From the Associated Press — The Michigan Legislature, where majority Republicans have blasted Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer over severance payments to top officials, has disclosed nearly $700,000 in separation agreements or legal settlements over the past decade. The bulk of the payouts, $632,000, involved 30 separation deals in the Senate since 2010. Individual payments weren’t released. Three House agreements, totaling nearly $60,000, settled legal disputes with terminated employees. Neither chamber disclosed details of the deals, citing their confidential nature. Critics are accusing Republicans of hypocrisy, though
it is unclear if any legislative employee got a six-figure payout like former state health director Robert Gordon.
