In the fierce debate over regulation of Airbnbs and other short-term home rentals, Michigan legislators are bringing adversaries to the table, including groups representing local government, hotels and the real-estate industry.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Republican legislative leaders are still meeting to discuss road funding and the 2020 budget, but they haven’t yet reached a compromise. They have until the end of September to pass a budget or risk a shutdown.
Lack of affordable housing is spreading beyond seasonal workers. It’s now hurting manufacturing and healthcare firms trying to attract workers. Local leaders want Lansing to help incentivize developers to build more affordable projects.
Democratic lawmakers say shootings in California, Texas and Ohio show the need for legal tools to seize weapons from people who pose an urgent danger. State Republicans have yet to sign on, with due process rights a sticking point.
Voters in Grand Traverse County want to recall Inman after his indictment on federal charges for alleged bribery, extortion and lying to FBI agents while in office. His attorney says he will consider an appeal on the recall petition’s approval.
The lawsuit, filed in 2016, alleges that the state violated the Headlee Amendment to the Michigan constitution in how it calculates state spending to local governments. Depending on how the case ultimately is resolved, experts say the lawsuit could have significant impacts on both state and local government funding.
Republican plaintiffs argue the independent, voter-approved commission violates their First and 14th-Amendment rights by forbidding some people with political ties from serving. They want a federal judge to stop the state state officials from seating the commission.
Does Michigan’s constitution allow the legislature to adopt and amend citizen initiatives in the same two-year term, or does it explicitly prohibit the practice? It’s now up to the state’s highest court to decide.
Michigan’s high court will hear oral arguments Wednesday on whether Republican efforts to pass the ballot measure, then gut it, violated the constitution. That does not mean the court will decide the matter, at least right now.
The high court is hearing arguments Wednesday on whether Republicans in Lansing acted lawfully in passing a paid sick leave bill last year before neutering it. The court may offer its opinion, or it may not, raising the specter of a formal lawsuit.
Republicans are under pressure to counter Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s 45-cent gas tax proposal to raise $2.5 billion for roads without raising taxes. Among ideas being floated: local gas taxes and pension bonds, both of which carry risks.
Michigan’s unemployment remains low and wages are coming back. But the auto industry is transforming, and trade and talent challenges persist across the state.
The high court ruled Thursday that federal courts have no role to play in ensuring states avoid drawing political lines that favor one political party over another. The decision kills a lower court decision requiring Michigan Republicans to redraw lines for 2020.
The high court ruled Thursday that federal courts won’t handle cases challenging partisan gerrymandering. In Michigan, Republicans applauded the decision, and Democrats lampooned it.
Thousands of Michiganders could lose health coverage after Jan. 1 if they can’t prove work efforts. State says it will have a call center open on Day 1, but advocates worry some people will be left behind.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has her own hurdles selling a gas tax hike. But as she notes, Republican leaders have yet to show how they would raise the more than $2 billion needed for roads as the Legislature breaks for summer recess.
The Right to Life-backed group is seeking to ban a common second-trimester procedure known medically as “dilation and evacuation.” A second group is seeking a “fetal heartbeat” ban. Both ballot efforts carry no exceptions for rape or incest.
A particleboard facility has produced a mini building boom, with affordable housing, condos and maybe even a boutique hotel planned for this northern Michigan town. A local community college, meanwhile, is helping train future workers.
Researchers in Michigan and elsewhere are studying new ways to increase the lifespan of roads and bridges. Could recycled materials and new methods of mixing asphalt be the future? See our slideshow.
House Republicans intend to propose replacing Michigan’s 6 percent sales tax on gasoline purchases with an equal amount of gas tax, dedicating the revenue to roads. Some Democrats say they’re concerned about the impact of losing sales tax revenue on schools and local governments.
