Jonathan Byrd, a 40-year-old former president of the Michigan AFL-CIO Kalamazoo chapter, has been charged with groping a woman at an April 2022 event, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced.
Democrats pass their first budget since taking over the Legislature, spending down a $7 billion surplus and largely adopting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s priorities. Republicans call plan bloated.
While waiting for a joint committee between Senate and House lawmakers to finalize budget details, Michigan lawmakers passed a series of bills ranging from a child marriage ban to a sexual assault victim protection law.
Democrats, unions and local officials say legislation would give cities autonomy to set higher minimum wage, require paid sick leave. Republicans call the plan a jobs-killer.
Flurry of Democratic legislation also includes mandatory lead testing for young children, alcohol sales inside college stadiums and reforms to prevent child abuse.
Michigan lawmakers may soon allow universities to sell alcohol inside stadiums. Supporters argue the measure could help reduce pre-gaming among college students.
A proposal to shift oversight of gravel mines to the state is back in the state House, pitting business and union leaders against environmentalists and township officials.
‘It’s really a shame,’ an official says, noting that tightened security is ‘the reality of the world today.’ The move comes three years after militia members brought long guns into the Capitol during a protest.
Access to lakes, good and diverse jobs and affordability can help kick-start Michigan’s population stagnation, according to a roundtable of mid-career workers in Michigan spearheaded by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
The state loosened income eligibility requirements for families to qualify for the Women, Infants and Children program, which provides food assistance for pregnant and postpartum women as well as children under the age of 5.
Democrats say too much money is spent on prisons. Republicans, prosecutors say bills to allow inmates to petition for lighter sentences, earn credits for early release could free ‘dangerous criminals.’
A panel also weighed raises for governor, attorney general and other lawmakers but held off due to public perceptions. One member says he’s ‘embarrassed and ashamed’ by Michigan’s pay.
Democrats promised to reform campaign finance. So far, the only major bills they've introduced would allow payroll deductions to union political action committees.
The bill now heads to the House. If approved, Michigan would join at least 20 states and Washington D.C. in passing laws to ban race-based hair discrimination.
