Contract with State Senate District 33
MICHIGAN STATE SENATE
DISTRICT 33
If I am elected, I, Mark Bignell, offer to my constituents my support for the legislation described in this Contract. I agree to draft and introduce such legislation within my first 365 days in office if similar legislation with similar goals has not yet been drafted or introduced.
SECTION I: FAIR ELECTIONS
Article I
Public Campaign Financing
DESCRIPTION:
GOAL:
To prop up the voices of Americans who cannot afford to spend as much on political contributions.
Article II
Campaign Finance Reform
DESCRIPTION:
The following campaign finance reform measures are based on the principle that the right to free speech applies equally to all.
GOAL:
To limit the outsized influence of large donors, and to foster elections that represent a variety of viewpoints and allow candidates and issues (i.e. initiatives and referendums) to compete on a level playing field.
SECTION II: ANTI-CORRUPTION
Article I
Seven-Year Employment Ban for Firms That Employ Lobbyists
DESCRIPTION:
Michigan legislators must wait seven years after leaving office before they can accept employment, or payment for any services performed, from any firm that engages in or contributes to lobbying activities.
GOAL:
To remove institutionalized incentives for corruption in our political system.
Article II
End Partisan Gerrymandering
DESCRIPTION:
Require the state of Michigan to form non-partisan, independent commission to create an algorithm to draw legislative districts after each census for the task of redistricting. The algorithm must draw optimally compact, equal-population congressional districts that respect the boundaries of census blocks, the smallest geographic units used by the Census Bureau.
GOAL:
To allow voters to choose their politicians instead of politicians choosing their voters.
SECTION III: TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY
Article I
Full-Time Public Servants
DESCRIPTION:
Michigan legislators will be held accountable to working* at least 40 hours per week on business pertaining to their elected office, and allowed only four weeks of paid vacation per year. Michigan legislators will be required to keep a detailed record of how they spend their time, and make this record contemporaneously available to their constituents. Pay will be docked for hours not worked.
GOAL:
To get more out of our state legislators, and foster public trust in government.
*Town-halls and meetings with constituents constitute work. Campaigning and fundraising must be done on a legislator’s own time.
Article II
Tie Michigan Legislature Salaries to the State Median Income
DESCRIPTION:
Currently, the base pay for a rank-and-file member of the Michigan state legislature is $71,685 per year, which equates to about 138% of the state median income (~$52,000 per year). This clause would lock in that percentage including cost of living adjustments.
GOAL:
To institute performance-based salaries that members of Michigan Legislature cannot raise on their own. This way, if members of the Michigan Legislature want to raise their own pay, they will only be able to do so by adopting policies that increase the pay of regular people. In this case, for every dollar that the Michigan median income increases or decreases, legislature pay increases or decreases by $1.38.
By signing below, I, Mark Bignell, agree to draft and introduce legislation as described in Sections I, II, and III of this Contract within my first 365 days in office if similar legislation with similar goals has not yet been drafted or introduced. I agree to support and vote for any such legislation that has already been introduced.
This entire agreement constitutes a legally-binding contract between myself and that class of citizens who will be my constituents, should I be elected. If I violate the above-stated terms of this agreement, I will tender on the 366th day after taking the oath of office, my unconditional resignation from the Michigan State Legislature.
SECTION I: FAIR ELECTIONS
Article I
Public Campaign Financing
DESCRIPTION:
- Institute a matching donation program for certain small-dollar contributions.
- Offer voters a political tax credit to be put toward qualified political campaigns.
GOAL:
To prop up the voices of Americans who cannot afford to spend as much on political contributions.
Article II
Campaign Finance Reform
DESCRIPTION:
The following campaign finance reform measures are based on the principle that the right to free speech applies equally to all.
- Institute limits on contributions made to an issue on the ballot or a candidate for public office.
- Institute limits on expenditures advocating for or against any such candidate or for or against an issue on the ballot.
- Institute limits on a candidate’s own expenditures.
- Institute limits on the expenditures for or against an issue on the ballot.
GOAL:
To limit the outsized influence of large donors, and to foster elections that represent a variety of viewpoints and allow candidates and issues (i.e. initiatives and referendums) to compete on a level playing field.
SECTION II: ANTI-CORRUPTION
Article I
Seven-Year Employment Ban for Firms That Employ Lobbyists
DESCRIPTION:
Michigan legislators must wait seven years after leaving office before they can accept employment, or payment for any services performed, from any firm that engages in or contributes to lobbying activities.
GOAL:
To remove institutionalized incentives for corruption in our political system.
Article II
End Partisan Gerrymandering
DESCRIPTION:
Require the state of Michigan to form non-partisan, independent commission to create an algorithm to draw legislative districts after each census for the task of redistricting. The algorithm must draw optimally compact, equal-population congressional districts that respect the boundaries of census blocks, the smallest geographic units used by the Census Bureau.
GOAL:
To allow voters to choose their politicians instead of politicians choosing their voters.
SECTION III: TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY
Article I
Full-Time Public Servants
DESCRIPTION:
Michigan legislators will be held accountable to working* at least 40 hours per week on business pertaining to their elected office, and allowed only four weeks of paid vacation per year. Michigan legislators will be required to keep a detailed record of how they spend their time, and make this record contemporaneously available to their constituents. Pay will be docked for hours not worked.
GOAL:
To get more out of our state legislators, and foster public trust in government.
*Town-halls and meetings with constituents constitute work. Campaigning and fundraising must be done on a legislator’s own time.
Article II
Tie Michigan Legislature Salaries to the State Median Income
DESCRIPTION:
Currently, the base pay for a rank-and-file member of the Michigan state legislature is $71,685 per year, which equates to about 138% of the state median income (~$52,000 per year). This clause would lock in that percentage including cost of living adjustments.
GOAL:
To institute performance-based salaries that members of Michigan Legislature cannot raise on their own. This way, if members of the Michigan Legislature want to raise their own pay, they will only be able to do so by adopting policies that increase the pay of regular people. In this case, for every dollar that the Michigan median income increases or decreases, legislature pay increases or decreases by $1.38.
By signing below, I, Mark Bignell, agree to draft and introduce legislation as described in Sections I, II, and III of this Contract within my first 365 days in office if similar legislation with similar goals has not yet been drafted or introduced. I agree to support and vote for any such legislation that has already been introduced.
This entire agreement constitutes a legally-binding contract between myself and that class of citizens who will be my constituents, should I be elected. If I violate the above-stated terms of this agreement, I will tender on the 366th day after taking the oath of office, my unconditional resignation from the Michigan State Legislature.
Signature: Mark Bignell
Date: 01/21/2018
Date: 01/21/2018