News & Resources

Biden Orders Vaccines For Larger Private Sector Employers

Federal employees would need to be vaccinated as a way to control COVID-19 spread under an executive order signed Thursday by President Joe Biden. The President also announced that in […]

August 31, 2021

Redistricting Panel Adds 9 New Districts; Chair Has Missed 10 Of Last 14 Meetings

The Michigan Independent Citizens Commission (MICRC) pushed out nine new state House districts after six hours of navigating through Washtenaw, Livingston and Ingham Counties in a region it’s deemed as […]

August 31, 2021

Gov Wants $2.1B In Fed COVID Money For Job Training, Economic Development

A $2.1 billion chunk of the federal COVID-19 response money would go toward bolstering more small business jobs, help citizens get a free education and build some 2,000 new housing […]

August 24, 2021

Confirmed COVID-19 Cases Increase For Sixth Week In Row; Shirkey Points To Israel

Michigan averaged 2,098 COVID-19 cases per day Thursday and Friday, according to statistics from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Friday marked the sixth straight increase in […]

August 24, 2021

Banning Mandatory Vaccines, Masks For Businesses Considered By House Panel

Many workers feel they are being pressured by their employers to get the mRNA shot, Chair Beth Griffin (R-Mattawan) said Thursday morning as her Workforce, Trades and Talent Committee took […]

August 17, 2021

88% Of Hotels, Restaurants Operating With ‘Inadequate’ Staffing, High Foot Traffic

From Aug. 3-6, more than 85% of full-service restaurants were closing early or working under specific time segments directly due to “inadequate staffing levels.” On Wednesday, the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging […]

August 17, 2021

No ‘Broad Order’ On COVID Coming, But Schools Should Be Masking

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is not planning to issue any “broad COVID-19 epidemic orders” that would mandate masking or limit gatherings sizes, Director Elizabeth Hertel said Friday in an […]

August 10, 2021

UI Became Biggest Assistance Program In History During COVID

The federal government “stood up the biggest cash assistance program in history” in just a couple of weeks at the start of the pandemic last year through the Coronavirus Aid, […]

August 10, 2021

Shirkey, Wentworth On CDC Eviction Order: ‘Property Owners Deserve Advocates’

The Senate Majority Leader and House Speaker are requesting the Attorney General to “step in” after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an order determining evictions “could […]

August 3, 2021

Supremes: State ‘Properly Counted’ Prop A Spending To Local Governments

State payments under Proposal A revenues paid under the Headlee Amendment count as state aid to local governments, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in a decision that mostly favored the state. […]

August 3, 2021

DaMoose: Unemployed Shouldn’t Have To Reimburse For UIA Errors

Out-of-work Michiganders who were issued unemployment benefits in error, due to a mistake by the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA), would not have to pay that back under legislation being introduced by Rep. […]

July 27, 2021

Bid To End $300 Federal UI Kicker Vetoed Amid Stalled Negotiations

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Tuesday vetoed legislation designed to end early the federal government’s $300-a-week unemployment insurance (UI) kicker after late-breaking negotiations with the Legislature stalled out. Functionally, HB 4434, sponsored by Rep. Jeff […]

July 27, 2021

House OKs Unlock MI Proposal, Puts Final Nail In Emergency Powers Law

The 1945 Emergency Powers of the Governor Act has been repealed because of a 60-48 vote in the House Wednesday afternoon. That is the law Gov. Gretchen Whitmer used to issue her rolling […]

July 20, 2021

Gov: UIA ‘Paperwork Issue’ Won’t Mean Everyone Must Repay Benefits

The Governor and the state Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) said a change in federal rules is why hundreds of thousands of Michigan claimants now must provide information to see if […]

July 20, 2021

Gov Signs Historic K-12 Budget, Per-Pupil Funding Gap Eliminated

The historic K-12 budget valued at $17.1 billion — outshining last year’s allocation by 10% and eliminating the 27-year-old per-pupil funding gap — was signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. This […]

June 29, 2021

House Looks To Move Final FY ’22 Budget Now

The Republican-led House, frustrated that negotiations with the GOP-led Senate have not yielded more consensus, passed its own Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget on Thursday in the hopes the Senate will get […]