Politics & Government

State lawmakers will hold another hearing tomorrow on legislation intended to crack down on scrap metal theft in Michigan.

The legislation would require scrap yards to keep better records and ban cash transactions for commonly stolen items, like catalytic converters and copper wire.

Police, prosecutors and larger industries often victimized by scrap metal thieves support the legislation.

But not scrap metal dealers and recyclers, who complain the new regulations would be a burden.

Governor Rick Snyder’s administration is working to wrap up a deal with the Legislature this week to extend Medicaid coverage to thousands more low-income families in Michigan. Republicans remain divided on the proposal.

It took a bipartisan vote of Republicans and Democrats to get the expansion through the state House last week and it will take a similar coalition to get the bill approved this week by the state Senate.

It’s hard to be shocked by anything relating to Detroit’s financial crisis. But frankly, I was, when I read the details of the report Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr gave to the city’s creditors.

For months, we’d been hearing that the city had as much as $14 billion in long-term debt. The real figure is more like twenty billion. No other city in the country pays even twenty percent of its revenue for what they call legacy costs -- debt service and pensions. Detroit pays more than forty percent.

DNR protects Michigan forests

The state Department of Natural Resources says about 750 acres in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula will be protected, available for public use, and managed as a working forest. The recent announcement of a $1 million Forest Legacy Program grant for the effort is expected to help protect nearly three-quarters of a mile of Thumb Lake frontage. The 750 acres in Charlevoix County will remain in private ownership, the Associated Press reports.

Tire dump transforms into farmer's market

A site once used as a tire dump is now a farmer's market following years of work by a community, the state, and federal officials. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Rural Development provided a $40,000 grant and a $60,000 loan to help finance the project in Mecosta County. The state of Michigan helped cover the cost of tire disposal as well as a trail, fishing pier and other recreational improvements, the Associated Press reports.

Hillary Clinton comes to west Michigan

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is set to speak to business leaders in western Michigan today. Clinton is the guest of honor at the Economic Club of Grand Rapids' 26th annual dinner. Ready for Hillary, a self-described national grassroots group, is organizing a rally outside the event. The group hopes to encourage Clinton to run for president in 2016, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Lots of people are fussy about their lawns: no weeds, no bugs allowed.

But the chemicals used to maintain a perfect lawn can make some people sick.

Michigan has a registry for people whose doctors say they shouldn't be exposed to pesticides. The registry requires lawn-care companies to notify those people before applying pesticides close to where they live.

This week in review, Rina Miller and Jack Lessenberry discuss the highlights of the Michigan’s budget, whether Michigan’s Medicaid program will be getting an expansion, and whether the Detroit Institute of Arts will be forced to sell some of its collection in order to pay off the city’s debts.

Michigan’s budget

The state budget is on time for the third year in a row, but it is not finished.

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. 

When Kevyn Orr was announced as Detroit's emergency manager, he said he took the job because of the challenge - the "Olympics of restructuring" he called it.

Today, Orr unveiled his plan for that restructuring at a two hour meeting with people representing banks, insurers, pension funds, unions, and other companies holding Detroit's debt.

You can read his 128 page "Proposal for Creditors" here.