be equipped with stop-arm cameras to capture violations of people who don’t stop at least 20 feet from a school bus displaying flashing red lights (passed by House and Senate but only one of the bills has been enrolled).

There’s also HB 4132 which amends the Michigan Vehicle Code. It focuses on automated speed enforcement systems in work zones (passed the House and Senate but not enrolled).

What is the “Michigan innovation fund?”

In addition to those bills, there is HB 5651-53 which creates a massive new “Michigan innovation fund” i.e. a corporate welfare subsidy program (passed by the House on Wednesday). There’s also a mandated “re-education” of what Rescue Michigan called “thought-criminals” with HB 5400/01 (passed by the House on Wednesday), and a mandate for more insurance coverage of contraceptives with HB 5013, 5435/36 (passed by the House on Wednesday).

Additionally, there’s package of bills, HB 5300/01/02 that would legislate that an “X” designation be allowed on driver’s licenses, IDs and birth certificates without additional documentation. These bills will be on the calendar today. This was a change that was actually already allowed by the Secretary of State in 2021 but wasn’t part of any legislation at the time. Rep. Josh Schriver (R-Oxford) also says about the bills that it will “force government employees to legally lie and come in agreement with those who decide to mutilate themselves beyond repair when issuing driver’s licenses – even if it goes against their conscience” violating Article 1, Section 4 of the Michigan Constitution.

Bail reform (i.e., freeing repeat offenders).

In another bold move, Democratic lawmakers are pushing for sweeping bail reforms to promote equity. House Bills 4655-4661 aim to make cashless bail the new norm, but critics argue that it could turn

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Michigan into a revolving door for repeat offenders. Republicans, pointing to other states’ failed experiments, warn that cashless bail will only endanger communities by allowing suspects with significant criminal histories to walk free. We covered this legislation here recently.

Democrats say cash bail disproportionately impacts communities of color. The State Bar of Michigan agrees and says in their Journal, “these burdens fall disproportionately on communities of color, exacerbating the systemic racism that already plagues our criminal legal system” adding “Black and Latinx defendants are more likely than whites to be held in continued detention because they cannot afford bail.”

The bills were on the calendar of the Michigan House Criminal Justice Committee on Tuesday but were not voted on.

Changes for CPL holders.

Senate Bills 857 & 858 was introduced in May of this year and is another piece of legislation on the Democrat’s lame duck wish list. According to “Great Lakes Gun Rights,” it strips the general exemption from state law that allows CPL holders to carry in the locations listed under 234d – which includes certain premises such as banks, churches, courts, theaters, sports arenas, day care centers, hospitals, and establishments licensed under the Michigan Liquor Control Act.

The group says, “This is as close to an outright carry ban as Democrats can get practically speaking without just blank banning all forms of carry across the state.” The Gun Owners of America also has a warning about the bill here. The bills are scheduled to be heard by the Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety Committee on Thursday.

The House was also slated to vote on their own package of anti-gun bills on Wednesday as reported by the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action. These bills, HB 4127 and HB 4128 expand “gun free zones.” These were passed and enrolled on Wednesday.

Sex ed overhaul.

As reported by Michigan News Source earlier in the week, there is also a Michigan bill that aims to overhaul the state’s sex education, focusing on “bodily autonomy” and inclusive discussions on gender identity, sexual orientation, and abortion. The bill would remove abstinence-only education, expand on gender and sexual identities, and allow access to family planning resources without parental consent.

Critics argue that these changes diminish parental influence, introduce complex topics too early, and eliminate religious perspectives in curriculum oversight. The bill, HB 6068, was introduced on Wednesday and referred to the Committee on Education and Democrats hope to have a committee meeting in early December.

Targeting charter schools.

Michigan Democrats are also pushing a legislative package targeting charter schools, as we reported yesterday, raising concerns among proponents of these schools. State Senator Dayna Polehanki (D- Livonia) is behind Senate Bill 947, which specifically targets National Heritage Academies, a company managing 61 of Michigan’s 286 charter schools.

The bill aims to prevent companies from both managing and leasing buildings to charter schools, complicating access to facilities, which charter schools already struggle to secure due to restrictions on millage and bond sales. Supporters of charter schools argue these bills would harm students without improving educational outcomes, while the Democratic-led State

Board of Education supports the measures, citing a need for financial transparency in charter school management.

Playing with democracy: the National Popular Vote (NPV) Compact.

One of the more controversial package of bills has the Democrats working get Michigan signed up for the National Popular Vote Compact with HB 4156 and HB 4440. Under these bills, Michigan’s electoral votes would go to the candidate who wins the national popular vote. Democrats may claim it’s about “fairness,” but many voters see it as handing Michigan’s influence over to New York and California. This was supposed to be taken up on Wednesday but was taken off the calendar. Sources say that the Democrats don’t have enough votes to push it forward so it’s unknown when or if it will show up on the calendar again.

Michigan State Rep. Graham Filler (R-Duplain Township), the Republican Vice Chair of the House Criminal Justice Committee, spoke on the Steve Gruber Show on Wednesday. In the interview, he highlighted the Democrats’ push for progressive measures including the National Popular Vote, sexual education reforms, and radical bail reforms. Filler criticized the National Popular Vote and expressed skepticism that this proposal will pass, suggesting there may be internal disagreements among Democrats, particularly as Governor Whitmer balances state politics with potential presidential aspirations. In addition to that, he said the Republicans are all united against it.

Filler blasts progressive reforms.

Filler also raised significant concerns about the sexual education reforms, suggesting that progressive Democrats are pushing for curriculum changes that lean towards “radical sexualization.” He implied this legislation is a strategic move by Democrats to capitalize on their current majority, even though he believes such policies may be unpopular with the general public and also harmful to Governor Whitmer’s expected run for the presidency in 2028.

The discussion on bail reform on the Steve Gruber Show had Filler discussing that progressive bail reform policies might endanger public safety by letting potentially dangerous individuals back into communities. He referenced issues in states like California, where he claims lenient policies have led to increases in crime, such as organized shoplifting. Filler advocated for a more balanced approach that considers public safety, urging Michigan legislators to resist national trends that may not suit Michigan’s unique needs. As for bail reform legislation, he thinks there are some Republicans who want to vote for it.

Illegal immigrant supporters are mad.

Meanwhile, the Democrats haven’t kept their pledge to pass the “Drive Safe” legislation that would grant illegal immigrants driver’s licenses in the state. Because of that, hundreds of supporters of the legislation showed up on Tuesday, disrupting a House session to protest, tossing flowers from the gallery that said, “Without licenses there is no vote.”

Last minute power grab.

In order to pass any of the legislation during the lame duck session, 56 votes are needed for the simple majority. The Democrats have 56 seats right now so they all have to show up and they all have to vote.

As these bills zip through the committees and the Michigan House and Senate, many are wondering if the Michigan Democrats are genuinely aiming to make a difference or are they just throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks. With no clear sense of which bills are the real priorities, they’re set to leave Michigan with what many say are policies that look more like political statements than genuine steps toward a better future.