Michigan Policy Wonk

Policy 

• Roll Call: Review of healthcare policy bills in Michigan Legislature – State Rep. Brenda Carter, a Michigan Political Leadership Program alum, introduced legislation requiring community colleges to be available as coronavirus “surge” care facilities. 
• Michigan back-to-school compromise resolves some questions, but funding remains murky – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to sign a package of bills that determine how funding will be allocated to schools as reopening measures are uncertain. State Rep. Lori Stone, a Michigan Political Leadership Program alum, favored the legislation. 
• MSU Researchers Say Racial Wage Gap Narrrows in the South, Widens in the North – Charles Ballard, economics professor and director of IPPSR’s State of the State Survey, says the wage gap has narrowed in southern states partly because restrictive Jim Crow laws have been lifted. Racial attitudes have been at issue during the pandemic.

Problems

• Senate Holds Saturday Session to Pass Return to Learn Bills – Wayne Schmidt, a Michigan Political Leadership Program alum, stays that many schools have funding worries since President Donald Trump said that schools offering only online learning could lose federal financing. Schools have moved to online learning during the pandemic.
• Michigan farmers file civil rights suit against MDHHS – A northern Michigan farmer is taking the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to court for requiring Covid-19 testing of migrant workers. Isaiah Wunsch, a Michigan Political Leadership Program alum and owner of Wunsch Farms, said it is his responsibility to ensure the safety of his workers. 
• Accountability for Dearborn to meet with local officials about institutional racism – A group of Dearborn residents are working toward addressing institutional racism. Erin Byrnes, Dearborn Councilmember and a Michigan Political Leadership Program alum, is the first local official to agree to a meeting to discuss this issue. 

Politics

• Biden-Harris: A Predictable Pairing – Larry Sabato, key speaker at this year’s Michigan Political Leadership Program annual fundraiser, discusses the Democratic candidate for this year’s presidential elections as part of current response to the pandemic. 
• VP pick Kamala Harris, an AKA and HBCU grad, connects with Black community on many levels – Charity Dean, a Michigan Political Leadership Program alum, said that she feels connected to Kamala Harris as a fellow black woman who is also a lawyer. The pandemic was mentioned as a part of the story about Black women as a force in the 2020 presidential election.
• New Esky DDA head adjusting to role – Scott Czasak recently assumed a role as director of Escanaba Downtown Development Authority and says COVID-19 has presented some complications to economic development plans. Czasak is a Michigan Political Leadership Program alum.