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Criminal justice reform tops priority list for returning House Republicans

Lightfield Studios
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Adobe Stock
Credit Lightfield Studios / Adobe Stock
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Adobe Stock

The state Legislature plans to go back to its normal schedule this week.

Republicans in the state House plan to keep working on a budget and road funding plan they can agree on along with the Senate and Governor Gretchen Whitmer, but they’ve got other priorities too.

State House Republicans spokesman, Gideon D’Assandro, says the Agricultural committee will hold information sessions across the state to offer resources to farmers.

“This has obviously been a terrible year for Michigan’s farmers,” he said. “A lot of them have been washed out by the rain and are in a really tough spot.”

D’Assandro says criminal justice reform will also be at the top of the priorities list.

Representative Graham Filler (R-DeWitt) is chair of the House Judiciary committee. He says some fixes to the criminal justice system could have a major impact on the state.

“For a long time the discussion was lock them up and throw away the key and have we really seen positive results from that?” Filler said. “I don’t think anyone in the House or Senate would claim that we have.”

Filler said his committee will also likely vote on bills aimed at preventing doctors from abusing patients under the guise of medical treatment. Filler also said he wants to expand people’s ability to get certain crimes taken off their record.

The state Senate will be back on Wednesday and likely sticking to its regular schedule, with voting expected on Wednesday and Thursday. Its priorities are a roads plan and the budget.

Copyright 2019 Michigan Radio

Before becoming the newest Capitol reporter for the Michigan Public Radio Network, Cheyna Roth was an attorney. She spent her days fighting it out in court as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Ionia County. Eventually, Cheyna took her investigative and interview skills and moved on to journalism. She got her masters at Michigan State University and was a documentary filmmaker, podcaster, and freelance writer before finding her home with NPR. Very soon after joining MPRN, Cheyna started covering the 2016 presidential election, chasing after Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and all their surrogates as they duked it out for Michigan. Cheyna also focuses on the Legislature and criminal justice issues for MPRN. Cheyna is obsessively curious, a passionate storyteller, and an occasional backpacker. Follow her on Twitter at @Cheyna_R