Honigman Capitol Report

Governor's Office

Governor’s Line 5 Appeal Declined

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review Michigan’s appeal asserting state sovereign immunity in Enbridge Energy’s federal lawsuit over the Line 5 pipeline. The denial leaves intact lower‑court rulings allowing Enbridge’s case to proceed and reinforces prior findings that Michigan lacks authority to unilaterally shut down the pipeline, as pipeline safety is governed by federal law. The dispute arises from Michigan’s 2020 revocation of Enbridge’s 1953 easement beneath the Straits of Mackinac. Federal courts have since rejected the state’s immunity arguments. Separately, the Supreme Court is considering a related case brought by Attorney General Dana Nessel addressing whether Michigan’s lawsuit should be heard in federal or state court.

Committee News

Hall and Brinks Exchange Critiques after Passing Doctor Interstate Compact

Following legislative action to extend Michigan’s participation in an interstate medical licensure compact for out-of-state physicians, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks and House Speaker Matt Hall publicly exchanged differing views on legislative process and cooperation. Leader Brinks expressed concern that the legislation advanced only as a deadline approached, stating that earlier action could have avoided urgency. She attributed delays to House leadership practices and argued that several pending policy items would typically move more smoothly under normal legislative collaboration. Speaker Hall responded that he was surprised by what he described as negative characterizations of his leadership. He rejected the suggestion that the House creates obstacles to later claim credit for resolving them, stating instead that House Republicans are focused on fewer, more consequential bills rather than passing a high volume of legislation. Both leaders stated that future dealmaking depends largely on House leadership decisions, though they expressed differing levels of optimism about improved cooperation.

Election News

Republicans Endorse AG and SOS Candidates

At the Michigan Republican Party endorsement convention Prosecutor Doug Lloyd and Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini won the party’s endorsements for Attorney General and Secretary of State, respectively. Lloyd defeated Birmingham attorney Kevin Kijewski in the Attorney General contest, receiving 63.2 percent of the delegate vote. Supporters cited Lloyd’s 13-year tenure as Eaton County prosecutor and his electoral record, while some delegates favoring Kijewski pointed to his legal work following the 2020 election. Forlini secured the Secretary of State endorsement with 55.19 percent of the vote in a three-candidate field, surpassing the majority threshold required to avoid additional voting rounds. His opponents were Monica Yatooma and Amanda Love. Forlini’s candidacy has drawn recent attention following his office’s report identifying non‑U.S. citizens in jury and voter database records, which he characterized as part of broader efforts to improve election administration and public confidence.

Looking Ahead

Mayor Mary Sheffield laid out her initial vision for the City of Detroit during her first State of the City address on March 31^st. The major highlights include public works projects to fix the backlog of sidewalk repairs in the city, increased services for seniors and at-risk youth, a focus on building more affordable housing stock and investing in programs to supplement after school programs. The Mayor also outlined her idea to cut at least 60 mills to bring the city into more competitive property tax markets with surrounding communities. The hope is it will spur more residents wanting to move, stay, or return to Detroit. The major supporters of that campaign appear to be business leaders including Rocket Mortgage.

Some of these plans will be reflected in the fiscal year budget which is rumored to be completed and voted out by City Council on Tuesday. 8 of the 9 members of council were present at the State of the City address, and all had programs either championed by the Mayor or mentioned as a pathway to achieve her goals. The ambitious agenda faces a question on funding in many of its aspects. It is widely anticipated that the pending city budget will have initial investments in programs mentioned in the address, with a request for supplemental funding from Lansing during their upcoming budget negotiations. What was clearest from the speech is that the city has moved from stabilizing its finances with smart budgeting and assistance from post-bankruptcy dollars and federal funds toward a forward looking model of investing in neighborhoods, residents, and public works projects that are backlogged.