Politics/Government

Snyder: Plan B For Roads Would Be Challenge

LANSING - Governor Rick Snyder said during a radio call-in show Monday that, should voters reject the sales tax increase on the May ballot, he would work with legislators to craft a replacement plan, but he said including revenue increases in that plan could be difficult. The response came to a question Snyder has fielded

By |2015-03-10T00:00:00-04:00March 10th, 2015|Archive, Politics/Government|

Few Budget Increases Sought For New Talent And Economic Development Department

LANSING - The final budget structure for the new Department of Talent and Economic Development is not quite in place yet, but it will include few funding increase requests, Michigan Economic Development Corporation CEO Steve Arwood, director of the new department, told the House Appropriations General Government Subcommittee on Wednesday. Arwood said the budget as

By |2015-03-05T00:00:00-05:00March 5th, 2015|Archive, Politics/Government|

FCC’s Wheeler Defends His Agency’s Plan To Regulate Internet

BARCELONA - Tom Wheeler, chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission, Wednesday defended his agency's move to regulate the Internet, ensuring that broadband players would be unaffected by his light touch approach to the rules. "This is no more regulating the Internet than the First Amendment regulates free speech in our country," Wheeler said in

By |2015-03-04T00:00:00-05:00March 4th, 2015|Archive, Politics/Government|

Snyder Pushes More Education-Economic Interaction

DETROIT - Governor Rick Snyder pushed for more emphasis on career and technical education as he launched the first merger of the Governor's Education Summit and the Governor's Economic Summit. Noting that the education and economic development people had tended to segregate themselves in the room, he urged participants for the remainder of Monday's events

By |2015-03-02T00:00:00-05:00March 2nd, 2015|Archive, Politics/Government|

Michigan House Panel Readying Film Incentive Cuts

LANSING - Jobs from the film industry may be part-time, but wages generally surpass the average salary and provide benefits for many workers in the state, supporters of the $50 million film incentives told the Michigan House Tax Policy Committee on Wednesday, but opponents said the lack of permanent jobs shows the program isn't working

By |2015-02-26T00:00:00-05:00February 26th, 2015|Archive, Politics/Government|

LARA Fee Increases Expect To Fund IT Upgrades

LANSING - While many of the state's license fees, especially for alcohol permits, may no longer be considered sustainable revenue streams for their respective programs and so need to be increased, a portion of those increases also is expected to pay for IT upgrades, an official with the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs said

By |2015-02-26T00:00:00-05:00February 26th, 2015|Archive, Politics/Government|

US Senate Republicans Abandon Efforts To Scuttle FCC BroadBand Reclassification

WASHINGTON DC - US Senate Republicans appear to have largely abandoned efforts to fight an FCC vote later this week that's expected to reclassify broadband as a public utility-like service. After years of grappling with how much or even whether the federal government should be involved in regulating the Internet, the commission is expected to

By |2015-02-25T00:00:00-05:00February 25th, 2015|Archive, Politics/Government|

Michigan House Panel OKs Bill Allowing Police To Ping Wireless Devices In Emergency

LANSING - A bill that would require a wireless phone company to provide location information from a person's wireless device to a police officer upon request in certain emergency situations was unanimously approved Tuesday by the Michigan House Criminal Justice Committee. HB 4006 also provides civil and criminal immunity to a wireless carrier that responds

By |2015-02-18T00:00:00-05:00February 18th, 2015|Archive, Politics/Government|

MEDC Increases Projected Tax Credit Liability To $9.4 Billion

LANSING - A revised estimate of what the Michigan Economic Growth Authority tax credits will cost the state shows an increase of nearly $3 billion to $9.38 billion through 2031, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation said Wednesday. During a House Tax Policy Committee meeting, MEDC CEO Steve Arwood said the increase in projected liabilities comes

By |2015-02-18T00:00:00-05:00February 18th, 2015|Archive, Politics/Government|