On the issues: Rep. Ken Calvert and Will Rollins on Jan. 6, LGBTQ rights and polarization will make it difficult, if not impossible, to enact conservative legislation.
An article on Jan. 7 suggests Calvert be held to account for his actions in the House for his failure “to properly identify LGBTQ individuals,” his refusal to “put human dignity over partisanship,” and his “appalling” “outright lies” in a debate the two attended before the House Judiciary Committee a day earlier.
That’s a good point
A good point to make is that Calvert’s actions, and his refusal to acknowledge a diversity issue of concern to all Americans, have consequences that extend beyond his behavior on an issue to which he has given priority to the LGBTQ community. The same argument could be made about the two Republican House Judiciary Committee Democrats, Reps. Jim Sensenbrenner and Mike Honda. In fact, Sensenbrenner’s comments are a good example of the problems we face on issues of civil rights, equality and inclusion.
In this issue of the Michigan Voice, we take a look at the current legislative agenda for the upcoming session of the Michigan Legislature. The first item on Gov. Rick Snyder’s priority list in the January 2016 session is to pass HB 1023. The bill, which would create a new state board to regulate water quality, is important for Michigan, because the public health of people and property is at risk.
The bill would also require the development of Michigan’s first water quality standards, which will be based on the Best Management Practices. This is important because in Michigan as in many other states, water quality is considered to be an important environmental resource. The legislation was passed by the legislature and has been sponsored in two other states—Kentucky and Nebraska.
Sen. Ken Calvert (R-Constantine) is a co-sponsor, and in his comments to the Michigan Voice we’ve asked him about HB 1023 and whether the bill is necessary.
It’s not necessary, as far as I’m concerned because it doesn’t do very much. In the first
