Dana's Dispatch: Progressive women in charge, AG joins coalition supporting accountability for firearms industry, Dems move to strike abortion ban, & more!

[logo]( AG Nessel appears on Politics Nation to discuss abortion laws, voting rights, gun reform Rev. Al Sharpton, Politics Nation MSNBC, January 21, 2023   After years of misogyny, racism and threats in Lansing, progressive women are in charge A pink wave crashed in Michigan in the midterm elections — not a red one. What will it mean for Capitol culture, politics and policy? Photo courtesy of Michigan Advance The paintings lining the walls of the Michigan Capitol tell a story of power, of the primarily white men who — year after year, decade after decade — have dominated the state’s political landscape. There are the exceptions: The portrait of Eva McCall Hamilton, a suffragist from Grand Rapids who became the first woman elected to the Michigan Legislature in 1920, hangs in the Senate chamber. William Webb Ferguson, who in 1893 became the first African American elected to the Legislature, has his portrait in the Capitol, as does the first woman to become Michigan’s governor, Jennifer Granholm. But, for the most part, the faces depicting Michigan’s legislative history in the state’s corridors of power are a sea of white men — a trend that continues to be seen in state legislatures across the country. That, however, is changing in Michigan. And when the state’s 102nd Legislature convened for the first time this month, its makeup changed dramatically. Women lawmakers, the majority of them Democrats, constitute about 40% of the new Michigan Legislature — the 14th highest number of women in a state legislature in the country and more than double the percentage in 2016, when women made up about 19.6% of the Michigan House and Senate. In the Senate, there are 12 Democrats and three Republicans who are women. In the House, 32 Democrats and 12 Republicans who are women are in office this term. And Rep. Emily Dievendorf (D-Lansing) is the first openly nonbinary lawmaker to serve in Michigan. The new Democratic majorities in the House and Senate join the three Democratic women who continue to helm the state: Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. Whitmer, Nessel and Benson soundly defeated their Republican opponents in November: gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon, attorney general candidate Matthew DePerno and secretary of state candidate Kristina Karamo, respectively. This increase in women lawmakers stemming from the 2022 midterm elections can largely be attributed to candidates and voters backing abortion rights — such as with Michigan’s Proposal 3 that passed with a 13-point margin and enshrines abortion and other reproductive rights in the state Constitution — after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, elected officials and political experts said. “When you look at the numbers on this [the election] and where the Democrats won where no one expected them to, I think there were a lot of voters, and especially women voters, that, when they were casting their ballot, said, ‘I don’t want any politician, whether they’re in Washington, D.C., or whether they’re in Lansing, telling me what I can and can’t do with my own body, especially when you’re talking about things that have been legal for women in the state and in this country for nearly 50 years,” said Nessel, the second female AG in Michigan history and the first openly gay top elected official who has long championed abortion rights. [READ MORE]( Anna Gustafson, Michigan Advance (January 21, 2023) After years of misogyny, racism and threats in Lansing, progressive women are in charge Retrieved from: [After years of misogyny, racism and threats in Lansing, progressive women are in charge](   AG Nessel joins coalition supporting accountability for firearms industry Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general, led by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, supporting a New York law to hold the firearms industry accountable. Photo courtesy of WILX 10 In an amicus brief, the coalition argues that New York has the authority to protect residents and public safety. New York enacted its statute to hold gun industry members accountable for the irresponsible sale and marketing of firearms when it results in harm to the public. Under the law, public officials or private citizens can file a lawsuit against a gun industry member when they knowingly or recklessly endanger the safety or health of the public in New York state through the unlawful or unreasonable sale, manufacturing, importing, or marketing of firearms. Gun industry members can also be held liable when they fail to use reasonable controls and procedures to prevent firearms from being unlawfully used or sold in New York state. “It’s time for gun manufacturers and dealers to be held accountable when they act irresponsibly, such as in failing to prevent the straw purchasing of guns or employing marketing strategies that target vulnerable youth,” Nessel said. “The New York law is common-sense firearm legislation that imposes reasonable regulations to respond to the gun industry’s misconduct. I proudly stand with my colleagues in supporting New York’s desire to protect the public by enacting this new law.” [READ MORE]( Kayla Jones, WILX (January 18, 2023) AG Nessel joins coalition supporting accountability for firearms industry Retrieved from: [AG Nessel joins coalition supporting accountability for firearms industry](   Michigan Democrats move to strike abortion ban references from state law The passage of Proposal 3 in November may have made abortion a constitutional right in Michigan, but state Democrats say work remains to strip existing bans from the books. [image of ...] Photo courtesy of Bridge Michigan Legislation to repeal a now-unenforceable 1931 law that made abortion a felony except in life-threatening pregnancies were among the first bills introduced in both the House and Senate, and Democratic leadership in both chambers have said rooting out additional abortion restrictions is a top priority. The latest bills in the effort, introduced this week by Reps. Felicia Brabec, D-Pittsfield, and Stephanie Young, D-Detroit, would remove the felony abortion law from the Michigan Corrections Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure. “Michigan’s laws must reflect the will of the people today,” Brabec said in a Thursday statement. “We need to eliminate unenforceable laws that are no longer relevant in our state.” Lawmakers are seeking input from staff researchers and advocacy groups like Planned Parenthood of Michigan and American Civil Liberties Union Michigan to identify any laws that contradict with the constitutional amendment, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, recently told Bridge. Attorney General Dana Nessel, during a media call hosted by the Democratic Attorneys General Association Thursday, predicted that “we're going to see a number of laws that are on the books right now be repealed” now that Democrats control the Legislature. “This is a battle that has to be fought — but can be won — in the states,” Nessel said. “Michigan is a shining example of people taking their medical decisions and their rights into their own hands.” [READ MORE]( Lauren Gibbons, Bridge Michigan (January 19, 2023) Michigan Democrats move to strike abortion ban references from state law Retrieved from: [Michigan Democrats move to strike abortion ban references from state law](   AG: Detroit man sentenced for stealing $20,000 from Comerica Bank accounts A Detroit man has been sentenced for obtaining people's Comerica account numbers and stealing more than $20,000 from their bank accounts, according to the Michigan Attorney General's Office. Kevin Adolph, 27, worked with a Comerica Bank teller in Novi, Britnie Miah, to get customers' account numbers and steal money from them, according to a press release from the Attorney General's Office. Miah was sentenced to two years of probation in December after pleading guilty to two counts of identity theft. Adolph was sentenced Wednesday to two to 20 years in prison for conducting a criminal enterprise. Adolph and Miah were caught after one Comerica customer raised concerns that someone was trying to access her online bank account without her permission, according to the press release. Between June and August 2018, they took $20,000 from customers. Adolph tried to take an additional $88,000 from bank accounts but was caught by the bank's security before the money could be taken, according to the press release. “Having your identity and savings compromised is a painful experience no one should have to go through — especially when you’re entrusting a financial institution to protect your privacy,” AG Dana Nessel said in a press release. “My office remains committed to ensuring Michiganders are not taken advantage of by bad actors. I will continue to work with local officials to protect our residents from dishonest practices.” [READ MORE]( Kara Berg, The Detroit News (January 20, 2023) AG: Detroit man sentenced for stealing $20,000 from Comerica Bank accounts Retrieved from: [AG: Detroit man sentenced for stealing $20,000 from Comerica Bank accounts](   Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to host Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Law Day Calling undergraduate students, law students, and recent law school graduates - the Department of Attorney General offers exciting job and internship opportunities in the legal field and other areas. Join us in Lansing or Detroit to learn more about our work areas, discover opportunities, and meet our staff. [Register now!](   KEEP IN TOUCH WITH DANA: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Web Site]( Any donor history information in this email reflects what we have on file for this specific email address. If you have donated with a different email address, with a check, or with a spouse – thank you so much. We have that on file and cannot thank you enough for your support. Paid for by Friends of Dana Nessel Friends of Dana Nessel P.O. Box 11141 Lansing, MI 48901 United States If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please [unsubscribe](.