News
New PFAS report issued as Snyder looks for cleanup funding
A new scientific report from a state task force issued nearly 20 recommendations for Michigan to attempt to reign in harmful chemicals known as PFAS. Conducted by Gov. Rick Snyder’s PFAS Science Advisory Panel, the report first suggests that the state identify where PFAS is contaminating drinking water supplies and implement a strategy to remediate […]
Snyder’s Enbridge panel OKs plan to keep Line 5 flowing
Canadian energy company Enbridge won state approval Wednesday to replace an oil pipeline running through the Straits of Mackinac after a new panel charged with overseeing the plan gave its blessing. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources made the announcement just hours after the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority’s (MSCA) inaugural meeting was held Wednesday afternoon […]
Senate panel advances bill limiting ballot petitions over loud objections
A Michigan Senate panel on Wednesday afternoon OK’d a bill that would vastly limit the ability of Michigan citizens to get proposals on the ballot — like the three initiatives for marijuana, redistricting and voting rights that passed on Nov. 6. House Bill 6595, sponsored by state Rep. Jim Lower (R-Cedar Lake), could come up […]
Feds give Flint $2.2M to strip lead paint
Flint was awarded a federal grant for $2.2 million to find and remove lead-based paint from homes across the city, U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint) announced Wednesday. The money comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development after Kildee had previously asked the department for the lead-removal funding, according to the congressman’s office. […]
Redistricting commission looks to dodge Lame Duck bullet
A bill that would put additional requirements on an independent citizen redistricting commission outlined in Proposal 2 is another Lame Duck casualty. Senate Bill 1254, sponsored by state Sen. Phil Pavlov (R-St. Clair Twp.), sailed through the upper chamber by a mostly party-line 25-12 vote on Dec. 5. But as the Advance reported early Wednesday […]
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 […]
Bieda breaks up 17-hour Senate session with candid T-Rex shots
Marathon Lame Duck legislative sessions will wear out even the best of us. State Sen. Steve Bieda (D-Warren) found a way to break up the almost 17-hour Michigan Senate session on Tuesday by taking a few candid photos of his colleagues and posting them on Facebook. For fun, he also took the shots with a […]
GOP appears to kill secretary of state bill, other ‘power grab’ measures still alive
The Republican Lame Duck bill designed to remove power from Democratic Secretary of State-elect Jocelyn Benson, which generated harsh criticism as a “power grab” in media reports from across the nation, appears to be all but dead. Senate Bill 1248, sponsored by term-limited state Sen. Dave Robertson (R-Grand Blanc), had passed the Michigan Senate last […]
A-F education bill makes the grade in Senate
Updated, 2:30 p.m. Dec. 19 The GOP-led Michigan Senate this evening in a 21-17 vote passed House Bill 5526, a measure that would require state government to give each public school A-F letter grades in areas related to student performance. The vote on the bill, sponsored by state Rep. Tim Kelly (R-Saginaw Twp.), came after […]
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 […]
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 […]