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State Legislative Tracker: Michigan State House scandal ends in one resignation and one expulsion

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September 14, 2015

Edited by Jackie Beran

This week’s tracker includes a look at two bills in California, and the expulsion and resignation of two state representatives in Michigan.

Weekly highlight

California State Legislature

CALIFORNIA: Before the California State Legislature adjourned for the rest of the year on September 12, 2015, it passed a wide range of legislation in the last days of session. The most notable bills passed were an assisted suicide bill and a climate change bill.[1] The End of Life Option Act, or Assembly Bill 15, would make it legal for doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs to help terminally ill patients end their lives.[2] The state Senate passed the bill by a vote of 23 to 15, and the state Assembly voted 44 to 35 to pass the bill.[3] If signed by Gov. Jerry Brown (D), California would become the fifth state after Oregon, Washington, Montana and Vermont to have a right-to-die law.[1]

The Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015, or Senate Bill 350, would require California to generate half of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.[1][4] The current law requires utility companies to generate 33 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020.[1][4] As originally introduced, the bill would have also required the state to cut its petroleum use in half by 2030, but this provision was removed after intense opposition from the oil industry.[5] The bill passed the state Senate by a vote of 26 to 14, and the state Assembly voted 52 to 27 to pass the bill.[6] Gov. Brown has 249 bills on his desk and has until October 11 to sign or veto the proposed legislation. The legislature will return in January 2016 for its next legislative session.[7]

See also Michigan state legislator affairs, 2015
Fmr. Michigan Rep. Todd Courser (R)
Fmr. Michigan Rep. Cindy Gamrat (R)

MICHIGAN: The two Republican state representatives accused of using state resources to cover up their extramarital affair are out of office following a lengthy standoff on Thursday, September 10; a majority of House Democrats refused to participate in the floor vote, keeping the chamber in session well into Friday morning. Shortly after 3 a.m., Todd Courser submitted his resignation. An hour later, the House expelled Cindy Gamrat, making her the fourth legislator in state history to be removed from office.[8]

Following a recommendation by a select committee and a floor process lasting over four hours, voting closed early Thursday evening at 67-14 in favor of expelling Todd Courser, just six votes short of the necessary two-thirds supermajority; 26 Democrats had not voted and two were not present at all.[9][10] Courser commented after the vote that the contingent's abstinence was "sort of Shakespearian."

Before the committee hearing, Courser broke a social media silence and made the following statement on his Facebook page:

“ I would appreciate your prayers all day today, just that God's Hand would move in all of this to His end for His Honor and Glory...God bless all of you who have prayed your many prayers and supplications on my behalf, I am sorry for all of the stress and disappointment I have caused everyone. Thank you.[11] ”
—Todd Courser[12]

Numerous Democrats objected to the expulsion process itself, expressing skepticism regarding Speaker Kevin Cotter (R) and his leadership team's knowledge of the affair and its consequences; they suggested that two fired legislative aides be allowed to testify to the committee on the subject. The resolution to expel was brought up for another vote, though no progress was made before the board was again cleared shortly before midnight, when the House adjourned for only several minutes before returning to prepare for a third attempt.[13][14][15] After meeting with the Democratic caucus, Courser offered his resignation and was immediately escorted from the Capitol building. He said afterwards that he "put everybody through a whole bunch" and that he would inevitably have been expelled.[16]

By a 4-0 vote earlier on Thursday, with its two Democratic members abstaining, the committee also recommended that Cindy Gamrat (R) be removed from office, but the House was unable to consider the matter until Courser stepped down.[17] In the 4 a.m. hour, Gamrat was expelled by a vote of 91-12 and was also escorted from the premises; she offered no comment.[16] Gamrat claimed that she was offered a plea deal in which she would be censured, but Cotter spokesman Gideon D'Assandro denied that there was any deal, stating that only a recommendation of censure by the House's legal counsel was likely. Gamrat has since disavowed a large portion of her confession.[18][19]

Rep. Ed McBroom (R), chairman of the special disciplinary committee, justified the recommendation of expulsion by the duo's admission of guilt, noting that "The oath we all take is the sole protection against an unjust expulsion."[14] The disciplinary committee's recommendation followed accusations by the House Business Office that the two had committed "deceptive, deceitful, and outright dishonest conduct" in hiding their affair, including an email message Courser anonymously sent out accusing himself of soliciting a male prostitute.[20] Their trouble may not be over yet, either; the Michigan State Police are conducting a criminal investigation, which Gov. Rick Snyder (R) supported in a statement released Friday morning.[21] The MSP are looking into phone records to verify Courser's claim that he was blackmailed and threatened via text messages, leading him to send the anonymous email.[16]

The two vacancies created by Courser and Gamrat's departure will be filled through special elections called by Snyder. A primary election for both seats will be held on November 3, 2015. The general election will be held on March 8, 2016.[22]

Sessions

Current sessions capture for the week of September 14, 2015
See also: Dates of 2015 state legislative sessions
Click here to see a chart of each state's 2015 session information.

Regular sessions

Currently Six out of 50 state legislatures are meeting in regular session. Four states are in recess, 39 states have adjourned their 2015 legislative sessions and one state is in special session.

The following states are in regular session:[23]

In recess

As of today, September 14, there are four state legislatures currently in recess.[24]


Adjourned

The following states have adjourned their 2015 regular sessions:[26]

Special sessions

As of today, September 14, there is one state legislature currently in special session and one special session in recess.

  • August 17, 2015:[27] Virginia; special session on redistricting is in recess
  • September 8, 2015: Alabama; 1st special session was from 7/13 to 8/11

2015 Legislative Elections

See also: State legislative elections, 2015

In the 50 states, there are 99 state legislative chambers, of which seven chambers will hold state legislative elections in November 2015.[28]

There are seven chambers in four states with elections in 2015:

A total of 131 of the country's 1,972 state senate seats and 407 of the country's 5,411 state house seats will be up for a vote. This accounts for 6.6 percent of the country's state senate seats and 7.5 percent of the country's state house seats. Altogether, 538 (7.3%) of the country's 7,383 state legislative seats are up for election. Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia hold elections in odd-numbered years. The New Jersey State Senate is the only chamber in those four states without scheduled elections in 2015.

Primary Information

The state legislative filing deadlines and primary dates are as follows:

Filing Deadlines

Primary Dates

Special Elections

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See also: State legislative special elections, 2015

There is one special election and one special election runoff scheduled this week.

South Carolina House of Representatives District 106

See also: South Carolina state legislative special elections, 2015

A special election for the position of South Carolina House of Representatives District 106 was called for September 15. A primary election took place on July 28. A primary runoff election took place on August 11. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 8.[33]

The seat was vacant following Nelson Hardwick's (R) resignation on May 12, 2015.[34]

Russell Fry, Sanford Cox Graves, Tyler Servant and Roy Sprinkle faced off in the Republican primary.[35] Since no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters, Fry and Servant, met in a runoff election, which Fry won.[36] Fry was unopposed in the special election.[37][38]

South Carolina House of Representatives, District 106, Special Election Runoff, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngRussell Fry 59.8% 1,738
     Republican Tyler Servant 40.2% 1,167
Total Votes 2,905
South Carolina House of Representatives, District 106 Republican Primary, 2015
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngRussell Fry (advanced to runoff) 44.8% 1,152
Green check mark transparent.pngTyler Servant (advanced to runoff) 33.3% 856
Roy Sprinkle 14.5% 374
Sanford Cox Graves 7.5% 192
Total Votes 2,574
Democratic Party July 28 Democratic primary candidates:
  • No candidates filed for election.
Republican Party July 28 Republican primary candidates:
August 11 Special election runoff candidates:
Republican Party Russell Fry Approveda
Republican Party Tyler Servant
September 15 Special election candidates:
Republican Party Russell Fry

South Carolina State Senate District 45

See also: South Carolina state legislative special elections, 2015

A special election for the position of South Carolina State Senate District 45 was called for October 20. A primary election took place on September 1. A primary runoff election took place on September 15. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was July 13.[39]

The seat was vacant following the death of Clementa Pinckney (D) on June 17, 2015, in a mass shooting at an AME church in Charleston, South Carolina.[40]

Margie Bright Matthews, R. Keith Horton, Richmond Truesdale, Korey Williams, John E. Washington, Kenneth Hodges, William Bowman, Chauncey Barnwell, Sheree Darien, Libbie Henry Green and Kent Fletcher faced off in the Democratic primary. Since no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters, Bright Matthews and Hodges, met in a runoff election, which Bright Matthews won.[41] Alberto Fernandez was unopposed in the Republican primary. Leilani Bessinger withdrew from the race before the Republican primary.[39][42] Bright Matthews defeated Fernandez in the special election.[43]

South Carolina State Senate, District 45, Special election, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngMargie Bright Matthews 88.5% 5,763
     Republican Alberto Fernandez 11.5% 750
     Write-ins Write-ins 0% 2
Total Votes 6,515
South Carolina State Senate, District 45, Democratic Runoff, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngMargie Bright Matthews 56.2% 3,908
     Democratic Kenneth Hodges 43.8% 3,042
Total Votes 6,950
Democratic Party September 1 Democratic primary candidates:
Republican Party September 1 Republican primary candidates:
Note: Leilani Bessinger withdrew before the primary.
September 15 Special election runoff candidates:
Democratic Party Margie Bright Matthews
Democratic Party Kenneth Hodges
October 20 Special election candidates:
Republican Party Alberto Fernandez

Recent election results

September 12, 2015

☑ Delaware House of Representatives District 18

See also: Delaware state legislative special elections, 2015

A special election for the position of Delaware House of Representatives District 18 was called for September 12. Candidates were nominated by parties rather than chosen in primaries.[44]

The seat was vacant following Michael Barbieri's (D) resignation on August 3, 2015.[45]

David Bentz (D) defeated Eileen O'Shaughnessy-Coleman (R) in the special election.[46][44]

Delaware House of Representatives, District 18, Special Election, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Bentz 56.7% 894
     Republican Eileen O'Shaughnessy-Coleman 43.3% 683
Total Votes 1,577
September 12 Special election candidates:
Democratic Party David Bentz Green check mark transparent.png
Republican Party Eileen O'Shaughnessy-Coleman

September 8, 2015

☑ Oklahoma House of Representatives District 85

See also: Oklahoma state legislative special elections, 2015

A special election for the position of Oklahoma House of Representatives District 85 was called for September 8. A primary election took place on July 14.[47] The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 6, 2015.[48][47]

The seat was vacant following David Dank's (R) death.[48]

Cyndi Munson was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Chip Carter defeated Matt Jackson, Amy Palumbo and Ralph Crawford in the Republican primary.[49][50][51] Munson defeated Carter in the special election.[52]

Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 85, Special Election, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngCyndi Munson 53.8% 2,641
     Republican Chip Carter 46.2% 2,272
Total Votes 4,913
Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 85 Republican Primary, 2015
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngChip Carter 37.1% 1,027
Ralph Crawford 29.1% 806
Matt Jackson 19.4% 536
Amy Palumbo 14.4% 400
Total Votes 2,769
Democratic Party July 14 Democratic Primary candidates:
Republican Party July 14 Republican Primary candidates:
September 8 Special election candidates:
Democratic Party Cyndi Munson Green check mark transparent.png
Republican Party Chip Carter

Looking ahead

Upcoming special elections include:

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 mercurynews.com, "California Legislature: 'Right to die,' climate change bills sent to governor," accessed September 14, 2015
  2. ↑ cnn.com, "California lawmakers send assisted-suicide bill to governor," accessed September 14, 2015
  3. ↑ California Legislative Information, "AB-15 End of life," accessed September 14, 2015
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Union of Concerned Scientists, "California Legislature Strengthens State’s Clean Energy Laws," accessed September 14, 2015
  5. ↑ sfchronicle.com/, "California Legislature fails us on climate change," accessed September 14, 2015
  6. ↑ California Legislative Information, "SB-350 Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015," accessed September 14, 2015
  7. ↑ sfgate.com, "Legislature wraps up, leaving Brown with major decisions to make," accessed September 14, 2015
  8. ↑ MLive, "Todd Courser resigns, Cindy Gamrat expelled from Michigan House in wake of sex scandal," September 11, 2015
  9. ↑ Detroit Free Press, "Live blog: Abstentions hold up Courser expulsion vote," September 10, 2015
  10. ↑ Detroit Free Press, "How lawmakers voted on expulsion of Rep. Todd Courser," September 10, 2015
  11. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  12. ↑ Facebook, "Todd Courser," accessed September 14, 2015
  13. ↑ WZZM, "Stalemate continues over resolution to expel Courser," September 11, 2015
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Detroit Free Press, "House fails to reach two-thirds majority vote to expel," September 10, 2015
  15. ↑ Twitter, post by Kathy Gray @michpoligal, September 10, 2015
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Associated Press, "Michigan Expels Republican Lawmaker Cindy Gamrat Over Sex Scandal, Cover-Up," September 11, 2015
  17. ↑ MLive, "Michigan House at standstill in bid to expel Rep. Todd Courser," September 10, 2015
  18. ↑ Detroit Free Press, "Gamrat says she had deal for censure, not expulsion," September 10, 2015
  19. ↑ WDIV, "Michigan House still voting on expulsion for representatives Todd Courser, Cindy Gamrat in cover-up scandal," September 10, 2015
  20. ↑ MLive, "Panel recommends House expel Michigan Reps. Todd Courser, Cindy Gamrat," September 10, 2015
  21. ↑ WXYZ, "Todd Courser resigns, Cindy Gamrat expelled from Michigan House of Representatives," September 11, 2015
  22. ↑ freep.com/, "Calley announces elections for Courser, Gamrat seats," accessed September 14, 2015
  23. ↑ Stateside Associates, "Session Calendar 2015," accessed September 14, 2015
  24. ↑ StateNet, "Daily Session Summary," accessed September 14, 2015
  25. ↑ Special session abruptly adjourned on August 17 with no agreement in place over redistricting congressional districts. The deadline to create new congressional maps was September 1. The new maps will be drawn by the courts.
  26. ↑ StateNet, "Daily Session Summary," accessed September 14, 2015
  27. ↑ Regular session adjourned on February 27
  28. ↑ Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia will hold general elections on November 3, 2015. Louisiana's general elections will be held on November 21.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Mississippi Secretary of State, "2015 Elections," accessed January 2, 2015
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Mississippi Secretary of State, "2015 Election Calendar," accessed January 2, 2015
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 New Jersey Department of Elections, "2015 Primary Election Timeline," accessed February 2, 2015
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Virginia State Board of Elections, "2015 November Election Calendar," accessed January 2, 2015
  33. ↑ scvotes.org, "State House of Representatives District 106 Special Election," accessed June 1, 2015
  34. ↑ wmbfnews.com, "State Rep. Nelson Hardwick resigns following inappropriate conduct complaint investigation," accessed May 18, 2015
  35. ↑ carolinalive.com, "Four Republicans file for open South Carolina State House seat," accessed June 10, 2015
  36. ↑ scvotes.org, "State House of Representatives District 106 Republican Primary," accessed July 29, 2015
  37. ↑ scvotes.org, "State House of Representatives District 106 Republican Primary Runoff," accessed September 16, 2015
  38. ↑ scvotes.org, "State House of Representatives District 106 Special Election," accessed September 16, 2015
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 scvotes.org, "State Senate District 45 Special Election," accessed June 26, 2015
  40. ↑ NBC News, "'This Is a Hate Crime': Nine People Killed at Historic South Carolina Church," June 18, 2015
  41. ↑ scvotes.org, "State Senate District 45 Democratic Primary Runoff," accessed September 16, 2015
  42. ↑ scvotes.org, "State Senate District 45 Democratic Primary," accessed September 16, 2015
  43. ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "State Senate District 45 Special Election," accessed October 21, 2015
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 delawareonline.com/, "Special election date set for September 12," accessed August 7, 2015
  45. ↑ delawareonline.com, "Newark Rep. Mike Barbieri resigns for state job," accessed July 14, 2015
  46. ↑ State of Delaware, "Official Special Election results," accessed September 14, 2015
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 Oklahoma State Election Board, "Oklahoma Elections — 2015," accessed April 22, 2015
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 tulsaworld.com, "Special election set for Tulsa's House District 73," accessed April 22, 2015
  49. ↑ Oklahoma State Election Board, "List of Candidates," accessed May 8, 2015
  50. ↑ News OK, "OKC executive wins District 85 GOP primary," accessed July 15, 2015
  51. ↑ Oklahoma State Election Board, "Official Results - Special Elections - July," accessed July 28, 2015
  52. ↑ Oklahoma State Election Board, "Special Election — September 8, 2015," accessed September 8, 2015
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