LANSING -- When the 96th Michigan Legislature convenes next January, it will be run entirely by Republican majorities both in the state House of Representatives and Senate. This is combined with a new Republican chief executive, making it fairly easy (at least in theory) for Governor-elect Rick Snyder’s agenda to be passed.
Republicans picked up four seats from Democrats in the Senate, giving them a super-majority of 26 seats, with Democrats now holding 12.
“Never in a million years did I dream we’d pick up 20 seats in one day,” said Republican State Representative Ken Horn of Frankenmuth, regarding his party’s takeover of the House after Tuesday’s election. Republicans will now have 68 of 110 seats there.
Now comes the setting of legislative priorities.
“There's going to be some welfare reform. There's going to be a lot of corporate reform in terms of business tax credits. We need to reign in some of the film tax credits,” Horn said.
He said the Democrats in the minority caucuses will have their ideas heard as well, but with one caveat. “The question is what will the governor sign."
State Senator Roger Kahn (R-Saginaw Township) said agenda setting “is going to deal with reconciling the amount of revenues we have available with the values that our people have and the services they deserve.”
Kahn will likely continue his interest in community/mental health committee work in the next legislature as Horn aspires to more energy-based policy assignments.
