SB51, titled the Black Leadership Advisory Council Act, would codify a state advisory council to recommend policies to the governor and state agencies aimed at addressing alleged discrimination and racial inequities in areas such as housing, education, healthcare, employment, and economic opportunity. The council would also act as a resource for community groups by providing information about state programs, funding opportunities, and compliance requirements. The bill codifies an advisory council that had previously been created by executive order, enshrining it in state statute, so it will not depend on a governor's order.
The Michigan State Senate passed SB51 on March 19, 2025 by a vote of 29 to 7. We have assigned pluses to the nays because this bill expands government bureaucracy by directing yet another state commission to study supposed discrimination and racial inequities—an exercise that assumes inequality and invites policymakers to engineer outcomes through further regulation. Instead of uniting Michiganders, this approach reinforces group identities and frames ordinary occupational choices as evidence of discrimination. As the Declaration of Independence affirms, "all men are created equal" and endowed with God-given rights; government's role is to secure those rights, not divide people into categories or use data studies to justify more interference in the market.
United States Constitution
Preamble
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
United States Constitution
Fifth Amendment
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
United States Constitution
14th Amendment Section 1
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
