If given the chance, would Michigan voters look at the state senate and say ‘you’re fired?? Some people would like to know and are pushing to give voters that chance this November.
Unicameral Michigan, a grass-roots lobbying group based in Hastings, started a petition drive to place an initiative on the Nov. 2006 ballot that would, if approved by voters, eliminate the 38-member state senate.
The group has until July 4 to gather 317,000 signatures to place the inititive on the ballot.
Unicameral Michigan’s Web site says the move to a unicameral (single-house) system would ‘save about $50 million the first year, over current costs, and $1 billion over 10 years.?
The Web site also states that abolishing the senate would elminate the current duplicity in Michigan, where the same areas are represented twice.
The third benefit touted by the group is an increase in government accountability, an idea that has some local residents throwing their support behind the petition drive.
Attorney Neil Wallace and Henry Woloson of Security Finacial Managment, Inc. both support the motion. Woloson actually pushed for a similar piece of legislation several years ago and has long researched the idea.
Woloson said supporting the change is not an anti-government movement, but a push to make the state government more efficient. Wallace contacted Woloson about supporting the movement after he began collecting signatures a few weeks ago.
‘I’m just a guy that believes in this,? Wallace said, adding that as he continues to disucss the matter with more people, he is finding many who believe in the movent too. Wallace said nearly every person he has asked to sign the petition is ethusiatic and supportive of the motion and one person asked if he could help gather more signatures.
‘Many of them are saying ‘It’s about time!? he said.
Wallace supports the motion for several reasons, including the elimination of the conference commitee, which works behind closed doors to resolves matters between the two houses. Wallace said he believes making these changes will prevent special interest groups from having significant influence over the legislature and create a more effecient state government.
Even though the changes may sound radical to some, Wallace said the issue will not drastically effect everyone the way some fear.
‘I don’t think people in their day-to-day lives would notice anything,? Wallace said.
For more information on this continuing process, visit the Unicameral Michigan website at www.fire-the-senate.com