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 |  Subject: Michigan think tank calls for ending civil forfeiture, reducing licensing burdens, more  Fri Mar 01, 2019 10:53 pm | |
| Criminal justice reform and occupational licensing reform are among the policy recommendations being promoted in 2019 by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.
“There continues to be broad bipartisan support in the Michigan legislature for criminal justice reform, occupational licensure reform, and open government,” David Guenthner, senior strategist for state affairs at the Mackinac Center, said in an email.
The policy recommendations, released Thursday, call for a complete elimination of civil asset forfeiture, a tactic used by law enforcement to seize the assets of an individual suspected in a crime without first proving the individual's guilt. According to rankings from the libertarian Institute for Justice, Michigan’s laws on civil asset forfeiture are among the worst in the country, grading a D-.
Both chambers of the state legislature are considering these policy reforms.
The Mackinac Center, a Michigan-based free market think tank, also recommends creating a review process that evaluates laws that put barriers on people wanting to enter into an occupation, such as requiring expensive and time-consuming licensing fees and training. Additionally, the recommendations suggest removing strict barriers that make it difficult for former criminal offenders to get employed.
In addition to these changes, the Mackinac Center recommends more funds for road improvements, prioritizing road funding, auto insurance reform and enforcement of Medicaid work requirements.
Playing off of newly elected Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s campaign promise to “fix the damn roads,” the policy recommendations call for funding road improvements by cutting ineffective or duplicative programs elsewhere in the government.
On auto insurance reform, the Mackinac Center suggests removing restrictions that limit auto care options and force the purchase of unlimited personal injury protection. Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, set up a committee to recommend reforms to decrease costs and Democrats have said they plan to participate in it.
“In my conversations with members over the past few months, I’m encouraged by the possibilities for action on auto insurance reform, transportation funding, health care access, and reducing corporate welfare,” Guenthner said. “2019 can be a year of productive action in Lansing and we plan to apply our expertise to help that happen.”
On Medicaid, the Mackinac Center backs requirements that would require able-bodied adults to work if they receive benefits. Lawmakers adopted Medicaid work requirement last year, but Whitmer has advocated removing them even before they go into effect.
“The changes to Medicaid work requirements that Gov. Whitmer and her HHS director have hinted at are non-starters, both with us and the legislators who voted for those requirements last year,” Guenthner said. “We would encourage her administration to faithfully implement the law as it was passed so that hundreds of thousands of Michiganders have the incentive and opportunity to climb the socioeconomic ladder and earn their own success.”
https://www.watchdog.org/michigan/michigan-think-tank-calls-for-ending-civil-forfeiture-reducing-licensing/article_6d19d456-3baa-11e9-8f96-3fa7537461f9.html
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“The state calls its own violence law, but that of the individual, crime.”-- Max Stirner
"Remember: Evil exists because good men don't kill the government officials committing it." -- Kurt Hofmann |
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