LANSING ? Michigan Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof said Friday the state should be out of the pension business when it comes to the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System, essentially advocating for not only new hires but everyone in the system to have a defined contribution 401(k) account instead. Meekhof's comments, coming a day
LANSING - Education bills that failed to make it to the governor last term, including third grade reading and changing the school accountability system, were prioritized by the Michigan House Republicans on Thursday as they released their 78-item action plan for the term. On the education side, House Republicans have included in their priorities promoting
LANSING - Long-anticipated funding to pay for the customs plaza on the U.S. side of the new bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, may finally be coming together. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told The Detroit News on Tuesday that an agreement on a funding mechanism is close. U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) also
LANSING - If voters approve the sales tax increase in May, Detroit would see $12 million more in road funding, according to a document distributed by the Department of Transportation showing how the formula would divvy up the $1.2 billion expected for roads. The Gongwer.Com shows estimated additional funding for all 83 counties, as well
LANSING - All state purchasing will now officially be done by the Department of Technology, Management and Budget under an executive directive issued Thursday by Governor Rick Snyder. While purchasing operations have been conducted through DTMB for some time, each department had its own purchasing officer for the items and services it needed. Under Executive
LANSING - A change in Michigan's vehicle registration tax will mean Michigan motorists no longer can deduct the cost of their annual registration from their federal income tax, according to an analysis released Wednesday. But the Michigan Department of Treasury disputed the analysis, saying it still anticipated vehicle registration taxes would be deductible for federal
LANSING - Some 30 organizations joined Tuesday to announce the new MI Lead Coalition to give voice to women's issues and concerns as the new Legislature begins its work. The coalition is also working to develop new women leaders in the state. "Women are consistently facing challenges in their access to health care and financial
LANSING - A top United Auto Workers official said the union recognizes it will lose some members once its contracts with the Detroit Three automakers expire this year and allows workers to no longer have to belong to the union or pay a non-member agency fee, but he also thinks those losses will be small.
LANSING - After a bill from last session that would allow law enforcement to obtain location information from wireless carriers without a court order in certain emergency situations failed to reach the full chamber, the House Criminal Justice Committee is again taking up the legislation. Rep. Kurt Heise (R-Plymouth Township), chair of the committee and
LANSING - The top 1 percent of wage earners in the state captured 82 percent of the income growth from 2009 until 2012, a study released Monday said. The study, called The Increasingly Unequal States of America: Income Inequality by State, said the top 1 percent in Michigan took home 25 times more than the