Another busy week at the state Capitol saw lawmakers delay a vote on a gas tax holiday as Michigan drivers grapple with high fuel prices at the pump. Also in Lansing, advocates for survivors of domestic abuse are urging legislators to act on a proposal to eliminate fees for personal protection orders. Plus, candidates running for secretary of state are looking to set themselves apart as Election Day nears.
These are some of the biggest stories WKAR Capitol Correspondent Colin Jackson has been following. He joined WKAR Morning Edition host Melorie Begay to break it all down. Click on the audio player above to listen.
Interview Transcript:
Melorie Begay: This week at the state Capitol, Michigan senators weighed legislation on a gas tax holiday and a proposal to eliminate fees for restraining orders. Plus, candidates running for Michigan's secretary of state laid out their plans for addressing election security, voter trust and more. These are some of the stories WKAR Capitol Correspondent Colin Jackson has been following. Colin joins me now.
Colin Jackson: Good morning, Melorie.
Begay: So, I want to start with the gas tax holiday. The state Senate decided not to vote on a gas tax holiday, which would have temporarily suspended the 52-cent-per-gallon tax. That's as Michiganders grapple with high prices at the pump due to the war in Iran. Colin, even though this is a bipartisan issue, why was this something senators decided to delay a vote on?
Jackson: That's the thing that makes this interesting. I mean, there are bipartisan issues, and then there are bipartisan talking points. This is an easy talking point. It's low-hanging fruit. We saw Republicans talking about this back in 2022 when gas prices were high.
From a policymaking perspective, a fuel tax holiday would require some budgetary math at a time when the state's budget is already tight. So you're seeing lawmakers on both sides of the aisle talk about it, and I don't want to rule it out. It's possible, but it's going to take some serious negotiation. For the Senate not to take this up, part of that, I think, they might not have the votes, to be honest with you.
Begay: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is calling for a federal gas tax holiday. Why is she hesitant to weigh in on a state proposal?
Jackson: The governor was basically noncommittal, especially when it's unclear whether a state gas tax holiday bill might even make it to her desk. There's a lot of back-and-forth. There's a lot of doubt within legislative leadership about the budget hole this could potentially create. She said they're considering other ways of finding relief for Michiganders. It's unclear what that means, but it's something to watch as well.
Begay: Another bipartisan issue you've been following at the state Capitol is a proposal to remove fees for serving restraining orders, or personal protection orders. Advocates for survivors of domestic abuse have been urging lawmakers to take action. Where does it currently stand?
Jackson: These are bills that have been a priority for lawmakers for a long time. As you mentioned, they're bipartisan bills with support in both chambers: the Republican-controlled House and the Democratic-controlled Senate.
The Senate passed its version of the legislation last year. Last week, the bills gained some momentum when the House substituted its own bills to mirror the Senate's version and sent them back to the Senate.
Now, from what I'm hearing from the bill sponsors, it's really just a matter of figuring out how to split the bills so everybody gets their name on a piece of the law.
Begay: And this week, we also heard from candidates running for Michigan's secretary of state. One of the topics was election security. What did the candidates have to say?
Jackson: This was a relatively tame forum. There wasn't a lot of flame-throwing back and forth. But when it came to election security and trust in elections in general, a lot of the candidates echoed many of the same points. They want better communication with voters.
Republican nominee Anthony Forlini, the Macomb County clerk, talked about serving in that role over the past few years, reviewing processes, making sure procedures are being followed, correcting local clerks when they aren't and being more transparent about the system.
You heard similar language, to an extent, from Democratic nominee Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist. He also talked about election security and restoring faith in elections being a matter of public information and transparency, inviting the public into the process to see how tabulators are tested, to see how counts happen and see behind the scenes on everything.
Begay: I'm curious. This race hasn't gotten as much attention as others, but it's still an important one. Do you think the candidates distinguished themselves enough to get their names out there? And how do they do that with just a few weeks left until Nov. 3?
Jackson: Yeah, I think the candidates are they're both trying to raise their profiles. You saw that last week, when they held separate press conferences on different days. Gilchrist's press conference was campaign-related. Forlini press conference was in his official capacity as Macomb County clerk, so not necessarily campaign-related. But it's trying get their name out there, I think that's the biggest thing.
Typically, in these less marquee races, even though this is a statewide office and the secretary of state has immense power in Michigan. But I think some of these
marquee races can default to the straight ticket voters and whoever they can peel off from their voters. a Candidates then try to peel off support from their opponents. I don't necessarily see this race being any different, especially in a year when local elections seem to be nationalized to a certain extent, and what we vote on at the Michigan level really depends on the national political landscape and how they're responding to what the federal government is doing.
Begay: Colin Jackson is WKAR's Capitol Correspondent. Thanks for being here, Colin.
Jackson: Thanks so much, Melorie.
