Today and tomorrow, the House Local Government committee is scheduled to take up a package of bills, the primary piece being HB 4214, which deals with the State's process to place cities into receivership and employ an emergency financial manager. The bill has been met with much controversy by many groups for some significant components including - removing all local elected leaders from office who are in place when the designation of receivership is made, taking away bargaining rights for the unions after a designation is made, making a firm eligible to be an emeregency financial manager, and giving the chief administrative officer (in most cases, city manager) the ability to use some tools grated to an EFM before receivership is declared as a means to avoid it. One of the expanded tools for an EFM is the ability to break contracts. The League has been working with all parties to raise some of our most significant concerns and questions regarding the legislation. And, we are hopeful that many of our issues will be addressed. We expect this package to move quickly through both Chambers, as similar bills will be introduced in the Senate within the next week.
Summer Minnick is the Director of State Affairs for the League. She can be reached at (517) 908-0301.
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