ANN ARBOR - A survey showed U.S. consumers continue to have little faith in the federal government, and various fiscal crises, including debates about the debt ceiling, the fiscal cliff and the partial government shutdown, do not help, causing consumers to remain grim in their economic outlooks. Richard Curtin, director of the Thomson Reuters, University
LANSING - U.S. Rep. Gary Peters of Bloomfield Township was the lone Democrat from Michigan to vote Friday for a Republican bill that would allow existing health insurance plans to remain for sale for another year in response to complaints about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act leading to the cancellation of policies. Peters'
LANSING - Governor Rick Snyder signed five bills Wednesday designed to allow military veterans to allow their experience in the armed forces to qualify them for similar civilian jobs. Snyder signed legislation enabling: Veterans who specialized in military health care to obtain an emergency medical technician or related license, with fees waived for those honorably
LANSING - Legislation allowing those who earn a bachelor's degree at a Michigan college or university to receive a substantial credit on their income tax for their student loans if they find work in Michigan won approval Wednesday from the Senate Finance Committee. SB 408 would create an income tax break of up to 50
LANSING - Several key metrics to watch when it comes to the health of a governor's re-election prospects show Governor Rick Snyder is in better shape for re-election in 2014 than former Governor John Engler was for his first re-election bid in 1994 or former Governor Jennifer Granholm was in 2006, according to a polling
LANSING - The Michigan House came together on Thursday to approve unanimously a package of legislation barring the use of so-called skimming devices that obtain a person's credit card information when they think they are using an ATM or other credit card reader. The bills (HB 5050 , HB 5051 , HB 5052 , HB
LANSING - Voters could, at an upcoming election, see a constitutional amendment aimed at giving more flexibility to the Natural Resources Trust Fund and ensuring that mineral royalties continue to go to parks and recreation activities. The State Parks Advisory Committee is expected at its December meeting to adopt a resolution that would support a
LANSING - Michigan Senate Republicans established a new Compliance and Accountability Committee on Thursday that will focus on complaints from teachers about alleged difficulties and intimidation they have encountered in trying to resign their Michigan Education Association union membership. Senate Majority Floor Leader Arlan Meekhof (R-West Olive), the committee chair, said the goal of the
LANSING - Persons seeking unemployment benefits would be rejected if a prospective employer withdrew a job offer because they failed a drug test required as a condition of employment, or refused to take the test, under a bill signed Tuesday by Governor Rick Snyder. HB 4952 (PA 146, immediate effect) drew criticism from some Democrats
LANSING - The state should be helping small farmers with safety certification and financing and encouraging development of more farmers' markets, the Food Policy Council said in its final report approved this month. The goal of the council's recommendations is to ensure access to healthy food across the state, and particularly to locally-grown foods, the