Insider Intelligence

Following months of work, the Michigan Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration delivered their report to the state legislature. The final report includes 18 major recommendations, which they hope will make the state a leader in criminal justice reform. Upon officially receiving the report, House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) and Senate Majority Leader […]

Representative Rodney Wakeman (R-Saginaw Twp.) introduced legislation reducing the state’s income tax rate incrementally until it’s eliminated. Under the proposal, the current rate of 4.25% would be reduced to 3.9% in 2021 and would phase out an additional 0.1% each year beginning in 2022 until eliminated. In 2007, then-Governor Jennifer Granholm and the legislature agreed […]

For the first time in seven years the fee of a Recreation Passport vehicle entry pass will increase from $11 to $12 per-year. All other resident Passport fees stay the same, including those for motorcycles, mopeds, and commercial vehicles. The change in fee is due to a statutory provision to adjust the fee based upon […]

Senator Roger Victory (R-Georgetown Twp.) introduced legislation changing the way the state can bond for infrastructure projects. Under the bill, the State Transportation Commission (STC) would be required to notify the legislature 30 days prior to issuing any transportation bonds in excess of $100 million. It also provides the legislature with the authority to reject […]

The Senate Appropriations Committee reported legislation that would allow farmers to apply soon for low-interest qualified loans. Introduced by Senator Dan Lauwers (R-Brockway), the bill would update the Agriculture Disaster Loan Origination Program to reflect the specific needs of the 2019 season and allow lenders to begin issuing loans with the $15 million appropriated by […]

The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi, through the Waseyabek Development Company, and the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi, through Gun Lake Investments, announced the joint acquisition of McKay Tower in downtown Grand Rapids. The acquisition represents a rare co-investment by the non-gaming economic development entities of two Michigan Native American tribes. McKay Tower is the […]

In observance of Martin Luther King Jr Day, the MLC offices will be closed on Monday, January 20. The House and Senate are scheduled to hold their typical Tuesday – Thursday session schedule. On Tuesday, January 21, Michigan Public Service Commission Chairwoman Sally Talberg will present to the Senate Energy and Technology Committee on the […]

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.  If You Don’t Know How to Say Someone’s Name, Just Ask – Correctly pronouncing a person’s name is very important, as such there is nothing wrong […]