Insider Intelligence

Below are some of the articles that the MLC lobby team has been reading this past week. We hope you find them as interesting and useful as we do. Science Says You Should Mute Those Work Emails on Vacation – The pandemic has changed how we work, and our connectiveness to the office. However, recent […]

Utilizing one-time Federal Funding, Senator Wayne Schmidt introduced legislation that would provide funds to repair every severe bridge in the state. Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order creating the Task Force on Juvenile Justice Reform, chaired by Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist. The House passed a package of legislation reforming ethics and transparency laws for […]

Utilizing one-time Federal Funding, Senator Wayne Schmidt (R-Traverse City) introduced legislation that would provide funds to repair every severe bridge in the state. Of the nearly 12,000 bridges in Michigan, 7,038 are managed by local municipalities. Of that, over 400 are in critical need of repairs. This bill would fund repairs for all those bridges […]

This week, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order creating the Task Force on Juvenile Justice Reform, chaired by Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist. It will be tasked with analyzing the state’s juvenile justice system, while recommending proven practices and strategies for reform. The task force will exist as a partnership between county and state leaders, […]

This week the House passed a package of legislation reforming ethics and transparency laws for government officials. This is only the recent round of changes passed, as the House has previously passed an expansion to the Freedom of Information Act and changes to lame duck sessions. Reforms approved this week include gift restrictions, new penalties […]

Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced her plan for a $250 million investment into state parks and trails across the state. The plan calls for using federal relief dollars to invest in parks and trails and address the backlog of park infrastructure projects, which will help support businesses and local economies. The funds will help modernize parks […]

In response to the backlog at Secretary of State branch offices, the Senate passed an extension to expiration dates of driver’s licenses and state identification cards. Branch offices have been overwhelmed and residents have been having difficulty scheduling appointments due to the ongoing impacts of the pandemic. These bills would retroactively extend expiration dates until […]

The House and Senate are scheduled to hold their typical Tuesday – Thursday session schedule.