Emergency Manager Law to be Decided by Proposal 1 - WLNS TV 6 Lansing - Jackson | Your Local News Leader

Legislation is quietly being drafted in the state Senate to revisit the Emergency Manager Law just in case the voters kill it in November. The Senate GOP leader says if lawmakers did not react to rewrite the law to save cities like Detroit from bankruptcy court, that inaction would be "irresponsible."

"I wouldn't say we would replicate it, but we listened to some of the criticism of the original bill and we do have a second bill that would take into account some of those thing the people didn't like and maybe soften it a bit," said Republican Senator Randy Richardville.

Organized labor objected to elected officials losing their authority when an EM is appointed, but Senator Richardville says he would not water down that provision. Meanwhile, the Snyder administration is urging a "no vote on repeal of the law" and will not be drawn into a discussion of writing a new law if this one fails.

"If we were to put a lot of energy into that, it would take away from the task at hand to make the case for the people of the State of Michigan on why that law is critically important in the first place," said Lt. Governor Brian Calley.

Voters will decide the EM measure as Proposal 1 on the ballot in November.

Even if Michigan Citizens Vote to repeal the state's Emergency Manager Law, the top republican in the state Senate says lawmakers will rewrite the law because not to do so would be "irresponsible."