The Republican-led Michigan Legislature cleared the way Thursday for GOP Gov. Rick Snyder to sign a replacement for an emergency manager law struck down by voters, delivering another punch to Democrats still reeling from this week's rapid passage of right-to-work legislation limiting unions' power, the Associated Press reported yesterday. On the final hours of the legislative session that capped an acrimonious week in the state capital, the Senate approved the legislation mostly along party lines. It contains key provisions from a law rejected by voters in November, but includes more choices for local school districts and communities deemed by the state to be in a financial emergency. The new version proposed by Snyder and GOP legislative leaders requires financially troubled governments to choose from four mandatory options: Accept an emergency manager, undergo bankruptcy, enter into mediation or join the state in a partnership known as a consent agreement — similar to the current one involving Detroit. Critics say the options menu is a false choice, because each is trip-wired to ensure the same thing that voters rejected at the polls: state-imposed oversight.
