Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist signed his first bill today. Gilchrist is the first African American lieutenant governor to sign a bill into law.
Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist signed the bill inside the Capitol rotunda. Governor Gretchen Whitmer is out of the country on a trade mission to Israel.
Gilchrist says the bill signing is historic. And he hopes it opens the door for more diversity in state government.
“I want to make sure that I am doing my best to enable other people to have their own historic experiences. To do things that have never been done before.”
The new law allows certain people in Michigan with a felony on their record to get licenses to sell insurance. People who have not been convicted of a felony in 10 years – and who have no record of certain crimes – will be eligible.