Gretchen Whitmer (left) and Dana Nessel
Gretchen Whitmer (left) and Dana Nessel
Republican lawmakers in Lansing made national news over their attempts through lame-duck legislation to weaken the power of incoming elected Democrats.
The outgoing Republican Gov. Rick Snyder went on a veto spree Friday, rejecting 41 lame-duck bills, including a controversial measure that would have given the GOP-led Legislature greater authority to intervene in legal battles next year as Democrats take over top statewide offices, Jonathan Oosting of The Detroit News reports.
The rejection of the latter bill was praised by Attorney General-elect Dana Nessel and Gov.-elect Gretchen Whitmer.
The controversial proposl was seen as a power play move to limit the authority of Gov.-elect Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General-elect Dana Nessel, and guarantee that the Michigan House or Senate could join any court case challenging the constitutionality or validity of a state law or any action by the Legislature, Oosting writes.
Nessel said she was "grateful" to Snyder for rejecting the bill.
Democratic Gov.-elect Gretchen Whitmer in a statement released late Friday criticized Snyder's approval of the petition drive rules, but said she was pleased to see his veto of the legislative intervention provisions "that were part of the effort to undermine" the authority of the incoming Democratic administration.
