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Lansing Update: Unpacking the committee kerfuffle in the House

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The 102nd Michigan Legislature is just getting started in Lansing, but already there’s been a partisan war of words.

House Republicans, now in the minority, are upset about committee assignments doled out by the Democratic majority last week.

Some say it was partisan retaliation for their vote against making Democratic state Rep. Joe Tate the Speaker of the House.

Unlike in the U.S. House, where parties each assign their own members to committees, in the Michigan House, the speaker has more say over where minority members serve.

The Michigan Public Radio Network's Colin Jackson walked us through what's going on. Listen to his conversation with IPR Morning Edition host Dan Wanschura, through the audio player above.

Ever since he was young, Dan has been fascinated with radio. From hearing the dulcet tones of John Gordon broadcast Minnesota Twins games, to staying up late listening to radio theater, he was captivated by the imaginative medium.