But the SBT will be the biggest hurdle these guys will face. Will a Republican Senate continue to make progress difficult?
Democrats completed their House takeover Tuesday, choosing Redford Township Rep. Andy Dillon as House speaker with a new Legislature poised to act on Gov. Jennifer Granholm's plans for health care, taxes, education and economic growth when it convenes in January.
Dillon, who turns 45 next week, is considered a conservative Democrat who's pro-business and anti-abortion. He works well with Republicans. But now, the University of Notre Dame law school graduate will be point man in a House suddenly aligned with the Democratic governor after voters gave the party a 58-52 advantage over the previously controlling GOP.
The "conservative" tag bothers me, but he has to be better than DeRoche. A houseplant would be better than DeRoche.
Dillon said he'll create a task force to draft a catastrophic health insurance plan for uninsured Michigan residents, as well as an expanded prescription drug plan.
Dillon opposes abortion and embryonic stem cell research. But he said he would not block a House vote to loosen Michigan's laws that prohibit the use of embryonic stem cells for medical research, which Granholm and others promote as a way to attract more research-related jobs to Michigan.
We need to hold him to this.
And as far as that Republican Senate goes, we have a leader who says they won't be obstructionist. I'll believe it when I see it.
Meanwhile, in the Senate -- still controlled by Republicans -- Sen. Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, was named majority leader and pledged to advocate a GOP agenda without being an obstructionist.
The SBT accounts for nearly $2 billion in state revenue. Granholm insists the revenue should be replaced entirely, while business groups and Republicans have called for a net tax cut with less revenue.
Bishop's Senate leadership could prove even more significant for Granholm. Republicans will control the Senate, 21-17, and could quash the governor's proposal to make up the money.
Granholm has frequently blamed Republican lawmakers for blocking her initiatives, such as a plan to boost the Michigan Merit Award scholarship for college-bound high school seniors to $4,000 from $2,500, by adding more requirements.
The Merit is through the Senate, DeRoche held it up in the House. I believe that will get done now that the election is over... but the SBT debate will be the one to watch. If Republicans insist on "less revenue", they should be the ones to come up with the cuts.
Tell us what or who you want to throw overboard, guys. We are taking notes for 2008.