LANSING - Michigan officeholders and candidates for legislative, executive and judicial branch positions within state government would be required to fill out financial disclosure statements similar to what is required of congressional candidates and members under legislation highlighted Thursday. Reps. David LaGrand (D-Grand Rapids) and Mark Huizenga (R-Walker) led a press conference Thursday afternoon with
LANSING - Michigan state lawmakers are urging Congress to quickly adopt federal legislation that would protect banks and credit unions from penalties if they accept deposits from cannabis-related businesses. The Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act of 2019 is seen as being more necessary as ever now that marijuana is legal for adult use in
LANSING - Technology can help small business owners leverage limited capital in smarter and more effective ways. In some cases, using technology is a natural progression for processes you may already have in place in your business. In others, you may need to make some adjustments to reap the benefits of these tech-friendly alternatives. The good
LANSING - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is starting off with $264.7 million more in state revenues than previously expected this fiscal year and $225 million more than previously estimated in state revenue for her first budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. But the agreement reached Friday at the Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference (CREC) still amounts to
LANSING - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has asked the state to adopt policies to increase the contracts the state awards to "geographically disadvantaged businesses" so as to expand business opportunities in "low-income communities and underutilized business areas." In her eighth executive directive issued since she's taken office, Whitmer said she wants the Michigan Department of Technology,
LANSING - Former Michigan Lt. Governor Brian Calley has been named president of the Small Business Association of Michigan. Current SBAM president and CEO Rob Fowler will remain the organization’s CEO. “We could not be happier or more excited to welcome Brian and to work with him in the fight to support Michigan small businesses
LANSING - The alteration in the standard deduction and how taxpayers have been accustomed to using it may be the single most important factor for tax planning into 2019. The increase in the standard deduction is designed to simplify taxes for millions of tax payers. So rather than itemizing deductions, some taxpayers will instead just
LANSING - Nearly 250,000 Michigan "Flow-Through" business organized as S Corporations or partnerships could claim state income tax exemptions under legislation that the Senate unanimously passed Thursday. Under the 2017 U.S. Tax Cut, "Flow-Through entities" lost their ability to deduct what they pay in state income taxes. C Corporations, by contrast, did not lose that
LANSING – Banks, businesses, government agencies and nonprofits that suffer a data security breach would have 45 days to inform all of their impacted customers, under a pair of bills reported out of the House Financial Services Committee Wednesday. HB 6405 and HB 6406, sponsored by Committee Chair Diana Farrington (R-Utica) and Rep. Joseph Graves
LANSING - Today in the United States, women business owners are gaining ground like never before — and there’s no letup in sight! But with a series of barriers to face, many women entrepreneurs still have a long way to go. Download a copy of the e-book "Being a Woman Business Owner" to gain insight
