California’s Moratorium on the Death Penalty: A Bellwether for the Rest of the Nation?

Many states have tried to regulate the death penalty, to make its practice more equitable, to purge it of racial discrimination and wrongful convictions. These state efforts simply haven’t worked. In addition, as the only western developed country to retain the death penalty, the United States is castigated for a practice now considered barbaric by most of the world. 

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Extreme risk protection order legislation can prevent gun suicide

Critical bills that could help stem the alarming rise in Michigan’s suicide rate were recently introduced to the Michigan Legislature. Enactment of Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) legislation, would allow law enforcement and concerned family members to ask a judge to temporarily prohibit individuals known to be at risk of harming themselves or others from purchasing or possessing guns. ERPO type bills are also commonly known as Red Flag laws or Gun Violence Restraining Orders.

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‘Just Look’ at what Michiganders are capable of

Katie Fahey, the founder and Executive Director of Voters Not Politicians, spoke at the PEG Speaker Series on Sunday. In 2018, Michigan voters and Voters Not Politicians made history by passing a redistricting reform amendment with 61% of the vote to end gerrymandering. Their efforts involved recruiting thousands of volunteers across the state to go door-to-door and holding town halls in their own communities. They held VNP town halls anywhere they could manage, and ended up holding a town hall in every single county in Michigan!

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Fourth straight year of hate groups growth

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)  just released its annual count of hate groups. Trump spread fear about the country’s growing diversity, and he wasn’t alone. Fox News served as both his megaphone and a source for his incendiary claims during 2018. You can read their new report and see their latest interactive hate map showing the names, types, and locations of the 1,020 hate groups operating across America.

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Dingell and Upton appeal for bipartisanship at policy forum at UM Ford School

Rep Debbie Dingell, a Democrat (12th District), and Rep Fred Upton (6th District), a Republican, discussed the importance of bipartisanship at a forum on February 18, 2019, at the UM Gerald R Ford School of Public Policy. The two representatives are part of the Problem Solvers caucus–a group that works to create bipartisan cooperation on important policy issues.

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