Insider Intelligence

This week, the House and Senate Fiscal Agencies released their monthly revenue reports for August 2016. Revenue collections for the month increased 5.9% from the prior year, totaling $1.9 billion.  General Fund earmarked collections were $748.6 million and School Aid Fund earmarked dollars totaled $1,059.1 million.  Both amounts came in above prior estimates.  Additional highlights […]

According to numbers released this week by the Department of Technology, Management, and Budget, Michigan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate last month was 4.5%.  The rate remains unchanged from July and is six-tenths of a percentage point lower than the prior year.  During August 2016, the state’s labor force declined by 5,000, while total employment declined […]

This week, the House concurred in the Senate’s changes to three House bills creating a regulatory framework for medical marijuana.  The bills will provide guidelines for dispensaries, in addition to allowing patients to use non-smokeable forms of marijuana.  The package also sets up a licensing structure, creates a tax, and gives local governments authority over […]

Following the passing of Representative Peter Pettalia (R-Presque Isle) on Monday, the House officially mourned his passing by holding a memorial for him this week.  On Tuesday, two committees were cancelled out of respect, including the House Transportation Committee, which Representative Pettalia chaired.  Additionally, the House postponed all votes during Tuesday’s session and several fundraisers […]

On August 17, Governor Rick Snyder requested the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) to conduct a study on the benefits of better electric connections between Michigan’s two peninsulas and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario (see prior article).  This week, Ontario’s Minister of Energy, Glenn Thibeault, voiced his support of the study.  The goal of the study […]

This week, the Michigan Supreme Court announced the cases for October 2016 oral arguments.  The court will hear eleven arguments on October 5 and 6.  As has been tradition, the first case of the new session will be held in the old Supreme Court courtroom in the State Capitol building.  The remaining cases will be […]

This week, the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the state’s emergency manager law does not violate the United States Constitution.  The Plaintiffs argued the law violated both the 1st and 13 Amendments, in addition to the Voting Rights Act, which the Court did not agree with. Michigan’s “Local Financial Stability and […]

The House and Senate are scheduled to hold session Tuesday – Thursday. On Friday, September 23, the Governor’s 21st Century Infrastructure Commission is holding a listening tour stop at the DNR Outdoor Adventure Center in Detroit.  For more information, please visit http://www.miinfrastructurecommission.com/.