DETROIT - Buoyed by a $2 million warchest and no clear Republican challenger at the moment, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) focused on economic issues during a speech to Democrat convention-goers on Saturday. It was only at the end of the speech Stabenow really referenced the upcoming 2012 election, where she is the top state
DETROIT - After facing perhaps the most overwhelming defeat in the modern history of the Michigan Democratic Party in 2010, the party will undergo a "top to bottom review" of how it does business, newly re-elected Chair Mark Brewer said Saturday. Brewer won a ninth term as party chair with a unanimous vote of the
LANSING - More responsiveness to the needs of struggling Michigan businesses and greater transparency were calls Republican lawmakers made to Michigan Economic Development Corporation officials on Tuesday. With the state struggling economically over the past 10 years, Rep. Jeff Farrington (R-Utica) put it straight to the new CEO Michael Finney by asking what the MEDC
ANN ARBOR - Most local officials do not think their workers are overpaid in terms of salary and wages, a study by the Center of Local, State and Urban Policy at the University of Michigan said. But many do think their workers get benefits that are more generous than the general public. The survey is
LANSING ? Gov. Rick Snyder sounded an Eisenhowerian message over the weekend when, during a televised interview, he declared, "I will go to China" when asked if he wanted to lead a trade mission to the country that has been a political hot potato in Michigan for some time. It was in the closing days
LANSING - Despite Michigan House Tax Policy chair Rep. Jud Gilbert's opposition to eliminating the Earned Income Tax Credit, it is still part of the tax incentive package, in all totaling $768 million, that House Speaker Jase Bolger said will be reviewed by lawmakers in the coming weeks. Gilbert (R-Algonac) said the committee will review
LANSING - In a significant executive order issued late Monday afternoon, Governor Rick Snyder took authority for the state's parole system out of the Executive Office and put that authority in the Department of Corrections by creating a new parole board. It was unclear if the impact of the order would make parole easier for
LANSING - In six press conferences held across the state Monday, House Democrats said they will soon reintroduce their "Hire Michigan First" bills, which give preference for state and local economic development incentives to companies that hire Michigan workers. Last term in majority, Democrats failed in getting a compromise on the bills with the Republican-controlled
LANSING - The budget that Gov. Rick Snyder will propose February 17 will only ask the Legislature to pass a budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year because of constitutional issues clouding the ability to enact a two-year budget that includes the 2012-13 fiscal year, Budget Director John Nixon said Monday. Nixon said until the constitutional
WARREN - The Michigan Business and Professional Association, along with its sister association the Michigan Food and Beverage Association, strongly urge legislators to support legislation that would eliminate the State's unnecessary Item Pricing Law. Both Associations large membership represent over 20,000 small businesses, employing over 160,000 individual employees, support House Bill 4158 sponsored by Representative