LANSING — The final bill passed before the Legislature adjourned last week has municipal and school officials worried that educating the public about local ballot issues will become difficult, if not impossible.
What started out as a fairly innocuous campaign finance bill that initially got unanimous support in the Senate, was totally changed at the last minute in the House late Wednesday to include several more controversial provisions, including one that bans using public dollars or resources to educate the public about ballot proposals in the 60 days leading up to an election.
That provision was added without any public hearings or notice to the parties that will be most affected by the legislation.
“This language puts an undue burden on communities and their residents, blocking access to unbiased, objective communication on the local issues that matter most to the residents in every community in Michigan,” said Chris Hackbarth of the Michigan Municipal League in a blog post calling on members to urge Gov. Rick Snyder to veto the bill.
Read the rest of the story here — http://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2015/12/19/educators-cities-worry-over-bill-limiting-ballot-education/77593062/
