The Senate Education Committee at its Tuesday meeting discussed bills that would change the standards schools use to evaluate the performance of teachers and school administrators.
Annual data from Michigan State Police shows a stark decrease in the number of domestic violence victims from 101,171 reported in 2010, to 69,765 in 2022. However, fatalities rose during the same period from 89 deaths in 2010 to 101 in 2022, despite the decline.
State Sens. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) and Mary Cavanagh (D-Redford Twp.) on Tuesday introduced a set of bills intended to reform Michigan’s auto insurance system and improve access to care for drivers who were severely injured in car accidents.
Students, lawmakers and environmental activists from across the state gathered Tuesday on the Capitol steps, calling for climate action, environmental justice and clean energy policy.
Youth criminal justice stakeholders told lawmakers this week that some families of juveniles in Michigan owe upwards of $100,000 in non-restitution related fees to the court. They added that the time and money dedicated to collection of those fees outweighs any benefit to the state and Black families often bear the highest debts.
The bills would repeal a ban on local project labor agreements and a law preempting local government’s ability to set labor standards including higher-than-state-minimum wage and other benefits — nicknamed the “Death Star” bill in reference to “Star Wars.”
The “Restaurant Workers Bill of Rights” would raise wages and improve work conditions for restaurant staff.
House Bills 4945 and 4946, both sponsored by state Rep. Amos O’Neal (D-Saginaw), would make it illegal for anyone convicted of felony or misdemeanor domestic violence to purchase or possess a firearm for eight years following their sentence.
Michigan has made strong progress in protecting voters’ rights and access to the ballot box in recent years, especially compared to other states, advocates say. However, state lawmakers and national voting rights advocates aren’t becoming complacent, as they’re continuing to push for solutions to fill gaps in voter protections.
An updated vaccine formulated to protect against new variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 will be available starting next week, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) said Thursday.
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