As most of you would know, prior to this past election, 2 initiatives were moving forward to ballot in Michigan on minimum wage and paid sick days.

The legislature chose to preempt them by passing them itself, before gutting the laws in the lame duck session.

This matter is not being referred to the Michigan Supreme Court to ascertain the constitutionality of that move.

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So it made me wonder........and I decided to look up the text of the Michigan constitution.

Here:

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/[[S[[iqc...l-Constitution

Then I did a search for the word 'initiative' and turned up this section:

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/[[S[[iqc...ght=initiative

In reading the above section......I didn't see a clear answer to the question at hand, though perhaps it is found elsewhere.

What I did see was something else that on its face appears to conflict with how things are done.......and I was thinking I must be misreading the intent.....

Any law proposed by initiative petition shall be either enacted or rejected by the legislature without change or amendment within 40 session days from the time such petition is received by the legislature. If any law proposed by such petition shall be enacted by the legislature it shall be subject to referendum, as hereinafter provided.

Am I wrong to read this as requiring a referendum on any initiative bill that the legislature passes?

Thoughts?