LANSING - Michigan Senate Republicans passed SB 0716 and SCR 22, both objections to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's $3.5 billion bonding-for-roads plan. All the Senate Democrats voted against SB 0716, sponsored by Sen. Roger Victory (R-Hudsonville), which would give the Legislature veto power over the State Transportation Commission bonding more than $100 million in any fiscal
LANSING - Enbridge has hired the contractors it needs to build the underground Straits of Mackinac tunnel, and will soon be submitting its formal permit requests to the appropriate state and federal authorities. Those were among the updates provided at the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority (MSCA) meeting Friday in St. Ignace. Also Friday, a company
LANSING - Marijuana is still illegal under federal law so when a marijuana business goes broke, it isn't eligible to file for bankruptcy in the federal courts, Kent County Circuit Court Judge Christopher Yates told the Michigan House Judiciary Committee Tuesday. "Whether we like it or not, we in the state of Michigan, in our
LANSING - The latest return-on-investment study on the Pure Michigan ad campaign found a return of $8.79 for every dollar spent on the combined warm weather and fall campaigns of 2019, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corp. According to the MEDC in a press release, $16.1 million was spent on out-of-state Pure Michigan campaigns
LANSING - A six-bill bipartisan package that includes treating vaping like a tobacco product and taxing it at 24% was introduced this week in the Michigan Senate. The flagship bill is SB 781, sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich (D-Flint), that would place vaping products under Michigan's "Tobacco Products, Tax Act." This approach is
LANSING - Michigan is already a top ten state when it comes to "corporate facility expansion activity," according to Ron Starner, executive vice president of Site Selection magazine. Michigan ranked ninth in 2018, and it will be in the top ten again for 2019, he's just not sure where because numbers are still being compiled.
LANSING - The Michigan Department of Transportation would need to work with an outside consulting firm to study the possibility of bringing toll roads to Michigan under legislation that passed the Senate Jan. 28 as part of a seven-bill transportation package. Sen. John Bizon's (R-Battle Creek) SB 517 would require the study include revenue projections,
LANSING - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer could go ahead and bond for $2.5 billion -- or really, any amount she wanted – for new road revenue through the gubernatorial-appointed State Transportation Commission, based on updated information from numerous sources. Whitmer could, theoretically, bond against the revenues from future gas taxes and registration fees for any amount
LANSING - On a party-line 6-3 vote, the Michigan Senate Regulatory Reform Committee reported out a concurrent resolution to oppose labor peace agreements being a requirement a company must meet to be eligible for licensing under the Marijuana Regulatory Agency's permanent rules. The measure is sponsored by committee chair Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton), who has compared
LANSING - Vitamin E acetate would be banned from vaping products for marijuana, medical marijuana, and nicotine under a three-bill package pending before the Michigan House Judiciary Committee. HB 5159, HB 5160 and HB 5161 by Rep. Abdullah Hammoud (D-Dearborn), Rep. Frank Liberati (D-Allen Park) and Rep. Joseph Bellino (R-Monroe) would ban the chemical, but
