LANSING - A bill aimed at stopping elected officials from casting votes over the phone or an Internet video service is headed to the House floor after being reported from the House Oversight, Reform and Ethics Committee on Tuesday. HB 5335 , sponsored by Rep. Richard LeBlanc (D-Westland), aims to clarify the Open Meetings Act
DETROIT - Governor Rick Snyder hailed the state's vastly improved business tax climate, according to the Tax Foundation, and urged Detroit-area business executives to keep charging ahead and not to be lulled into complacency as the economy recovers. Mr. Snyder, speaking to the Detroit Economic Club, announced that the Tax Foundation, a closely watched index
LANSING - Recent changes to the state's tax system will reduce the overall tax burden compared to other states, but will still leave the state slightly more heavily reliant on property taxes and will shift the income tax burden toward individuals, the Citizens Research Council said in a report released Monday. The report, 2009 Tax
WASHINGTON DC - Anonymous had a busy weekend. The loose-knit hacking collective, which last week scored a coup against the FBI, claimed to have taken down the CIA's Web site on Friday, in what appeared to be a distributed denial of service attack (one of the group's specialties, such relatively unsophisticated attacks paralyze Web servers
LANSING - To replace aging computer systems across state government, Governor Rick Snyder recommended the Department of Technology, Management and Budget receive $50 million to begin the process. The fiscal year 2012-13 budget recommendation totals $1.1 billion ($384 million in general fund). That represents an 8 percent increase from the current year's appropriation overall and
ANN ARBOR ? Health-care spending in the U.S. in 2011 grew at one of the slowest rates in 50 years, a new study shows. Altarum?s reports provide the first look at full-year 2011, showing health spending at $2.71 trillion. Spending was up 4.4 percent from 2010?the third slowest rate of growth since national health expenditures
LANSING - The state's economic development efforts would continue to receive the same amount of funding as the current fiscal year, but Governor Rick Snyder has added more money for arts and cultural grants under the 2012-13 budget outlined Thursday. The state's business and economic gardening program, which replaced a tax credit system under the
PORTAGE ? Manatron announced that Jackson County, Oregon, has contracted with the company to implement its Government Revenue Management software, continuing Manatron?s penetration of Oregon. The deal includes the installation of GRM CAMA, which assists in the mass appraisal and assessment of property values, and GRM Tax, a software system that allows tax officials to
LANSING - In a marked difference from the dramatic changes announced with the 2011-12 budget a year ago, Governor Rick Snyder on Thursday outlined a proposal for the 2012-13 budget that he said would build on the actions of the past 12 months and continue to help lead the state get more jobs. Snyder, joined
SAGINAW - Saginaw Future will be celebrating its Annual Awards Luncheon Feb. 17 and its 20th anniversary with a keynote address from Robert D. Hansen, president and CEO for the Dow Corning Corporation. He became president in 2010 and chief executive officer in 2011. Saginaw Future also will be honoring 30 projects from 2011 valued