News & Resources

As Drug Price Hikes Outpace Inflation, Vaupel Proposes Transparency Commission

The price of prescription drugs has increased so dramatically that they have produced a public outcry, such as when the EpiPen jumped from $57 in 2007 to $600 in 2017.

March 13, 2018

Small Cell Legislation Bounces To Senate Floor

Legislation to establish statewide regulations for the installation of small cell networks was reported out of the Senate Energy and Technology Committee Thursday, with only Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R-Lawton) voting "no."

March 13, 2018

House Passes Ban On Salary History Ordinances

Democrats accused Republicans of "eroding local control" when the House passed legislation Wednesday that would block local governments from passing ordinances banning employers from asking applicants in an interview or on an application their wage …

March 6, 2018

Trump Tax Cut Clean Up Signed With $4,900 Personal Exemption

Wednesday Michigan became the first state to enact a law designed to prevent a potential "surprise" state tax increase of as much as $1.5 billion from President Donald Trump's tax reform plan when Gov. Rick …

March 6, 2018

Driver Responsibility Fees End Oct. 1 With Bills Signed

The Driver Responsibility Fees (DRF), created in 2003 to flag bad drivers with additional fines as a way to balance the state's budget, will end a year early under legislation signed into law by Gov. …

February 27, 2018

Career Tech Bills Receive First Senate Hearing

The House's skilled trades package received Thursday its first Senate hearing, where it faced the same type of criticism it took in the House.

February 27, 2018

Gov Wants To Marshal Up $100M To Fill Talent Gap

In the unveiling of his “Marshall Plan for Talent,” Gov. Rick Snyder Thursday kept going back to one key projection: That Michigan will have more than 811,000 career openings to fill through 2024 in fields …

February 21, 2018

Legislature Speeds Up DRF Phase-Out; Passes $4,900 Personal Exemption

Weeks of negotiations bore fruit Wednesday as Gov. Rick Snyder and the GOP-controlled Legislature reached a deal to speed up the elimination of the Driver Responsibility Fees (DRF) by October and hike the state's personal …

February 21, 2018

‘State Of Manufacturing’ Tour Highlights Growth Of Jobs, Skills Needed

When Jay Timmons took over as president and CEO of The National Association of Manufacturers' (NAM) in 2011, many said manufacturing in the United States was dead, that factories and jobs were moving overseas and …

February 13, 2018

House Votes For Transparency In Filing Of Asbestos Exposure Claims

The House voted 58-51 Tuesday to pass legislation requiring that attorneys filing suit on behalf of asbestos exposure victims tell the court about all the claims they intend to make against asbestos bankruptcy trust funds.

February 13, 2018

Gov To Lawmakers: Adopt My Budget For Long-Term Fiscal Stability

Gov. Rick Snyder pledged that his $56.8 billion budget proposal, the final of his tenure, would leave the state's budget structurally balanced for whomever succeeds him in 2019 . . . as long as it's …

February 6, 2018

Clean MI Govt; Prevailing Wage Repeal; Pot Legalization Raise $1M+

Three Michigan ballot committees have gathered more than $1 million in support based on today's campaign finance filings with another committee on the verge of hitting the $1 million milestone.

February 6, 2018

Gov: $5 Per Water Customer For $110M In Infrastructure Fixes

Gov. Rick Snyder's final proposal last week: Putting a $5-a-customer fee on public water systems to come up with $110 million to fix up the state's water infrastructure.

January 31, 2018

$4,800 tax exemption, new senior exemption clears House

A proposal to raise the $4,000 personal exemption on Michigan's personal income tax forms to $4,800 by 2020 passed the House Thursday 105-1, setting up a showdown with the Senate that wants an eventual increase …

January 31, 2018

Snyder tells how Michigan’s comeback story Is real

Michigan's "relentlessly positive" governor used his final State of the State address Tuesday night to make the case why the Great Lakes State is better off today than it was when he took over more …

January 24, 2018

Talent Expected To Highlight Snyder’s Final SOS

Expect Gov. Rick Snyder's eighth and last State of the State on Tuesday night to put a heavy focus on making Michigan a Mecca for talent, a place where industry will want to come for …