Updates About Legislature

President Donald Trump recently announced his endorsement of U.S. Representative John James’s campaign for Governor. Shortly following the endorsement, Michigan’s Republican Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt ended his campaign and endorsed James as well. The other Republican candidates, businessman Perry Johnson and former Attorney General Mike Cox, choose to remain in the race.

James has so far defended his early frontrunner status against the rest of the field, but it remains to be seen if Trump’s endorsement will help with Republican primary voters. The endorsement came as absentee ballots are beginning to reach voters ahead of the August primary. In recent GOP gubernatorial primaries in Georgia and Iowa, voters did not choose the President’s endorsed candidate.

After the endorsement, the James campaign shifted their focus away from his primary competitors, instead attacking likely Democratic opponent and current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, as well as Governor Whitmer. Meanwhile, Cox criticized James’s statewide electability and loyalty to Trump, while Johnson pushed back against Trump’s endorsement.

Newly-elected Senator Chedrick Greene (D-Saginaw) has recently been given his committee assignments, following the special election in Senate district 35. He was placed on the Senate Labor Committee, Regulatory Affairs Committee, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and the Veterans and Emergency Services Committee.

His assignments come after a Senate Resolution was adopted to expand the Senate’s Labor, Regulatory Affairs, and Veterans and Emergency Services Committees by one to allow Sen. Greene a seat. He replaced Senator Sean McCann (D-Kalamazoo) on the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

The Senate Finance, Insurance and Consumer Protection Committee recently took up testimony on SB 914, introduced by Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit). The bill would require prescription drug co-pay assistance to count toward a patient’s deductible and out-of-pocket maximum.

Supporters of the bill include patient advocacy groups that represent individuals with serious conditions such as cancer, blood disorders, epilepsy, and other diseases that require patients to rely on costly medications. Supporting organizations argue that the bill would reduce unexpected out-of-pocket costs for patients, while simultaneously improving affordability and transparency in drug pricing.

Opposition comes primarily from insurers and health plans, who argue the policy would influence patients to purchase more expensive brand name medications versus cheaper generic options. It has also been suggested that co-pay coupons increase the cost of brand name medications over time.

The bill is now waiting on a Committee vote.