LANSING - On Wednesday the House Education Committee sent to the full House one of the most sweeping reforms of the state's schools: a package of bills that would affect every school by requiring the retention of third-graders who do not test proficient in reading and creating a letter grading system of the state's schools.
LANSING - The Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would streamline the process for phone companies to end traditional landline service to customers under certain conditions, changing some wording to ensure the Public Service Commission must take a consumer's complaint regarding service providers if his or her current provider chooses to discontinue that service.
LANSING - Michigan residents are slightly less confident about their personal economics than they were earlier in the year, the most recent State of the State Survey shows, though a larger number of respondents felt they were better off today than a year ago. Most also felt they would be better still in another year,
LANSING - A push by Governor Rick Snyder to revive one of his top legislative priorities, to codify and expand the powers of the Education Achievement Authority that oversees the worst-performing schools in the state, is leading to talk of possible movement in the Senate before the end of the year. HB 4369 has been
LANSING - The Michigan Public Service Commission would serve as a safety valve to address concerns about the loss of voice service in an area where a provider decides to end traditional landline service and no credible alternative exists under a bill approved Tuesday by a Senate committee. The Senate Energy and Technology Committee adopted
ANN ARBOR - A survey showed U.S. consumers continue to have little faith in the federal government, and various fiscal crises, including debates about the debt ceiling, the fiscal cliff and the partial government shutdown, do not help, causing consumers to remain grim in their economic outlooks. Richard Curtin, director of the Thomson Reuters, University
LANSING - The Office of Regulatory Reinvention within the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs announced Thursday it had eliminated more than 1,500 state rules and implemented more than 100 recommendations. The ORR has reviewed more than 19,000 rules and collected nearly 35,000 pages of non-rule regulatory actions. To date, it has rescinded 1,950 "unnecessary,
LANSING - U.S. Rep. Gary Peters of Bloomfield Township was the lone Democrat from Michigan to vote Friday for a Republican bill that would allow existing health insurance plans to remain for sale for another year in response to complaints about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act leading to the cancellation of policies. Peters'
LANSING - Governor Rick Snyder signed five bills Wednesday designed to allow military veterans to allow their experience in the armed forces to qualify them for similar civilian jobs. Snyder signed legislation enabling: Veterans who specialized in military health care to obtain an emergency medical technician or related license, with fees waived for those honorably
LANSING - Legislation allowing those who earn a bachelor's degree at a Michigan college or university to receive a substantial credit on their income tax for their student loans if they find work in Michigan won approval Wednesday from the Senate Finance Committee. SB 408 would create an income tax break of up to 50