By Tom Ivacko/Center for Local, State and Urban Policy Michigan local government leaders are waiving a red flag, warning that the state’s system of funding local government is broken and that we can expect fewer public services in the future if the system is not fixed. In recent days, both Flint’s emergency manager, Edward Kurtz, […]
Michigan Legislature
Posted inTalent & Education
Snyder adviser, educator pull no punches before large audience at education summit
MAKING HIS CASE: Sen. Roger Kahn (far left) discusses the need to vastly increase funding for early childhood programs during a panel at the Center for Michigan’s “Future of Education” summit in Lansing Tuesday. “If the governor’s budget falls short, I’ll push for $140 million,” Kahn said. (Bridge photo/Lon Horwedel) Oakland Schools Superintendent Vickie Markavitch […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Online ed expansion, school choice plan murky in 2013
A proposal to revise the state’s School Aid Act to allow state funding to follow students to where they take individual classes will not be part of Gov. Rick Snyder’s budget proposal next month, but could make its way into legislative discussions over that budget. None around Lansing were willing to commit to any course […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Online ed expansion, school choice plan murky in 2013
A proposal to revise the state’s School Aid Act to allow state funding to follow students to where they take individual classes will not be part of Gov. Rick Snyder’s budget proposal next month, but could make its way into legislative discussions over that budget. None around Lansing were willing to commit to any course […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Snyder’s call for early childhood funds draws applause from advocacy groups, legislators
Thousands of low-and moderate-income children took a step closer to the preschool classroom with Wednesday night’s call for additional early childhood investment by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder in his State of the State address. Snyder noted that 29,000 children are eligible for the state’s Great Start Readiness Program, but can’t get in because there aren’t […]
Posted inPeter Luke: Eye on the Capitol
Speech will give clues to the real Rick Snyder
State of the State speeches are geared to define the governor’s agenda for the coming legislative year. If the speech is a good one, seen as reasonably addressing the challenges of the times, chances are some of the proposals are going to be embraced and enacted. So it was in 2011 with Gov. Rick Snyder’s […]
Posted inPhil's Column
Capitol Hill chaos should drive voters to kill off old ‘gerrymander’
Most people agree that our politics and government today are too often severely dysfunctional. And there’s one big reason why: The taproot of much of all this can be traced to our severely gerrymandered state legislative and congressional districts. For a glimpse of just how powerful this is, all you have to do is glance […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Snyder vetoes looser rules on owning lions, tigers, bears
UPDATE 1-2-13: Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed two bills last week that would have changed the state’s Large Carnivore Act, but encouraged lawmakers to resubmit them with specific changes in the new session. Bridge reported on the tie-barred Senate Bills 703 and 1236 last month (story below), which passed in the last hours of the Legislature’s […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
What you need to know about Legislature's 'lame-duck' session
A post-election headline in Bridge summarized expectations for an “active” “lame duck” session of the Legislature. We didn’t know the half of it. Ending at 4:30 a.m. last Friday, the Michigan Legislature passed almost 300 bills in the holiday season, including fundamental changes in how Michigan handles unions, business taxes, abortion regulation, welfare limits and even […]
Posted inPeter Luke: Eye on the Capitol
Legislature, Snyder can’t deny public their 2014 crack at Right to Work, tax changes
Gov. Rick Snyder and Republican lawmakers are aiming to funnel reaction to what has been an extraordinary two years of controversial legislation onto the partisan section of the 2014 general election ballot. How negative the reaction is will determine the shelf life of the pro-business agenda they’ve spent two years enacting. The 96th Michigan Legislature […]
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