Rick Snyder

This week in Michigan politics: Medicaid in the Senate, Snyder in Israel, Mike Duggan off the ballot

Jack Lessenberry, Emily Fox and Michigan Radio Newsroom — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:37:37 +0000

This week in Michigan politics, Jack Lessenberry and Emily Fox discuss the state of Medicaid expansion in the Michigan Senate, Governor Snyder's trade mission to Israel, and the political future of Mike Duggan in Detroit.

President signs disaster declaration for 16 Michigan counties hard hit by spring floods

Steve Carmody — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:55:14 +0000

President Obama has approved a disaster declaration for 16 Michigan counties hard hit by spring floods.

Heavy rains in April and May inundated communities across the state.

The president’s disaster declaration will help communities repair and rebuild roads, bridges and other public infrastructure damaged in the flooding. The disaster declaration does not include assistance for individuals or businesses.

Governor Snyder meets with Israeli PM on trade mission

Jake Neher — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:56:45 +0000

Governor Rick Snyder sat down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday.

Snyder believes the talks could lead to new partnerships between companies in Michigan and Israel.

The governor is on a nine-day investment mission to Israel. He says the two states already have strong economic and cultural ties. But he says there’s lots of room for new partnerships and investment.

Snyder Spokesperson Ken Silfven says Prime Minister Netanyahu was “very receptive” to the governor’s ideas.

Commentary: Remember Virg Bernero?

Jack Lessenberry — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:22:54 +0000

Everyone knows, of course, that Rick Snyder was elected governor three years ago. And by now it is safe to say that everyone has an opinion about him. Some think he is saving the state.

Others are vowing to do everything they can to prevent him from winning a second term. But stop for a minute.

Do you remember who Snyder defeated to be elected governor in the first place? Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, the Democratic nominee in what was an impossible year for his party.

Snyder leaves for Israel on a trade mission

Jake Neher — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 20:38:20 +0000

Governor Rick Snyder leaves today for a nine-day trade mission to Israel. He’s hoping to create business connections and encourage Israeli investment in Michigan.

But Snyder says he won’t be starting from scratch when he gets there.

“We already do a fair amount of business with Israel. We’re one of the top-20 states for both imports and exports going on with Israel. So I think it’s a great opportunity to build stronger economic ties and cultural ties given all the historical connections between our state and Israel.”

Additionally, the Governor says that Israel is looking to expand its marketplace globally.

“And if you look at Detroit’s role and the strong Jewish community here and the great business environment we’ve created over the last few years, Michigan should really be a gateway – in particular the Metro Detroit area should be a gateway – for Israeli businesses to do business in the United States.”

The governor also plans to speak with Israeli education officials. He says he’s especially interested in learning about their early childhood education programs.

This is Snyder’s fifth corporate-sponsored trip oversees, and his first to the Middle East.

Medicaid expansion clears state House, goes to Senate

Jake Neher — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 13:37:15 +0000

The state House has approved a plan to overhaul and expand Medicaid in Michigan. The bill passed the House with bipartisan support.

State lawmakers have been debating for months whether to add hundreds of thousands of Michiganders to the Medicaid rolls under the federal healthcare law. It also creates incentives for healthy lifestyles, and would eventually require some Medicaid patients to pay more toward the cost of their healthcare.

Snyder wants to eliminate early childhood program backlog in next budget

Rick Pluta — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 21:11:32 +0000

Governor Rick Snyder signed a nearly $50 billion state budget today for the coming fiscal year.

It puts a large deposit into the state's "rainy day" savings account, and boosts funding for schools and early childhood programs. The Governor says a $65 million appropriation will cut in half the waiting list for kids from low-income families to get into Great Start.

"A major jump that will give the opportunity for hopefully 16,000 additional kids to be part of Great Start. I hope we're back here next year talking about another $65 million so we can make that whole waiting list go away," said Snyder.

The budget also includes more money for Medicaid dental care for kids.

The governor says there is still some unfinished business with the budget -- namely, a federally funded expansion of the Medicaid program and raising 1.2 billion dollars for roads.

Gov. Snyder celebrates his ability to follow Michigan's Constitution

Mark Brush — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:59:31 +0000

It was a little late (they were shooting for June 1), but they got it done.

Michigan Gov. Snyder signed the budget into law this afternoon. After doing so they took to social media to fluff their feathers about their accomplishment:

Judge orders Snyder administration to produce records re: EM hire

Rick Pluta — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:49:55 +0000

Governor Rick Snyder’s administration intends to appeal a judge’s order to reveal the names of all the candidates he considered as potential emergency managers for Detroit.

A lawsuit claims the hiring process violated the state’s open meetings law.

The judge ordered the state to turn over e-mails and other records related to the search that culminated in hiring Kevyn Orr to steer Detroit out of a financial crisis. The lawsuit claims the decision was made well before a state board publicly interviewed and voted to hire Orr.

In this morning’s news: Medicaid expansion, emergency managers, and heroin incidents

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:22:50 +0000

Medicaid goes to House floor

Yesterday, the Michigan House Competitiveness Committee voted to send the Medicaid expansion bill to the floor. Michigan Radio's Jake Neher reports that while Republicans were split on the issue, “Democrats on the panel all voted in favor of the bill. That’s after lawmakers dropped a controversial plan to limit able-bodied adults to four years on Medicaid. But they say they’re still concerned about language that would raise premiums and co-pays for some patients after four years.”

Questions for Governor about Detroit's emergency manager

Concerns have been raised about Governor Rick Snyder’s process in selecting Kevyn Orr as Detroit’s emergency manager. Rick Pluta reports that “a judge says Governor Rick Snyder’s office must turn over e-mails and other records related to the candidate search for a Detroit emergency manager. The judge’s order is related to a lawsuit that alleges Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr was hired illegally. The lawsuit claims the process was rigged and carried out in violation of Michigan’s open meetings law.”

Heroin incidents on the rise in Michigan

A rash of heroin overdoses occurred in Washtenaw County last week, and incidents are on the rise across parts of the state. “Authorities say a particularly toxic heroin mix known by some on the street as ‘black shadow’ appears to be circulating in southeast Michigan communities, causing a rise in overdoses and at least one death this month,” report Robin Erb and Tammy Stables Battaglia of the Detroit Free Press.

Commentary: Tea Party Follies

Jack Lessenberry — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:03:09 +0000

Half a century ago, there was a movement very much like today's Tea Party. They believed our nation was being destroyed by a conspiracy to make this a socialist country.

They didn't like taxes and hated Medicare as much as today's Tea Party hates what they call "Obamacare."

That movement captured the Republican Party in 1964, and nominated their hero, Senator Barry Goldwater, for president.

He accepted the nomination in a speech which would make today's Tea Party activists swoon. "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice," he proclaimed, as his supporters jeered and hooted at the mainstream Republicans they despised.

In this morning's news: Farm bill progress, Tea Party disapproves of Snyder, Duggan out of the race

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:28:11 +0000

Farm Bill moves to U.S. House

The Michigan Farm Bureau is glad to see Congress is making progress on passing Senator Debbie Stabenow's farm bill. The U.S. Senate approved nearly a trillion dollars in support for food assistance, crop insurance and other programs this week. Michigan Radio's Steve Carmody reports, "the U.S. House is still wrestling with its version of the bill."

Tea Party activists will sit out of governor's race

An open letter to Governor Rick Snyder released by a group of prominent Tea Party activists calls on their party to sit out next year's race for governor. They call for Snyder to change his position on Medicaid expansion. Tea Party group "Grassroots in Michigan" says Snyder is bucking the Republican platform by cooperating with the new federal healthcare law.

Duggan is out of the Detroit Mayoral race

A Wayne County judge has kicked Mike Duggan off of the ballot for Detroit Mayor. When Duggan filed for a mayoral run a month before the deadline, he didn't meet a city rule that requires candidates to be registered voters in Detroit a full year before filing. But he did meet the rule by the filing deadline date. Michigan Radio's Tracy Samilton reports, "Duggan says he's reviewing his legal options."

Tea Party activists opposing Gov. Rick Snyder's re-election

The Associated Press — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:08:45 +0000

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - More than 30 conservative and tea party activists say they won't support Gov. Rick Snyder's re-election because of his support for expanding Medicaid eligibility to more Michigan adults under the federal health care law.

In an open letter to the Republican governor Tuesday, the advocates faulted him for consulting with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Medicaid expansion.

They accuse Snyder of purposefully sticking a "finger in the eye of his own conservative base." The activists - including some of Michigan's better-known tea party advocates - say a "line must be drawn."

Snyder and Republican legislative leaders sent a letter to Sebelius May 29 asking her to meet with them in Michigan. The House is considering legislation that would expand Medicaid but require a federal waiver.

Michigan's governor asks for presidential disaster declaration for counties affected by spring flood

Steve Carmody — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 19:55:52 +0000

Gov. Snyder seeks a presidential disaster declaration for 16 Michigan counties hit hard by floods this spring. Heavy rains in April and early May led to flooding in many parts of Michigan.

Michigan residents could lose insurance

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 17:18:16 +0000

Up to half a million Michigan residents could lose their health insurance if the legislature fails to expand Medicaid.

Low-income Michiganders covered by local health plans could lose their coverage in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act. The law was written with the assumption states would accept federal funds to expand Medicaid.

No more welfare for dead people: Snyder cracks down on fraud

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:49:13 +0000

Governor Rick Snyder has signed a new law (House Bill 4042) to ensure that dead people and incarcerated citizens are not eligible for Michigan’s Bridge Card food assistance program.

The Department of Human Services already has policies to ensure that those who are not eligible (example: dead people and those incarcerated) do not receive aid. But House Bill 4042 makes the policy a law.

In this morning's news: Budget passed in Legislature, bill to protect DIA, gas prices in Michigan

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 11:53:36 +0000

Budget awaits Governor Snyder's signature

State lawmakers passed a budget that would increase funding to local governments and schools.

"Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville calls it the best budget he’s ever helped pass. But the budget does not include Snyder’s request to expand Medicaid or increase road funding by more than a billion dollars," Michigan Radio's Jake Neher reports.

Senate voting to protect DIA

The Michigan Senate is expected to vote today on a measure to protect the Detroit Institute of Arts. Detroit's emergency manager Kevyn Orr has warned the Institute's assets could be at risk if the city goes bankrupt. If this bill passes, the same protections would apply to collections in other museums across Michigan.

Michigan gas prices amongst highest in nation

Gasoline prices in Michigan are the second highest in the United States right now. It could be several weeks before there's any relief at the pump.

"Analyst Patrick deHaan of GasBuddy dot com says there are fewer gasoline refineries in the Midwest than other parts of the country, and gasoline commodity traders are also driving up the prices," Michigan Radio's Tracy Samilton reports.

Commentary: Remembering Helen

Jack Lessenberry — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 14:09:59 +0000

Thirty-four years ago, when Debbie Stabenow was a newly elected state representative in a very male-dominated legislature, she got the first of a number of encouraging notes from an older woman who had spent a lot of years in the fishbowl of politics.

Those notes meant a lot to Stabenow, as she went on to become a force to be reckoned with in first the state house and then the senate; in Congress and finally in the U.S. Senate.

What made that support all the more remarkable is that Stabenow is a Democrat. And the woman who reached out to her was the wife of the Republican governor, Helen Milliken, perhaps the least likely and most effective feminist in Michigan history.

Next year, the state budget can be defined by what it doesn't include

Stateside Staff — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 20:53:19 +0000

Michigan almost has a final budget for the next fiscal year, at almost $50 billion dollars.

Lawmakers and Governor Snyder's tentative deadline for completion was June 1, which they didn't quite make, but the budget should be finished this week.

Chad Livengood, a Lansing reporter for the Detroit News, and Chris Gautz, a Capitol Correspondent for Crain's Detroit Business spoke with Michigan Radio's Cynthia Canty about what we can look for in the budget.

"There's not a lot of big, huge things in it. The governor didn't get everything he wanted -- he didn't get the $1.2 billion more for roads and didn't get authorization to add more to a Medicare expansion," Livengood said.

Gautz and Livengood identified specific funding changes in the budget, including a huge boost in early childhood education funding.

To hear the full audio, click the link above.

Commentary: Struggle for a Party’s Soul

Jack Lessenberry — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 13:47:27 +0000

There were, in a way, two conferences taking place among the state’s business and political elite on Mackinac Island last week. One was a celebration of Michigan’s comeback from the darkest days of the great recession, and of the new business-friendly climate flourishing under Governor Rick Snyder.

Make no mistake about it: Richard Dale Snyder is the most business-oriented governor this state has had since World War II. That’s in large part because he is a businessman.

He speaks their language. During his closing remarks, the governor sounded like a motivational speaker sent out to fire up a sluggish sales force. “What’s the role of government?” he asked, answering, “Government exists to give you great customer service!”