Briefs
Report: Michigan teacher salaries still lag those of college-educated peers
A new study by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) shows Michigan’s teachers are just below the national average in terms of their weekly “wage penalty,” or the amount by which their salary lags other college-educated workers. The EPI, a liberal Washington, D.C.-based think tank, found in its report that the penalty in question has risen […]
Peters calls GOP’s tariff inaction ‘mind-blowing’
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.) slammed President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war with China on Monday night, noting the harm it’s doing to Michigan’s agriculture industry. Peters said on MSNBC host Chris Hayes’ “All In” program that tariffs can be useful and China needs to be held accountable as a trading partner. But he […]
Nessel slams GOP auto insurance bills as ‘carte blanche’ for fraud
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel released an official statement today opposing recently passed Republican plans to reform the state’s auto insurance system, saying they would “destroy” her office’s efforts to combat insurance fraud. “Without any funding appropriations – in addition to the Senate’s 10 percent reduction in our General Fund appropriation – auto insurance fraud […]
Gov. issues 1st line-item veto in wrongful imprisonment bill, signs snow day forgiveness
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed two bills on Friday — one improving transparency in the state’s Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation Fund in which she issued her first line-item veto and another unexpectedly controversial bill forgiving four make-up days for Michigan schools. House Bill 4286, sponsored by state Rep. Steve Johnson (R-Wayland), which passed unanimously through both the […]
Nessel asks court to reject Nassar re-sentencing appeal
Attorney General Dana Nessel is asking the Michigan Court of Appeals to reject an appeal from disgraced former Michigan State University gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, who was sentenced to between 40 and 175 years in prison for sexually abusing more than 100 young girls. Nessel wrote in a legal brief in reply to Nassar’s attorneys […]
Benson testifies to Congress, kicks off bipartisan voting rights tour
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is joining with Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill on a bipartisan, three-day voting rights tour that starts Thursday in his state. That comes after Benson testified Wednesday on election security to the U.S. Committee on House Administration. Merrill, a Republican, and Benson, a Democrat, are hosting the event that […]
Nessel joins AGs urging marijuana banking legislation
Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined yet another national coalition of attorneys general advocating for legal reform, this time to federal banks’ ability to service marijuana-related businesses. The bipartisan group of 38 AGs are urging Congress to pass the Secure And Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act. House Resolution 1595 was introduced by a bipartisan group […]
New: Michigan State Medical Society opposes Senate GOP abortion restrictions
The Michigan State Medical Society (MSMS) has come out against anti-abortion bills slated to be debated Thursday morning in a state Senate committee. The Michigan Advance has obtained a copy of the May 1 letter from MSMS President Dr. Betty Chu written to Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Peter Lucido (R-Shelby Twp.) on Senate Bill 229, […]
DeRoche, VerHeulen named to bipartisan criminal justice reform panel
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced on Wednesday her appointments to the state’s new Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration, which the Democratic governor established last month by executive order. Among her notable selections are Craig DeRoche (R-Novi), a Republican former Michigan House speaker, and former state Rep. Rob VerHeulen (R-Walker). The new task force, […]
AOC calls out private prison company opening Michigan immigration facility
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) took to Twitter Wednesday to slam a private prison company that plans to reopen a facility in Michigan that will house undocumented immigrants on criminal charges. The freshman New York Democrat, most famous for her outspoken support for democratic socialism and the Green New Deal, called out the GEO Group […]
Slotkin lashes out at DeVos for not meeting with Nassar survivors
Updated, 3:34 p.m. with comments from DeVos’ office U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) said she met with U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Tuesday to discuss sexual assault and harassment in K-12 schools and on college campuses. Slotkin told the Advance last month she scheduled the meeting with DeVos, a fellow Michigander, because she wanted to […]
Nessel creates new pot law work group
Attorney General Dana Nessel announced this week that her office is creating a new work group to examine laws and regulations related to recreational and medical marijuana. The group, led by Nessel, will be made up of law enforcement, attorneys specializing in marijuana issues and state officials with the goal of making recommendations to the […]