Emergency Manager Petition Drive Almost Complete

LANSING (WWJ) - It's another big development in the effort to get rid of Michigan's emergency manager law.

WWJ Lansing Bureau Chief Tim Skubick reports that Michigan Forward, the group gathering petition signatures, is getting close to its self-appointed goal of 250,000. Those names will be filed with the Secretary of State's office on Wednesday.

"They needed 161,300, so they believe they have enough of a pad to withstand any kind of challenges from the people who support the emergency manager law," Skubick explained.

Once the names are filed, the Secretary of State has 60 days to certify that enough signatures were gathered. Then, with that certification, the emergency manager law goes on hold until Michiganders vote on it November of this year.

Skubick said that Gov. Rick Snyder has indicated that if all that happens, and law goes on hold, he would go back to the legislature and ask them to adopt certain elements of the EM law to keep cities and school districts from going into bankruptcy.

As enacted, this new state law allows the governor to take over a local government or school district by appointing an emergency manager to assume the authority and responsibility of locally elected officials. It includes the power to terminate collective bargaining agreements and even dissolve a unit of government. Critics say it's unconstitutional.