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New Lame Duck laws that you haven’t heard about
With almost 400 bills making their way to the desk of Gov. Rick Snyder over the course of four weeks, plenty of Lame Duck legislation doesn’t get attention. The biggest story was probably the term-limited Republican vetoing a bill stripping power from Attorney General-elect Dana Nessel. And there have been plenty of headlines about Snyder […]
Missed anything in the busiest Lame Duck ever? Catch up here.
Members of the 99th Michigan Legislature made history this year, sending more than 400 pieces of legislation to Gov. Rick Snyder in the body’s busiest lame-duck session in history. Joe Borgstrom, principal of the Lansing economic development firm Place+Main, summed up a lot of the criticism of this frenzied Lame Duck session in a recent tweet. […]
Michigan Senate bets on internet gambling
The Michigan Senate voted Thursday night to approve a series of bills legalizing online gambling in Detroit and tribal casinos. House Bills 4926, 4927 and 5881, all sponsored by state Rep. Brandt Iden (R-Portage), had already passed the House in June. The Senate amended the bills to ensure that Detroit would continue to receive a minimum $179 […]
Snyder signs bill allowing non-certified teachers in classrooms
Gov. Rick Snyder earlier today signed a bill that will allow those with professional career expertise to substitute teach in grades 9-12 without a teaching certificate. “This legislation will help schools fill teacher shortages in programs that offer high-demand career skills so that our students can be prepared for a 21st century economy,” said Snyder, […]
Meekhof praises Ananich as ‘ally and foe’ in goodbye speech
State Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof (R-Grand Haven), tonight gave his final speech on the floor of Michigan’s upper chamber as Gov. Rick Snyder watched. Meekhof, who is term-limited, reflected on his legacy, saying that the job changed him. “I’m not the same person who marveled at my name on the plaque next to the […]
Fireworks changes shoot to Snyder’s desk
Gov. Rick Snyder will decide whether to sign off on changes to Michigan’s fireworks law after the Michigan Senate voted unanimously Thursday for a three-bill package. Under House Bill 5939, sponsored by Rep. Jim Lilly (R-Park Twp.), local governments would have more power to regulate the days when fireworks could be set off than they […]
New Enbridge tunnel process off to rocky start
Today is the last day for the public to submit written comments on a new tunnel housing Enbridge’s Line 5 under the bedrock of the Straits of Mackinac. That’s less than a week after Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation that would shore up the pipeline opposed by environmental groups. You can read the proposed agreement […]
Some Lame Duck bills now likely dead after missing key deadline
The Michigan Legislature is on track to make the 2018 Lame Duck period the busiest in the body’s history, taking up legislation on issues ranging from changes to the new redistricting commission called for in Proposal 2 to deer sterilization permits. But several bills introduced in the Michigan House and Senate are now considered dead. […]