LANSING - If Governor Rick Snyder and the Legislature are going to repeal the personal property tax, then the replacement revenue should be constitutionally guaranteed, a wide array of groups representing local governments and schools said Thursday. The tax on business equipment, which raises $1.2 billion, largely goes directly to municipalities and counties with some
LANSING - The chair of the Michigan Senate Insurance Committee, who is taking a lead role in reforming the state's auto no-fault insurance system, said Thursday he is preparing a new version of legislation that would set the minimum coverage for personal injury protection at $250,000. Sen. Joe Hune (R-Hamburg) told Gongwer News Service the
LANSING ? The fall advertising campaign for Pure Michigan hits the airwaves this week. The television and radio ads, including seven partner ads, will air regionally and statewide through early October. The total fall advertising budget of $2,390,976 includes $295,000 in funding committed by private sector partners as part of the Travel Michigan Ad Partnership
LANSING - Replacing the revenue generated by the personal property tax will require a variety of approaches to reflect the widely diverging amount of revenue the tax generates for local governments, Governor Rick Snyder said Wednesday. Snyder, in a wide-ranging interview with Gongwer News Service in his Romney Building office, also said he wants replacement
LANSING - After serving two months past her term's expiration date, Public Service Commissioner Monica Martinez announced September 2 will be her last day on the job. "It has been an honor to serve the people of Michigan," Martinez said in a statement Thursday. "Throughout my time at the MPSC, I have had the privilege
CHICAGO - Efforts to close the Chicago Canal locks to keep the Asian carp from getting into the Great Lakes were set back by the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, but the court also said it may reconsider the question if steps to prevent the invasive species drag. The decision by the Chicago-based court
LANSING - Switching from a divided Legislature to one controlled by the same party helped increase the number of bills passed in the first six months between the two chambers, a Gongwer News Service analysis finds. While Democrats controlled the House the past two sessions and Republicans were in charge of the Senate, the rate
LANSING - Returning from the annual meeting of the National Association of State Budget Officers, Budget Director John Nixon said the state was in very good shape fiscally compared to other states, especially in light of the downgrade of the U.S. credit rating. That downgrade will affect other states, including possibly Virginia and Maryland which
LANSING - Negotiations on setting a fixed amount local government employees must pay toward their health insurance appear on track, with a conference committee vote likely the week the Legislature comes back into session. Sen. Mark Jansen (R-Gaines Township), chair of the SB 7 conference panel, said Friday he has been working with Rep. Tom
LANSING - The dramatic effort to reach an agreement on increasing the U.S. debt ceiling will likely mean less in federal money for Michigan, Budget Director John Nixon said Monday. But Nixon does not know yet how much money the agreement - which passed the U.S. House Monday night - will cost the state. Whatever