michigan legislature

Snyder officials to meet with Michigan residents

Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:57:10 +0000

Officials from Republican Gov. Rick Snyder's administration are planning to travel across the state this week to take suggestions and answer questions from Michigan residents.

Representatives from the Office of Constituent Services will visit locations in Washtenaw, Livingston, Ingham, Shiawassee, Clinton and Ionia counties on May 23 and 24.

Snyder's office says topics that are open for discussion include the state budget and opportunities for getting involved in state government.

Michigan road funding talks still at standstill

The Associated Press — Sat, 11 May 2013 17:58:00 +0000

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - High-level talks over fixing Michigan's deteriorating roads are at a standstill.

Republican and Democratic leaders can't agree much on how to even proceed.

Feeling burned by passage of a right-to-work law, Democrats won't consider tax increases without public assurances that Gov. Rick Snyder will veto other legislation. Democrats want a repeal of a law guaranteeing better wages on government construction projects taken off the table, along with talk of dividing the state's electoral votes proportionally.

State lawmakers to discuss proposed fixes to Michigan's "broken" indigent defense system

Steve Carmody — Tue, 07 May 2013 05:00:00 +0000

The State Senate Judiciary Committee takes up bills today that would greatly change Michigan’s indigent defense system.

James Samuels is the president of the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan. He says the current system Michigan uses to provide attorneys for poor defendants is “broken”.

Samuels likes the proposed changes, including the way attorneys get contracts to represent indigent defendants.

Making antifreeze safer for children and animals

Kyle Norris — Sun, 05 May 2013 18:48:29 +0000

Antifreeze often looks like a sports-drink or Kool-Aid and it can have a sweet smell that attracts animals and kids. A bill in the Michigan legislature would require that a bittering agent be added to antifreeze so humans and animals don’t want to drink it.

Michigan lawmakers look for ways of closing the online sales tax loophole

Steve Carmody — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:01:16 +0000

Michigan lawmakers are looking at how to get online retailers to collect state sales taxes.

Currently, shoppers are supposed to report any sales taxes they owe on online purchases, and pay them with their income tax.

But most people don’t.

State Representative Eileen Kowall’s bill would put the responsibility on the online retailer. She’s quick to say this is not a tax increase, just making sure that the taxes that are owed are being paid.

Budget showdown at the State Capitol

Stateside Staff — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:26:11 +0000

Last week, we saw a flurry of voting at the State Capitol as lawmakers put together the next state budget, which is expected to total about $48 billion.

The Republican controlled State House approved spending for schools and colleges as well as a budget to fund the rest of state government.

The State Senate, also controlled by Republicans, approved about half of its budget plan with more votes scheduled this week.

The votes set the stage for negotiations between the two chambers in May.

Michigan's sex offenders could face annual fees

Associated Press — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 19:15:19 +0000

A bill to require the more than 40,000 people on Michigan's sex offender registry to pay an annual fee is igniting a debate over who should bear the costs for operating the system that tracks offenders.

Michigan hospitals may be asked to be more 'transparent' about their 'futility' policies

Steve Carmody — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 18:28:00 +0000

There’s a bill making its way through the state legislature that would require Michigan hospitals to reveal when they will withhold treatment from severely ill patients.

Many hospitals have ‘futility’ policies. The policies outline when the hospitals will withhold treatment from a patient on the grounds that further care would be futile and would simply waste hospital resources.

The policies are mainly for internal use and not widely disclosed.

Conscience vs Care? Bill protecting religious beliefs of health care providers before lawmakers

Steve Carmody — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 05:36:00 +0000

A state Senate committee took testimony Thursday on a bill that would allow doctors, nurses and other health care providers to opt out of providing medical care if they feel it violates their personal or religious beliefs.

The legislation could affect patients seeking a variety of treatments, including approval for medical marijuana or a prescription for the ‘morning after’ pill.

Tim Schultz is the legislative policy director of the group, American Religious Freedom. He says the legislation respects an individual’s ‘conscience’.

Michigan lawmakers to consider blocking local 'paid sick leave' ordinances

Steve Carmody — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 20:57:00 +0000

A state House committee this week will discuss whether to prevent local cities and towns in Michigan from passing laws requiring businesses to offer paid sick leave to their employees.

San Francisco, Seattle and several other major cities have passed ‘paid sick leave’ ordinances in recent years. The intent is to protect people in low paying jobs, who stand to lose their job, if they try to take a sick day.

Michigan lawmakers will discuss 'Caylee's Law' on Wednesday

Steve Carmody — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 21:24:00 +0000

State lawmakers will discuss legislation tomorrow inspired by the disappearance and death of a Florida toddler.

Two year old Caylee Anthony was missing for a month before her mother informed the police. The mother, Casey Anthony, was later acquitted of the child’s 2008 murder, though she was convicted of providing police with false information.

Blue Cross changes approved without abortion provision

The Associated Press — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 19:15:56 +0000

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - A state House committee has approved bills to overhaul Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, leaving out anti-abortion provisions that torpedoed an earlier effort to change the status of the state's largest insurer.

Bills headed to the House don't include language to prevent insurers and businesses from providing elective abortion coverage in employee health plans.

Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed a similar bill less than two months ago over last-minute abortion provisions.

Some lawmakers discussed restoring abortion restrictions.

The proposed overhaul seeks to modernize but not sell Blue Cross, which is governed by a separate law from other insurers and waits longer for its rate changes to be reviewed.

Before Thursday's 11-0 vote, senior advocates testified about concerns that costs will rise because of the legislation. Three Democrats abstained from voting.

State House approves bill to add more people to sex offender registry

Jake Neher — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:58:52 +0000

People convicted of crimes such as possessing child pornography and indecent exposure might soon be added to the state’s public sex offender registry.

Lawmakers in the state House today voted overwhelmingly in favor of the legislation.

Democratic state Representative Jeff Irwin was one of only three votes against it. He admits it’s not a popular position to take.

Labor unions and Michigan ACLU file suit against right-to-work legislation

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 21:19:40 +0000

Several labor unions and the Michigan ACLU have filed a lawsuit in Ingham County Court to overturn Michigan's right-to-work legislation.

This is several days after Gov. Rick Snyder requested that the Michigan Supreme Court review the constitutionality of the law.

The lawsuit argues that the closure of the Capitol to the public during the passage of the right-to-work legislation was in violation of the First Amendment and the Michigan Constitution.

It specifically cites the violation of the Open Meetings Act, which states that meetings of a governing body are open to the public unless the meeting is held in a "closed session."

The lawsuit is amended from an earlier complaint filed Dec. 6 2012 after state police blocked off entry to the Capitol.

Police said the closure was a safety precaution, but opponents argue it prevented public input during the session.

Here is what members of the ACLU said in their press release:

“Rushing controversial bills through a lame duck session is a bad way to make public policy under the best of circumstances; doing so on such important issues while the public is shut out of the debate every step of the way is illegal and shameful,” said Kary L. Moss, ACLU of Michigan executive director. “We have a sacred right to peacefully assemble and petition our government. When there is dissent and emotions are running high, our elected leaders should encourage more open debate, not close the doors to concerned voters.”

The lawsuit does not address the actual content of the right-to-work law rather the manner in which the law was passed.

The court brief currently sits in front of County Circuit Judge William Collette for review.

- Marlon Phillips, Michigan Radio Newsroom

First state bills of 2013 aim to end “lame duck” sessions and cut FOIA filing costs

Jake Neher — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 22:23:34 +0000

One day into their new session, state lawmakers already have an influx of bills to consider.

One resolution in the state Senate seeks to effectively end so-called “lame duck” sessions. On even-numbered years, Lawmakers would be barred from holding regular sessions between November elections and the end of the year.

Democratic state Senator Glenn Anderson said lawmakers would only be able to act if there’s an emergency.