With just a few days left in the 2013 legislative session, the Michigan House is working its way through a cluster of controversial proposals. One package of bills calls for significant education reforms, including a plan to hold back Michigan third graders who aren’t reading at that level. Another would impose a letter grading system on school districts statewide. Another addresses the regulation of so-called “issue ads.”The bills are before the House Education AND Ethics and Elections committees. Republican state representative Lisa Posthumus Lyons chairs both panels.
Posthumus Lyons says Secretary of State Ruth Johnson's desire to force disclosure of the names of political donors tramples on free speech and poses a safety risk.