A dozen years after bankruptcy, Detroit is in better shape than almost anyone could have imagined. But too much of the city remains poor, says Mary Sheffield, the probable next mayor.
The state will join 16 other states and the District of Columbia in allowing 16-year-olds to preregister to vote once Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signs the bill. The new law will go into effect next year.
The attorney general’s office is ending its pursuit of criminal prosecution over the Flint water crisis after seven years of no convictions, following the state Supreme Court’s rejection of efforts to revive charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder.
The state’s recycling rate was just 19 percent in 2019 and 21 percent currently, which is still far below the nation’s average at 34 percent. Michigan could reuse or compost 38 percent of its waste stream.
Proposed legislation would make it mandatory for students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, which is necessary to secure federal grants, work-study jobs and loans, to graduate high school.
Five bills headed to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk for signature will ensure major health and civil rights protections inside the Affordable Care Act if they are ever stripped or repealed at the federal level.
Currently, to become a county sheriff in the state, a person only needs to live in the area where they’re seeking a four-year term and be eligible to vote. But proposed legislation would add a law enforcement or corrections experience requirement.
The state has the most clean energy jobs of any state in the Midwest, is fifth nationally for the growing industry and ranks second highest for hybrid and EV employment. However, it remains in the bottom 10 states for EV sales.
Currently, abortion is legal in Ohio until 22 weeks. Meanwhile Michigan Democrats' have a fragile majority, other election action and the death of a trailblazer.
The $24.3 billion school budget, which largely invests in the state’s K-12 schools, will include $90.9 million for a state-funded preschool program, $140 million in one-time grant funding for literacy instruction and $204.5 million for at-risk students.
The state’s Judicial Tenure Commission will hire an auditor to review the racial composition of judges who were subject to complaints and how the organization resolved the issues. Since 2016, five of nine public complaints have involved Black judges.
The 28-member council will develop recommendations on how to retain college graduates, promote Michigan’s natural resources and build upon its manufacturing legacy. The state experienced its first population loss in over a decade in the last Census.
Proposed legislation would expand electronic ballot return for deployed military members to their spouses and voting-age dependents, but many are worried that the extension could risk the security of the state’s elections.
Republican attorney general Jeff Landry seems the likely successor to Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards. Also, Michigan Democrats utilize their full control of state government while election officials across the nation feel forced out.
The Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen is one of 33 groups that submitted final applications in a bid to win up to $1.25 billion in federal funding to develop hydrogen hubs across the nation.
Since Jan. 31, 10 bills have been signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and several more are awaiting her signature. Though the speed was breakneck, the process wasn’t always pretty and most new laws had little public vetting.
Most Read
