Reliable sources in Lansing have informed me that expansion of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act is dead in the water in 2014 and will not be voted on during the lame duck session. According to the source, Republican House Speaker Jase Bolger says neither version of the expansion bill – one that includes transgender Michiganders and one that doesn’t – will be passed out of the House Commerce committee.
The upshot of this as I said earlier today is that expansion of civil rights under the ELCRA will not happen for at least two years. The incoming legislative body is far more conservative than the current very conservative cohort, ensuring that no positive action will be taken. The next step is likely a ballot initiative in 2016 which would potentially put civil rights AND marriage equality for the LGBT community on the ballot during a presidential election year when there is high turnout, particularly among Democrats.
[CC LGBT graphic: The Limpa-Vias Blog]
