Lame Duck Session Update: Offshore Wind likely Dead

By Peter Payette and Laura Weber

Legislation meant to help the development of off-shore wind farms in the Great Lakes appears to be dead. The bill would set up a process for developers that want to build wind turbines out on the lakes.

Offshore Wind
The proposal did not make it out of the house energy committee today, and lawmakers are expected to wrap-up the 2010 session this week.

State Representative Dan Scripps says it's good legislation but there's little chance at this point it can be pushed through the lame-duck session.

"It would take all the ducks lining up, all the things breaking our way," he says. "But I still think there's an opportunity to move forward and get it done."

There will have to be new champions for the cause, if the issue is to have any legs next year. Neither Scripps nor any other lawmaker that worked on offshore wind legislation will return to Lansing next year. 

Pure Michigan
Governor-elect Rick Snyder says he hopes lawmakers in Lansing will approve funding for Pure Michigan's winter ad campaign before they leave for the year, though that's also looking unlikely.

"I encourage that to be done without waiting for me to take office, because again that's not a question of who takes credit for it," he says. "I believe it's the right thing to do. And to the degree that it doesn't get done, I would view that as one of the high priorities of our new administration come January 1."

The House and Senate have yet to come to an agreement on Pure Michigan funding.

Autism Insurance
Michigan's insurance companies may soon be required to cover autism treatments for children. Senate Republicans may take up the insurance reform before lawmakers wrap up work for the year at the state Capitol. The House has already approved the measure.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop says most lawmakers want to approve the measure, but there is a lot of work to be done.

"It's very complicated, and it's hard to do within a very small time frame in which to do it in lame duck," he says. "This is not an area of time where I like to do public policy."

Tenure
Bishop also thinks lawmakers could approve teacher tenure reforms this week. The measure would make it easier for school districts to get rid of teachers who do not produce good student test scores.