Category: Michigan

Michigan Governor Shifts Tone on Police Funding, School Resource Officers

The Center Square

There’s been a shift in tone from Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer on policing issues, most notably on the funding of the state’s police and adding school resource officers. 

After the George Floyd murder in May 2020, Whitmer said that she supported the “spirit” of efforts to defund the police as a way of reallocating resources, the Detroit Free Press reported. A few years later, the state is hiring more than 200 school resource officers with state police funding on the rise. 

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Gov. Whitmer: 200k Michiganders to Get High Speed Internet Access

The Center Square

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration say Michigan will receive over $1.5 billion through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program to expand high-speed internet access and digital equity to over 200,000 Michiganders in underserved areas.

Funding for this program comes from the $65 billion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and aims to ensure Michigan residents have access to affordable, reliable, and high-speed internet.  

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Michigan House Approves Tax Changes for Prepared Foods

The Center Square

The Democrat-dominated Michigan House passed two sales and use tax bills critics say are unnecessary and will confuse business owners.

House Bills 4377 and 4378 passed on votes of 56-53. The bills cover prepared food either sold in a heated state or heated by the seller or that is two or more food ingredients that are mixed or combined by the seller for sale as a single item.

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Data: Michigan Labor Force Grew in May

The Center Square

Not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates increased in 16 of Michigan’s 17 labor market areas over the month, according to data released today by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget.

“Regional jobless rates advanced in May as residents began entering the summer job market,” labor market information director for the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics Wayne Rourke said in a statement. “Payroll employment rose in most metro areas over the month.”

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After Wisconsin Line 5 Ruling, Michigan Business Leaders Say Build the Tunnel

The Center Square

A federal court on Friday ordered Canadian oil company Enbridge to cease the flow of oil and decommission within three years the segment of its Line 5 pipeline in Wisconsin trespassing on the reservation of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.

Concurrently, Michigan’s business leaders urged the United States Army Corps of Engineers to give the approval needed for the construction of the Great Lakes Tunnel.

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Michigan City Bans Display of LGBTQ Flags from City Property

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On Tuesday, the city council of Hamtramck, Michigan voted to pass a resolution that forbids the display of pro-LGBTQ flags from any city property.

As reported by Breitbart, the vote by the all-Muslim council of the Detroit-area city was unanimous. The resolution in question was proposed by Mayor Pro-Tem Muhammad Hassan, and also prohibits the display of any flags that feature religious, racial, sexual, or political connotation; only the American flag is allowed on city property under the new measure, along with state and city flags, other nationalities’ flags, and the Prisoner of War flag.

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Committee Says Prospective Michigan Plant’s Farmland Purchase Not in Its Jurisdiction

The Center Square

Local and national efforts to stymie the building of an electric vehicle battery components plant in Michigan were dealt another setback on Tuesday.

The U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment declared that the purchase of farmland in Big Rapids by Gotion was not within its jurisdiction. Opponents of the $2.4 billion plant have protested ties by its parent company to China and raised concerns about the environment.

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Michigan Construction Group Opposes Democrats in Union Fray

The Center Square

A statewide association serving Michigan’s commercial and industrial construction sectors on Monday announced their strong opposition to Democrat-sponsored legislation to repeal the state’s 2011 Fair and Open Competition in Government Construction Act.

Shane Hernandez, president of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan, told The Center Square that the effort announced by House Democrats last March would undo protections for 85% of the state’s construction workers who don’t belong to a union. The current law prohibits union mandates for workers on government building contracts.

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Michigan Gov. Whitmer Signs Executive Order Creating Statewide LGBTQ Commission to Address Policy ‘Inequality’

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Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order on Sunday creating a statewide LGBTQ commission to address inequality and discrimination.

The commission will advise Whitmer and the director of the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity on policy which directly impacts the state’s LGBTQ community, the executive order reads. The commission will also identify ways to attract members of the LGBTQ community to Michigan by assuring them that the state “is a safe place where its members and their families can thrive.”

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Michigan Gov. Whitmer Signs Distracted Driving Bills

The Center Square

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday signed into law three distracted driving bills requiring hands-free cellphone use.

The bills provide exceptions such as hands-free use, emergency use, using a device’s navigation feature as long as the information isn’t entered by hand, or using a single button press, tap, or swipe to activate or deactivate a device or to select a name or phone number.

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Michigan Bill Aims to Make All Copays Count Toward Deductible, Out-of-Pocket Max

The Center Square

Legislation unveiled Tuesday aims to prevent insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers from using “copay accumulator adjuster programs” that exclude copay assistance payments from counting toward the patient’s deductible or out-of-pocket maximum.

Rep. Carrie Rheingans, D-Ann Arbor, said her bill would help chronically ill people afford medicine, including individuals living with rare conditions such as cancer, hemophilia, and arthritis.

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Former Michigan Police Officer Who Pulled Gun on Delivery Driver Must Stand Trial

The Center Square

A Clinton County Circuit Court judge has denied a motion to dismiss felony charges against former DeWitt police officer Chad Vorce for pulling a gun on a newspaper delivery driver.

The motion aimed to dismiss the felonious assault, felony firearm, and misconduct in office charges filed after Vorce drew his weapon twice near a newspaper delivery driver on Jan. 14, 2021.

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Michigan Council to Address Population Decline, Education, and Infrastructure

The Center Square

Michigan’s governor by executive order has created the “Growing Michigan Together Council,” a team of nearly two dozen she wants to continue economic momentum while also stopping the migration out of state that has dropped population.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced her new initiative Thursday morning, which she said would address the state’s outbound population and spur further economic development. The council will be chaired by John Rakolta Jr., a Republican, and Shirley Stancato, a Democrat.

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Three People in Michigan Charged in $6 Million Pandemic Fraud Scheme

The Center Square

Eight people were charged for alleged roles in a $6 million fraud scheme targeting multiple pandemic relief programs, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.

Since COVID began, foreign and domestic criminals have targeted government assistance programs often using stolen identities bought from the dark web. The indictment says the defendants caused fraudulent unemployment insurance claims, fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan applications, and fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications to be submitted for multiple individuals and business entities.

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Report: Michigan Cut Its Rape Kit Backlog 95 Percent in Past Five Years

The Center Square

From 2018 to 2022, Michigan reduced by 95% the number of untested sexual assault evidence collection kits held by law enforcement,

USAFacts released last week a state-by-state analysis of rape kits backlogs. Researchers filed public records requests with each state, asking them to provide rape kit backlog data between 2018 and 2022. Thirty states and Washington D.C. provided data.

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Michigan Catches $4 Million of Food Stamp Fraud; Mum on Fraud Scope

The Center Square

Standing in the checkout lines or in virtual lines at Sam’s Clubs in metro Detroit, criminals are spending government benefits stolen from people more than 2,000 miles away in California.

On May 24, three people – Travis Newby, 39, of Detroit, Derriun Williams, 23, of Detroit, and Vanessa Williams, 47, of Highland Park – were arrested and arraigned on felony charges.

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University of Michigan’s Botanical Garden Employs DEI Manager, Hosts ‘Confronting Racism’ Training

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University of Michigan’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum is committed to diversity – but not simply the diversity of the plants and animals that call the facility home.

It also employs a DEI manager and actively works to combat racism within its 700 acres of gardens and natural preserves to make up for its “participation in systemic injustices.”

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Michigan State University Revises Language Guide to Remove ‘Bunnies,’ ‘Christmas Trees’ from List of Offensive Terms

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Michigan State University (MSU) appears to have revised an inclusive language guide to remove words such as “bunnies,” “chicks” and “America” from its list of potentially offensive terms following a string of backlash, the New Guard reported.

MSU’s language guide originally warned readers to refrain from using specific words, such as “bunnies,” “chicks,” “Christmas trees” and “reindeer,”  that could be affiliated with religious holidays. The guide currently posted on the university’s website was revised in April and removes the section as well as one that listed “America” as an avoidable term.

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Michigan Unemployment Rates Dropped in April

The Center Square

Unemployment in Michigan’s 17 labor markets decreased by a median rate reduction of 0.8 percentage points in April compared to April 2022, according to data released Thursday morning by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget.

All but one of Michigan’s 83 counties saw a reduction in unemployment rates between March and April. The median decrease was reported by the DTMB as 1.7 percentage points. Year-over-year rate reductions were experienced in 79 counties.

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Michigan Supreme Court to Decide Limits of Warrantless Drone Surveillance

The Center Square

The Michigan Supreme Court agreed to decide whether the government can use drones to surveil private property without a warrant and then use that evidence in court for zoning violations. 

For two years, Long Lake Township zoning officials flew a drone over Todd and Heather Maxon’s property in northern Michigan, taking photographs and videos as part of a zoning dispute.

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Michigan Facing Nearly a Billion Dollar Revenue Drop from Tax Changes

The Center Square

Michigan faces a nearly $900 million revenue loss this year thanks to recent tax changes as lawmakers plan a record $81 billion budget for fiscal year 2024.

At Michigan’s Revenue Estimating Conference, state Treasurer Rachael Eubanks, Senate Fiscal Agency Director Kathryn Summers, and House Fiscal Agency Director Mary Ann Cleary reached a consensus on revised revenue figures for fiscal years 2023, 2024, and 2025.

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Michigan’s Unemployment Rate Drops Below Four Percent

The Center Square

Michigan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by three-tenths of a percentage point to 3.8% during April, according to data from the Department of Technology, Management, and Budget.

Employment in the state rose by 30,000, while unemployment decreased by 14,000. Michigan’s labor force rose by 18,000 over the month, with some sectors rebounding from COVID’s job losses. 

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Michigan State Representative Introduces FAIR Act to ‘Protect’ Female Athletes

The Center Square

The Female Athletics Integrity of Records Act was introduced last week in the Michigan House of Representatives.

Otherwise known as House Bill 4546, the FAIR Act aims to require the categorization of sporting event awards, rankings, and records with each competitor’s biological sex. If signed into law, the law would apply to any publicly-funded event with clearly designated male and female competitions.

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Analysis: Michigan Students’ Estimated Lifetime Earnings Losses Exceed $19 Billion

The Center Square

Learning losses for Michigan students during the COVID-19 pandemic could result in a combined lifetime income loss exceeding $19 billion, according to research from Harvard and Stanford universities.

The Education Recovery Scorecard was released this week by Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research and the Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford. The scorecard measures learning loss in 40 states between 2019 and 2022, and estimates how much earnings will be subtracted from students’ lifetime earnings.

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Michigan Teachers’ Effectiveness Ratings Flourish While Student Performance Stumbles

The Center Square

In Michigan, local school district evaluations stated that there were only 165 teachers out of the 115,910 evaluated in 2021-22 that were found to be “inefficient.”

Statistically, that translated to 0%. In fact, 99% of all Michigan public school teachers last year were rated either as “highly efficient” or “efficient,” the highest two of four evaluation categories.

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Michigan Republicans Express Concern About State’s New Budget

The Center Square

The Democrat-dominated Michigan House passed multiple budget bills for the fiscal 2023-24 year, sparking outcry from Republicans who say the roughly $80 billion budget – the most expensive in state history- is full of wasteful spending.

“This budget sets the priorities Michiganders asked for,” Rep. Angela Witwer, D-Delta Township and chair of the House Appropriations Committee, said in a statement. “We’ve invested in health-care worker recruitment and retention to strengthen our economy and shorten wait times to see providers. We’ve prioritized public safety by allocating funding to graduate a new class of officers to help keep us safe. We’re supporting the small local businesses that are the heart of our local economies.”

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Study: Michigan’s Prevailing Wage Law Could Drive Up Road Construction Costs by 14.3 Percent

The Center Square

States without prevailing wage laws pay far less for road construction and repairs than states with them, according to a study written by Dr. Michael Hicks, a professor of economics at Ball State University. 

Hicks concludes prevailing wage laws increase costs by 8.5% to 14.3% per mile of quality-road construction. Using 2018 costs in Michigan – the year the Great Lakes State repealed its prevailing wage law – those percentages translate as $5,900 to $9,200 per mile of road.

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Michigan Bill Seeks to Ban Life Without Parole for Those Under 19

The Center Square

Some Michigan lawmakers want to end life sentences without parole for those under the age of 19.

Michigan has more juveniles sentenced to life parole than any other state, said Rep. Amos O’Neal, D-Holt, said in the Criminal Justice Committee on Tuesday morning. Holt said that 26 states ban life-without-parole for juveniles. The recidivism rate for kids leaving the system is less than 1%, O’Neal said.

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Highly Rated Detroit Public Schools Teachers Struggle Teaching Students

The Center Square

Just 5% of Michigan students are rated “proficient” in a district with 99% of teachers rated “highly effective” or “effective.”

The classification of students for Detroit public schools comes from the latest national testing referred to as the “Nation’s Report Card.” The classification of their teachers is provided to the Michigan Department of Education by The Center for Educational Performance and Information.

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Wall Street Exec Considers a U.S. Senate Run for Stabenow’s Seat in Michigan

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A Wall Street executive is considering a run for United States Senate in Michigan for retiring Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s seat in 2024 as Republicans have yet to court a serious contender for the vacancy, according to Politico.

Vice Chairman of the New York Stock Exchange and Michigan native John Tuttle served under former President George W. Bush’s Political Affairs Office and has been working on Wall Street since 2007, according to Politico. The Wall Street executive could potentially face Democratic opposition from Rep. Elissa Slotkin, and has already been corresponding with Republicans in Michigan and Washington, D.C.

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