LANSING — Today, Governor Snyder signed into law two Republican proposals to gut citizen-initiated laws to improve economic security for working families. In September, over the objections of Democrats and activists, the Republican-controlled Legislature voted to adopt and therefore keep the minimum wage increase and guaranteed paid sick leave proposals off the November ballot and give themselves the ability to gut the laws during lame duck. Senate Bills 1171 and 1175, signed into law today, dramatically reduced the strong wage and sick leave benefits that Michigan voters enthusiastically supported through the ballot initiative process. In response to today’s bill signing, state Rep. Christine Greig (D-Farmington Hills) issued the following statement:
“With a flick of his lame-duck pen, Gov. Snyder chose to rob the people of Michigan of the strong paycheck and good benefits they deserve. It is shameful that this governor, who is just counting down the days to the end of his tenure, would use this opportunity to hurt the people of Michigan one last time. It is clear, this deliberate action to subvert the will of the people ensures that the governor’s legacy will be one of abject failure.”
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