Conyers Holds Public Forum To Discuss Emergency Manager Law
HIGHLAND PARK (WWJ) - Michigan Congressman John Conyers is hosting a forum Tuesday night to discuss the legal implications of the Emergency Manager Law.
The forum will start at 5 p.m. at Soul Harvest Ministries in Highland Park.
Currently, there are six emergency managers appointed under the Michigan Emergency Law -- Benton Harbor, Ecorse, Flint, Pontiac, Detroit Public Schools, Highland Park School District -- and a review for an appointment is ongoing with respect to the cities of Detroit and Muskegon Heights.
Several lawsuits have been brought challenging the law and its implementation, and a petition drive is pending which would suspend the law subject to a statewide referendum in November. At the same time, other states such as Indiana are considering adopting emergency manager laws similar to Michigan's statute.
This forum will consider a range of issues, including the EM law's possible impact on voting rights, representative form of government, collective bargaining rights; the legality and appropriateness of effort in Lansing to reinstate the law notwithstanding the referendum process; the law's consistence with the Open Meetings Act, and the state's compliance with its revenue sharing obligations.
In December, Conyers wrote the U.S. Department of Justice to ask the Attorney General to review the law's constitutionality. Read more, here.
