Business + Labor
Incoming Michigan congressional members head to Harvard
Two newly elected Democratic members of Michigan’s congressional delegation recently shared their thoughts on an early-December trip to Harvard University that included some of the country’s top business executives. U.S. Reps.-elect Andy Levin (D-Bloomfield Twp.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) were among the newly-elected congressional representatives to take part in a semi-annual retreat hosted by the […]
Whitmer pledges to bring back bottled water for Flint
After the Gov. Rick Snyder administration made the call in April to stop giving out bottled water to Flint residents, his successor said she will bring the program back. The Republican’s administration cited almost two years of test results showing falling lead levels in city tap water. But many Flint leaders and residents remain alarmed […]
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 takes economic victory lap in last days
As Gov. Rick Snyder prepares to leave office in less than two weeks, he gets to exit with some solid economic news. The office of the self-proclaimed “nerd” announced Wednesday that almost 560,000 private-sector jobs have been created under his administration dating back to 2011. The news release also noted that unemployment has held steady […]
Updated: No-fault overhaul crashes and burns, but supporters vow 2019 fight
Updated, 4:00 a.m. Dec. 21 An attempt to overhaul the state’s auto no-fault law has died in the House before a vote ever took place, according to a statement released by House Republicans. State Reps. Tom Barrett (R-Potterville) and Joseph Bellino (R-Monroe) had been pushing fellow Republicans to support tiered auto insurance options in a […]
GOP memo: Latest no-fault plan won’t guarantee lower rates
The latest version of draft legislation to overhaul the state’s auto no-fault law scraps mandated insurance rate reductions. That’s despite allowing tiered plans that provide less medical coverage, according to a Republican memo obtained by the Michigan Advance. Lowering costs for Michiganders was a fundamental part of previous plans. It was the reason why no-fault […]
Recreational pot escapes Lame Duck unscathed, but advocates still uneasy
Republican Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof’s plan to scale back the state’s newly minted recreational marijuana law is dead — and it never really stood a chance in the Legislature. But Michigan pot advocates are still uneasy about what’s going on with medical marijuana. Michigan passed the law legalizing weed for medical use back in […]
No-fault reform gearing up in House, but may sputter in Senate
The House is likely to take up an auto no-fault insurance overhaul Wednesday or Thursday, sources say, but the Senate may not have much appetite to give it another go this session. Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof (R-Grand Haven) has said he was not planning on taking up the issue again. And his spokesperson confirmed […]
Elder to lead Legislative Labor Caucus
Beginning next year, the Michigan Legislature will have its first group geared toward working people, whether organized or not, in decades. Chaired by state Rep. Brian Elder (D-Bay City), the nascent Michigan Legislative Labor Caucus will aim to better help both Democratic and Republican legislators from around the state learn and address issues impacting working […]
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. […]
Updated: House looks to take up no-fault overhaul this week in Lame Duck surprise
Updated, 5:38 p.m. Amid the flurry of Lame Duck legislation this year, a plan is circulating in the state House to overhaul Michigan’s no-fault auto insurance system. It could come up for a vote this week. The Michigan Advance obtained an early draft of the legislation and confirmed with multiple sources that Detroit Mayor Mike […]