LANSING, Mich. (April 23, 2026) — Today, Sen. Mary Cavanagh (D-Redford Twp.) introduced Senate Bill 929, which would repeal Michigan’s emergency manager law. Enacted in 2013, the law has allowed the state to place emergency managers in charge of financially distressed cities and school districts — many of which have been low-income and majority-Black areas. Instead of restoring resources and stability, emergency management has proved to undermine local democracy, erode municipal autonomy, and strip communities of viable resources.
“With over two decades of civic engagement and public service experience, I’ve dedicated my career to standing up for our most vulnerable and calling out inequity and injustice,” said Sen. Cavanagh. “Michigan’s emergency manager law perpetuates that inequity — from selling off public assets for a fraction of their value to forcing cities to dissolve entire school districts to leading Detroit Public Schools into a deeper deficit and to the closure of dozens of school buildings in the city. That’s why I’m proud to champion this bill that will restore autonomy to local municipalities and empower communities to make their own governing decisions.”
This legislation has been referred to the Senate Committee on Local Government, where it awaits further consideration.
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