The $550 million needs to be held in a trust account while the Snyder administration plays with it while using the courts to delay payment to the teachers.
July 5, 2016
By Johnathan Oosting
Spokeswoman Andrea Bitely said Tuesday that Schuette “is declining to provide counsel” in the case after reviewing a June 7 ruling by the Michigan Court of appeals, which held that more than 200,000 school employees were unconstitutionally docked 3 percent of their pay from 2010 to 2012 for retirement health care benefits they were not guaranteed to receive.
Instead, the Department of Attorney General will appoint a special assistant attorney general, a move that would distance Schuette from the case if the state continues its multi-year fight to retain the collected payroll deductions.
Schuette’s announcement came less than two hours before the Snyder administration confirmed it would appeal the ruling in a 2010 lawsuit filed by a coalition of school employee unions, which had urged both Snyder and Schuette to drop the case and return $550 million that has been sitting in escrow while the court battle played out.
“These payments are necessary for the long-term financial stability of the retirement system teachers rely on for health care benefits after their years of hard work come to a close,” Snyder spokeswoman Anna Heaton said in a statement. “Keeping the money in the system will help their investments continue to grow and benefit Michigan educators for decades to come."...
There is a case the Michigan Attorney General will litigate:
July 8, 2016
By Lori Higgins
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette (click here) has joined a lawsuit filed by a group of states seeking to overturn recent federal guidelines for schools on protecting the rights of transgender studentsThe U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice in May issued guidance to school districts — the most controversial of which is to urge schools to allow transgender students to use the restrooms and locker rooms that align with the students' gender identity.
The departments said at the time that the guidelines are necessary "to ensure that all students, including transgender students, can attend school in an environment free from discrimination based on sex."
Those guidelines were issued as a debate raged in Michigan over a policy being considered by the State Board of Education on lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual students. The proposed policy outlines many of the same recommendations made in the federal guidance....
There is a case the Michigan Attorney General will litigate:
July 8, 2016
By Lori Higgins
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette (click here) has joined a lawsuit filed by a group of states seeking to overturn recent federal guidelines for schools on protecting the rights of transgender studentsThe U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice in May issued guidance to school districts — the most controversial of which is to urge schools to allow transgender students to use the restrooms and locker rooms that align with the students' gender identity.
The departments said at the time that the guidelines are necessary "to ensure that all students, including transgender students, can attend school in an environment free from discrimination based on sex."
Those guidelines were issued as a debate raged in Michigan over a policy being considered by the State Board of Education on lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual students. The proposed policy outlines many of the same recommendations made in the federal guidance....
