News
Whitmer, Great Lakes governors oppose Trump’s water order
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and four other Democratic Great Lakes governors wrote a letter this week to President Donald Trump’s administration opposing an executive order over changes to water quality certifications. Trump last week issued an executive order easing energy regulations that also alters the Clean Water Act, making it easier to approve pipeline projects. Both […]
MSU opens ‘Sister Survivors’ exhibit with Whitmer, survivors in attendance
Updated 10:07 p.m., 10:18 p.m. The Michigan State University Museum opened an exhibit of art and artifacts related to the survivors of the Dr. Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal on Tuesday, in a ceremony that featured emotional testimony from public and MSU officials as well as the survivors themselves. “I wanted this horrible thing to […]
Whitmer signs bill meant to ‘streamline’ pot biz applications
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation Tuesday that her office says “clarifies and streamlines the licensing process” for medical marijuana and hemp growers. Whitmer signed Senate Bill 203, which defines an applicant for a medical marijuana or hemp business as someone with a stake of greater than 10 percent in a company. It also requires them […]
Michigan House Dems await GOP counter-proposals on road funding
Michigan House Democrats mostly feel like they’re biding their time, as they await a Republican counter-proposal to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s call for a 45-cent gas tax hike to “fix the damn roads.” Whitmer has said she knows that voting to raise the gas tax that much — which would give Michigan the highest fuel taxes […]
Whitmer backs consent training in sex ed classes
Updated with a clarification from Hertel, 8:46 p.m. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is heralding state Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr.’s latest attempt to include consent training in Michigan public schools’ sex education classes. The governor said in a statement Tuesday that reducing the number of sexual assaults “starts with teaching our kids about consent,” and pointed to […]
Nessel: Roe v. Wade will be overturned, won’t prosecute women for abortions
Three of the state’s top Democratic officials appeared at a Planned Parenthood summit in Lansing today, affirming their support for women’s reproductive rights and abortion access. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel and state House Minority Leader Christine Greig (D-Farmington Hills) all spoke, but it was Nessel whose remarks were the most pointed regarding […]
Dems introduce LGBT adoption bills
House and Senate Democrats have introduced legislation expanding adoption rights to LGBT couples. Last month, Attorney General Dana Nessel settled a lawsuit with Kristy and Dana Dumont, a Dimondale couple who was turned away from religious adoption agencies because they are gay. The settlement bans state-contracted adoption entities from discriminating about LGBT couples. On Monday, […]
‘Religious liberty’ firm sues Nessel, DHHS over same-sex adoption rule
A group that intervened in a 2017 lawsuit over same-sex adoption rights settled last month by Attorney General Dana Nessel sued her office on Monday, along with state and federal health agencies, claiming the settlement infringes on the religious liberties of the adoption agency in question. The plaintiffs, foster parents Melissa and Chad Buck of […]
Nessel joins group fighting Mississippi anti-abortion law
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined 20 other state attorneys general in support of women’s reproductive rights. Nessel, in a statement on Monday afternoon, announced that the coalition had filed a brief in federal court on Friday to support Mississippi’s sole abortion clinic. The case, Jackson Women’s Health Organization, et al. v. State Health […]
Enviro scorecard: Peters, Stabenow earn 100%, Huizenga, Walberg at zero
Michigan’s congressional delegation lagged those of the greenest states in the nation when it comes to supporting environmentally-friendly federal policy, according to a new report from the League of Conservation Voters. The report for 2018 — before this current term — offered consistently high marks to Democrats, but few to Republicans, including in Michigan. The […]
Magic Johnson-backed state fairgrounds redevelopment moves forward
The long-vacant Michigan State Fairgrounds on the border between Detroit and Oakland County could soon see new life. On Monday morning, the state’s Land Bank Fast Track Authority announced that it had closed on a deal with real estate firm Magic Plus LLC to acquire 16 acres of the disused fairground. The city of Detroit, […]
Nessel: 2020 female presidential contenders are getting short shrift
It’s yet another week when women running for president are absent from the vaunted Sunday morning news shows. If you’ve thought that male candidates are netting more TV and social media attention than female contenders, you’re not alone — Attorney General Dana Nessel does, too. At a conference on Saturday in Okemos organized by Women […]