Author: Anthony Gockowski

Michigan A.G. Nessel Joined Two Legal Actions Against Trump Immigration Rules in December

Anthony Gockowski

  Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined legal actions against two immigration-related rules from President Donald Trump’s administration in December. According to a statement from Nessel’s office, Michigan’s chief law enforcement officer has joined Democratic attorneys general from around the country in challenging Trump’s effort to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals and a rule that will divert asylum-seekers to different countries. In regards to the latter, Nessel said the rule will send asylum-seekers to South American countries that have signed asylum cooperative agreements with the U.S., such as Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. “This interim final rule ignores the vital economic contributions of immigrants throughout our state and this country and blatantly disregards the fact that asylum-seekers are already seeking protection from dangerous circumstances,” Attorney General Nessel said in a statement. “Forcing them into countries with some of the highest homicide rates in the world and providing no safeguards against family separation is not only counterproductive but pushes asylum-seekers further into the danger they’ve fought so hard to flee.” Her office joined 19 other state attorneys general in submitting a comment letter to the Department of Homeland Security to oppose the new rule. She also expressed concern…

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Minnesota Senate GOP Announces Plan for ‘Clean Energy First’ Legislation

Anthony Gockowski

  Minnesota Senate Republicans said they plan to introduce a “Clean Energy First” bill during the upcoming legislative session that will “prioritize clean energy” and “modernize Minnesota’s energy resources.” According to the Associated Press, several different versions of the “Clean Energy First” legislation were introduced during the last session, but all were intended to change how the state’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) analyzed the long-term plans of utility companies. Senate Republicans say their bill will require Minnesota utility companies to “prioritize carbon-free technology” and will direct the PUC to “consider whether utilities’ new energy projects are in the public interest.” The legislation will include nuclear, solar, wind, hydropower, carbon sequestration, and municipal solid waste as clean energy sources. “In the next two decades, most fossil fueled power plants will likely be retired and replaced – representing more than 40 percent of our current capacity. As we plan for our state’s future energy needs, we have the opportunity to do so in a way that prioritizes efficiency and carbon-free energy,” Sen. David Osmek (R-Mound) (pictured above), chair of the Senate Energy and Utilities Committee, said in a statement. “‘Clean Energy First’ addresses our long-term energy needs in an affordable and reliable…

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Keith Ellison Asks Supreme Court to Review ‘Illogical And Chaotic’ ACA Decision

Anthony Gockowski

  Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has joined a coalition of 19 states in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a recent decision that found the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to be unconstitutional. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held in a December ruling that Obamacare’s individual mandate is unconstitutional, but ordered a lower court to decide whether the rest of the law can remain intact. “The individual mandate is unconstitutional because it can no longer be read as a tax, and there is no other constitutional provision that justifies this exercise of congressional power,” said the court. “On the severability question, we remand to the district court to provide additional analysis of the provisions of the ACA as they currently exist.” In the 2-1 decision, the court said that it may be that some, none, or all of the ACA is “severable from the individual mandate.” Ellison has now joined 19 other states in filing a petition that asks the Supreme Court to review the lower court’s decision. “Affordable, high-quality health care is a human right. It’s essential to being able to afford your life and live with dignity and respect,”…

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