LANSING - The Michigan Public Service Commission would serve as a safety valve to address concerns about the loss of voice service in an area where a provider decides to end traditional landline service and no credible alternative exists under a bill approved Tuesday by a Senate committee. The Senate Energy and Technology Committee adopted
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 - The Office of Regulatory Reinvention within the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs announced Thursday it had eliminated more than 1,500 state rules and implemented more than 100 recommendations. The ORR has reviewed more than 19,000 rules and collected nearly 35,000 pages of non-rule regulatory actions. To date, it has rescinded 1,950 "unnecessary,
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 - 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 - 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