Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Thursday announced the ruling against Lee Mueller, former operator of Boyce Hydro and the Edenville Dam, which failed in 2020, forcing the evacuation of more than 10,000 people and damaging thousands of homes and businesses.
Category Archive: State
Currently, Michigan is one of the only states that exempts the governor’s office and legislature from FOIA and even if the bills became law, they create a series of exemptions for the denial of requests that other state agencies don’t have.
Several state representatives of the Michigan Freedom Caucus, including Rep. Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers), joined together Tuesday to announce their resolution censuring Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) over his criticism of state Rep. Josh Schriver (R-Oxford) for his “Great Replacement” theory social media posts.
As state election workers prepare to tally selections for each party’s preferred presidential candidate today, here are four key things to watch.
A broad group of clean energy, health and environmental advocacy organizations has voiced opposition to a ballot initiative seeking to reverse clean energy siting policy approved by the Legislature in November.
This is the first presidential primary being conducted under new election rules voters approved in November 2022, which, among other things, mandate nine days of early in-person voting for constituents.
A package of bipartisan bills that would expand Michigan’s problem solving courts is heading to a vote in the Senate. The courts, officially referred to as problem-solving courts (PSCs), provide alternatives to imprisonment for nonviolent criminal offenders with substance use disorders and/or mental illnesses.
Representatives of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Canadian pipeline company Enbridge Inc. gave their oral arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago on the case appealing the shutdown of Enbridge’s controversial Line 5 pipeline.
According to the Michigan Roadmap to Rural Prosperity, a 71-page report that details challenges that rural communities across Michigan face, the biggest challenges facing the rural community over the next 10 years are: increasing housing opportunities, attracting a larger working-age population, changes to the cost of living, managing population growth and development, and retaining workforce.
Under SB 669 and 670 taken up Wednesday by the state Senate Oversight Committee, the governor’s office, lieutenant governor’s office and Legislature would be subject to FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests, allowing residents and journalists to seek out records to increase understanding and accountability in government.
On Tuesday, members of the House Economic Development and Small Business Committee took testimony on an effort to revive tax incentives for film and digital media, in a bid to draw more productions to the state and support local business.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer plans to call for boosts in funding for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) in her proposal for the next state budget.
Rachel Richards of the Michigan League for Public Policy argues, “With federal support returning to its pre-pandemic levels, we will now be more dependent on our own state resources to ensure Michiganders have what they need to not only survive, but thrive. And while Michigan’s economy is currently stable, with revenues coming in as expected, it’s not enough to prevent us from returning to the decades of disinvestment in Michigan workers, families and children that we saw prior to the pandemic.”
Common Cause, a nonpartisan organization focused on creating an open and accountable government, has released a list of next steps it says would help make Michigan’s elections “safe, secure and equal for all voters.”
The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) on Monday kicked off a series of community meetings in Detroit with dismal in-person attendance.
The council identified key issues within the state including a lack of population growth — complicated by a lack of young people moving to or remaining in the state — contributing to a loss of tax revenue to fund schools, public amenities and quality of life within Michigan communities.
Beginning February 13, more than 700,000 Michigan families will receive tax rebate checks averaging approximately $550.
A new online system for processing requests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for the Department of Elections was unveiled Tuesday by Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.