A court ruling Tuesday will send nine bills stuck in legal limbo to the governor's desk, including legislation that would allow corrections officers to join the Michigan State Police Retirement plan and earn a pension.
- A 10-month legal battle between House Republicans and Senate Democrats has kept nine bills from reaching the governor's desk.
- One bill would allow corrections officers to join the Michigan State Police Retirement plan and earn a pension.
- Another bill would permit employers to pay more toward employees' healthcare costs.
WATCH: Michigan corrections officers may finally get pension benefits after court ruling
The wait for Michigan Corrections Organization President Bryon Osborn and thousands of corrections officers may finally be ending after a 10-month saga of political and legal battles.
"It was extremely frustrating for 5000 corrections officers," Osborn said.
The court ruling impacts nine bills that have been stuck in legal limbo since December 2024, when lawmakers voted on multiple pieces of legislation during the lame-duck session. While 89 bills were sent to the governor's desk, these nine remained in limbo after Republican Speaker of the House Matt Hall refused to forward them.
"I said we need a legal review," Hall said.
The standoff sparked a court battle between House Republicans and Senate Democrats that lasted months, with Senate Democrats threatening legal action.
"I'm preparing to take legal action if necessary," said one Senate Democrat.
The impact extends beyond corrections officers. Amie Keidel, United Steelworkers Local 12075 President, says one of the bills would allow employers to pay more toward employees' healthcare, potentially lowering costs for workers.
"It would be nice to bargain the terms and conditions for our healthcare," Keidel said. "Something we haven't been able to do."
For corrections officers, the pension bill could help with recruitment and retention in a challenging field.
"That's going to peak interest for people to come into this line of work again and stay," Osborn said.
Back in January, the House approved a non-binding agreement not to present any bills that are not passed during that legislature. I reached out to the Speaker for comment, but did not hear back by the time this story aired.
"It's just an absolute frustrating situation we're in," Osborn said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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