The Courser / Gamrat Scandal sex here in Michigan is probably going to take a long time to go away. People tend to enjoy a good gossip (if one can call gossip “good”!) and a scandalous subject often gets dredged up again and again until it’s luster has finally worn off. However in this particular case, the issue of the illicit and adulterous affair and cover-up between Legislators Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat has been raised again for a very different reason – to support a new bill passed by the Michigan House of Representatives.
The legislation was introduced in response to Courser and Gamrat’s attempts to run in special elections to finish the remainder of their terms after one resigned and the other was expelled. Both had been accused of misusing state resources in an effort to cover up their extramarital affair after they discovered they were being blackmailed and feared exposure. Courser resigned and Gamrat was forced out of her legislative seat, but both attempted to get their positions back through the special elections held to fill their seats.
Although both failed in their attempts, and neither returned to serve out the rest of their terms in the Michigan legislature, it was the fact that they tried which upset some people. As a result, a new bill was introduced that would deny any expelled or resigned lawmaker the ability to run in the special elections held to fill their former seat in the House.
However, while this bill was voted through the Michigan House with a healthy majority of 72 to the opposing 36, that doesn’t mean it’s destined for success. After all, this isn’t the first time a bill like this has made it through the House, only to die in the Senate. Similar legislation won approval in the House in 2016, but never made it passed the Senate. So it remains to be seen how the Senate feels about this round.
Republican Representative Aaron Miller of Sturgis, MI who sponsored the bill, says that he introduced this bill because he hoped to eliminate a loophole in our Michigan law. This way it would be possible to ensure that a legislator’s resignation or expulsion would be effective for the rest of the term.
For those of you who weren’t aware of the Courser and Gamrat Scandal in Lansing, it is something that we’ve covered on a number of occasions. The story centers around the adulterous affair between two lawmakers who, when one believed their affair was about to be exposed, tried to prime the public by forcing an aid to release ridiculous sex-related stories about himself.
The result was dismissal from the House for both of them, felony charges, lawsuits and endless speculation about what should have or could have taken place. If you haven’t read our previous articles, and are hoping to get caught up so that you have a better idea of this story’s history, you can start here, then read this article, and then wrap it up with this one. We will keep our eye on this bill and let you know if it ever makes it past the Senate and gets signed into law.