New Michigan Laws Aim to Increase Transparency in Earmark Requests
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently signed new laws that aim to regulate how lawmakers can request earmarks, also known as pork-barrel spending. These laws come in response to the historically secretive process of allocating hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to specific districts or projects at the behest of individual lawmakers.
Concerns over corruption and lack of transparency in the earmarking process have prompted these changes, with hopes that the new laws will bring more openness to budget-making in Lansing. To delve deeper into the implications of these laws, Simon Schuster from Bridge Michigan joins the discussion on It’s Just Politics.
Michigan Republicans Call for Federal Oversight of 2026 Elections
Meanwhile, a group of nearly two dozen Michigan Republican lawmakers has requested federal oversight of the state’s 2026 elections. The lawmakers, from both the state House and Senate, have raised concerns about the impartiality of Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who will be overseeing the elections while running for governor herself.
However, it is important to note that secretaries of state overseeing elections in which they are candidates is not uncommon. Elections in Michigan are primarily administered locally, with numerous checks and balances in place to ensure fairness and accuracy. Ottawa County Clerk Justin Roebuck sheds light on the intricacies of election oversight in the state amidst the call for federal intervention.
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