Honigman Capitol Report

Governor's Office

MDE Report Suggests more Input from Governor

The University of Michigan Youth Policy Lab, commissioned by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), released a report suggesting that the governor should have a more significant role in shaping K-12 education policy and the composition of the Michigan Board of Education. The report, which took a year to complete, provided extensive recommendations on restructuring education governance in Michigan, though the head of the MDE did not fully support all the findings. The report proposed that Michigan should transition to a system where the governor has more authority, while maintaining safeguards to prevent partisan politics from affecting educational outcomes. It recommended restructuring the State Board of Education to include members appointed by the governor and giving the governor more control over selecting the state superintendent. The State Board of Education is currently searching for a new State Superintendent following Michael Rice's retirement announcement. Rice agreed with some report findings but disagreed with others, particularly the recommendation to restructure the board and reduce its autonomy in selecting the state superintendent. The report also suggested increasing staff at the MDE to enhance guidance and support for local and intermediate school districts.  Rice concurred with this recommendation, noting that the lack of MDE staff was hindering their support capabilities, despite their significant impact. Additional recommendations included empowering Intermediate School Districts (ISDs) to mediate between local districts and the MDE, encouraging districts to share services for cost savings, creating a statewide funding mechanism for Career Technical Education, improving student math and reading scores through state-level policy, and making transportation funding a permanent budget item. State Board of Education President Pamela Pugh criticized the report for prioritizing opinion over data and undermining Michigan's constitutional safeguards, asserting that governors already have a voice in the process. The full report can be found here.

Committee News

House Oversight Committee Issues 5 Subpoenas 

The House Oversight Committee, chaired by Jay DeBoyer, issued subpoenas to the Department of Attorney General and other entities concerning several issues. The first subpoena targets the Department of Attorney General regarding its decision not to prosecute Bipartisan Solutions, a 501c4 organization, for contributing over $700,000 to a 2020 ballot proposal without disclosing donors. This subpoena seeks internal communications related to a criminal referral made on April 18, 2023, and any communications involving potential conflicts of interest. A second subpoena involves potential criminal activity by Traci Kornak, a former Michigan Democratic Party treasurer, requesting complaints and communications with Attorney General Dana Nessel and her staff. Both subpoenas have a compliance deadline of 4 p.m. on August 5, 2025. Additionally, two subpoenas were issued to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) concerning the enforcement of the 2010 Invasive Species Order, specifically regarding feral swine. These subpoenas request financial records, genetic testing documentation, and internal communications related to enforcement actions. Another subpoena to the DNR pertains to the euthanasia program for Canada geese, seeking communications and financial records from January 1, 2020, onwards. These subpoenas also have a deadline of 4 p.m. on August 5, 2025. Lastly, a subpoena was issued to Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel, requesting her appearance before the committee on September 9, 2025, due to unsatisfactory responses from the department regarding eligibility verification for assistance programs. Despite Hertel's willingness to testify, scheduling conflicts led to the issuance of the subpoena. DeBoyer signed all five subpoenas after the committee adjourned, and the legal team was tasked with presenting them.

Election News

18 Democrats running for Senate Seats

Since Fall 2023, eighteen Democrats have filed active campaign finance committees to run for open state Senate seats or to challenge Republican incumbents, while Republicans have only six candidates, despite more than half of the Senate Republicans' caucus leaving due to term limits. Several Democratic senators, including Erika Geiss, Stephanie Chang, Jeremy Moss, Paul Wojno, Jeff Irwin, Sean McCann, and Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, are leaving after 2026 due to term limits, and there is a rumor that Sen. Rosemary Bayer may also leave. Under the 2022 term limit reform, legislators can serve 12 years total in the Capitol, regardless of chamber. There is confusion about whether Sen. Sylvia Santana can seek another term, as she will have served 10 years by the end of 2026, and three Democrats have filed to run in her district. No Republican candidates have filed to replace outgoing Republican senators, but competitive primaries are forming to replace term-limited Sen. Roger Victory and Sen. Rick Outman. In other election news, Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for Attorney General, promising experienced, conservative leadership and criticizing Democrats as politically motivated. Lloyd has three decades of prosecutorial experience and has led the Economic Crimes Unit to recover over $9 million for area businesses. Lloyd is the second Republican to announce for attorney general in 2026, following Birmingham attorney Kevin Kijewski.

On Point

Client Alert: NLRB Updates Its Approach to Settlements and Litigation 

Looking Ahead

The first quarter fundraising deadline and the subsequent campaign finance reports for gubernatorial candidates are in. Leading the back was Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson followed closely by Independent candidate and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. Republican Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt came in third of overall fundraising according to the publicly available reports. This first quarter was the proving ground for candidates heading into the end of the year when annual reports will be due. Typically reporters for the end of the year reflect weaker numbers due to holidays cutting the ability to raise massive sums of money by several weeks due to end of year holidays.

Strong numbers in the first quarter are not always barometers for overall success of races for instance in the same reporting period in 2017 Shri Thanedar had raised $3,260,100 and had $3,178,542.80 versus the ultimate winner of the primary and general election Gretchen Whitmer who had raised $1,531,676.76 and had $1,140,007.90 cash on hand.

• Jocelyn Benson: $3,536,957.59 raised $2,420,010.18 cash on hand (COH)
• Mike Duggan: $3,201,246.21 raised $2,319,269.45 COH
• Aric Nesbitt: $2,298,914.05 raised $1,946,606.31 COH
• John James: $2,272,726.53 raised $1,857,553.50 COH
• Mike Cox: $1,384,361.55 raised $1,894,368.82 COH
• Chris Swanson: $1,064,309.41 raised $468,329.07 COH
• Garlin Gilchrist: $768,291.25 raised $312,194.48 COH
• Tom Leonard: $646,317.83 raised $609,147.67 COH