Elimination of Lame Duck Sessions Proposed

At least one Michigan lawmaker thinks lame duck legislative sessions should be eliminated. Republican State Representative Joel Johnson of Clare has introduced a constitutional amendment that would prohibit sessions held between an election, and the date the new legislature is sworn in. Such sessions typically produce a rush of last-minute bills, which often bypass committee consideration, and are approved within a few days of their introduction by party bosses. The proposed constitutional amendment will need the support of two-thirds of both the House and Senate to be placed on the ballot in November of 2016.