LANSING - With the anticipation that unmanned aerial drones will soon move from foreign battlefields to domestic police work as well as engineering and scientific applications, legislation to regulate the use of drones in Michigan drew both praise and concern before the Michigan House Criminal Justice Committee on Wednesday. Rep. Kurt Heise (R-Plymouth Township), the
LANSING - A plan to raise $1.2 billion for roads through directing all taxes levied on gasoline purchases to transportation and then raising the sales tax from 6 to 7 percent to make whole schools, local governments and the General Fund still has life, one of the top lawmakers on road funding said Thursday. Sen.
LANSING - The Michigan House Appropriations Committee approved Thursday the omnibus budget, making no changes from what subcommittees approved for all state departments and agencies, and maintaining penalties for universities, colleges, local governments and school districts entering into contracts before the implementation of the right-to-work law. HB 4328 , the budget bill that includes all
LANSING - Overall approval of President Barack Obama's job performance has increased to its highest level since 2009 among Michigan residents, according to the latest State of the State Survey. The survey also found that approval ratings for Governor Rick Snyder declined slightly, but were statistically unchanged from results in the last survey. His approval
LANSING - Legislative Republicans are shopping a proposal that would link curbs in automobile personal injury protection insurance to fixing a shortfall in what the relatively new tax on health insurance claims raises. Under the proposal, motorists would no longer pay the annual Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association fee of $175, soon to rise to $186,
LANSING - What seemed the straightforward signing Wednesday by Governor Rick Snyder of legislation to provide emergency dredging aid found itself caught up in the debate about whether the state should provide the same legal protections to the LBGT community as it does for people based on their race, religion and other factors. The state
LANSING - A poll conducted by Marketing Resource Group found that 52 percent of those surveyed believe the state is on the wrong track, but a plurality of those voters also believe the state economy has gotten better in the last year and are somewhat optimistic about next year's performance. Of those questioned, 63 percent
LANSING - A fully federally run health care exchange is likely in store for Michigan, the governor's office said Thursday after the Senate adjourned without voting on a bill that would appropriate $31 million in federal funds to help set up a state-federal partnership on the exchange under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
LANSING ? The Michigan House Appropriations Community Colleges Subcommittee reported a budget bill for the state's 28 community colleges that includes denial of performance funding for those colleges that extend or renew labor contracts before the right-to-work law takes effect. HB 4212 , which passed 3-2 on party lines, creates a new prerequisite for receiving
LANSING - As agriculture continues to expand in Michigan, the state needs to expand its infrastructure capabilities to help move the products to markets, the head of the Michigan Agri-Business Association said at forum, and that means improving rail and water transportation along with the roads. Jim Byrum, president of the association, said those improvements