Michigan lawmakers are considering the benefits of going part-time

LANSING, Mich. (AP) -     Michigan lawmakers are looking at legislation that would make themselves part-time politicians.
    Backers of bills that have been or will be introduced in the new legislative session say the state Legislature is only one of four in the nation to be truly on the job full-time. They argue there's no reason they can't do their work in fewer days and with fewer dollars.
   Critics including Republican Governor Rick Snyder and some legislative leaders say the demands of the work require full-time attention.
   St. Joseph Republican Senator John Proos was quoted in a recent Detroit Free Press article that "there's no reason" he and his colleagues can't go part-time. He introduced a bill in the Senate that would let voters decide if lawmakers should work only 90 days a year.