An education commission created by Gov. Rick Snyder has concluded that one way to reverse the slide of public schools is to give the governor’s office more control over education policy. Other recommended reforms would require significant state money.
Michigan Government
Citizens cannot do their job of running their government if they don’t know what their public servants are doing.
Posted inMichigan Government
Death to government mumbo jumbo
Lansing is experimenting with turning jargon-filled public documents into something resembling English.
Posted inMichigan Government
Trump’s travel ban could spark crisis in state’s doctor shortage, healthcare leaders say
Foreign-born doctors play a huge role in underserved areas of Michigan, particularly among the state’s rural and urban poor. The president’s immigration policies are causing many to reconsider their future in Michigan.
Posted inMichigan Government
Broken: The human toll of Michigan's unemployment fraud saga
Even with settlement of a federal lawsuit, thousands of Michigan workers accused of unemployment insurance fraud await justice
Posted inMichigan Government
In bid to eliminate state income tax, fears of another Kansas
Michigan Republican lawmakers propose eliminating a $9 billion source of revenue, the state income tax. Bridge dives into the numbers to see how that revenue would be replaced, if it is replaced.
Posted inMichigan Government
Adding population until the cows come home
Gov. Rick Snyder wants to goose the state’s population over the next four years. But getting to 10 million may be impossible
Posted inMichigan Government
From lawmaker to lobbyist. Should the state slow down the revolving door?
Most states have a “cooling-off” period before a departing lawmaker can become a lobbyist. Not so in Michigan, where most who take the leap are lobbying their former colleagues within six months.
Posted inMichigan Government
We hope you enjoyed your stay at the county jail. Here’s your bill.
Michigan’s county jails charge inmates up to $50 per day for housing, fees that can saddle ex-offenders with five-figure debt loads.
Posted inMichigan Government
Voting without an ID? Not a big problem in most of Michigan
The legislature wants to make it harder to vote without state-approved photo ID. But based on data from the most recent election, few voters did so.
Posted inMichigan Government
State sheds little light on troubled prison transport firm
Michigan uses a for-profit company that’s been accused in the death, injury and abuse of prisoners, while other prisoners have escaped. State prison officials don’t want to talk about it