Ballot Issues

A hike in voter registration may cause a hike in voter turn out

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Eli Pales life right now is full of plenty of coffee and lots of work. “In previous years we just haven’ t had the people in place that cared enough about voter turn out,” said Pales. 

Historically voter turn out in midterm election is low, but this time we are seeing changes said Pales. “We’ve gotten tons and tons of people registered. I’m hearing from the clerk that our voter reg numbers are gonna be on par with the 2016 general  election and that’s just absolutely insane,” he said. In fact, Pales says voter registration will end up six times higher than the last midterms.

From on-campus to off-campus, Lansing City clerk, Chris Swope, will have his hands full these next few weeks.

Elections & Politics

Private police bill looms over lame duck session

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LANSING — Companies would be able to create their own private police forces if a bill stalled in committee is somehow resurrected and passed during this year’s post-election lame-duck session.

“Under this law, the KKK would be able to create their own private police force,” said Robert Stevenson, executive director of the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police. But supporters say that the law would allow for private police to serve as additional police on the street and give more security options to business groups. The Enhanced Security and Public Safety Act would allow privately funded police forces. The bill, introduced in 2017, is in the Senate Government Operations Committee.

Capital News Service

New state fund aids veterans programs but not all counties will apply

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County veteran services are poised to get an additional $2 million this year that could lead to more counties opening offices and counties with offices expanding their services. The new County Veteran Service Fund will give at least $25,000 to each county that fund veteran service programs or open new offices and that apply. But some counties have suggested that the paperwork is too demanding.

News

Michigan lawmakers look to make schools safer with legislation

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Over the past few months, Michigan lawmakers have been hard at work, even across the aisle, in an effort to make schools safer. In early June, a package containing seven bills focusing on school safety was passed in the Senate.  The bills target a wide range of topics, including inspecting new school buildings or renovations to existing buildings, developing emergency operations plans for every school and increasing funding to school resource officers and mental health counselors. Senate Bill 983, which was passed June 7, would require school districts to work with law enforcement to conduct a review of the school’s emergency operations plan.  Each school would have its own plan should a potentially dangerous event occur, including threats of school violence and attacks, bomb threats, fires, intruders and several others.

Article

Alternative to opioids: Mail-in synthetics

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As Michigan’s war on opioids rages along, legislation has passed in order to protect citizens from an unregulated alternative — imported synthetic opioids. U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop, R-Mich., is a sponsor of the recently passed Synthetic Trafficking and Opioid Prevention (STOP) Act of 2018 which aims to alleviate this once unseen problem. “We didn’t know about this before; now that we do know, we have the opportunity to stop it,” Bishop said. Bishop noted that these synthetic versions of opioids are not regulated and, in many cases, are much more potent than street drugs or even the hardest of prescribed painkillers. “The synthetic opioids out there are up to 500 times more powerful than regular doses of heroin,” said Bishop.