LANSING - Secretary of State Ruth Johnson announced Friday that the Department of State will issue driver's licenses and state identification cards to young persons brought to the United States illegally but who are now part of the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The policy change is the result of recent federal guidance
LANSING - Governor Rick Snyder filed a request Monday with the Supreme Court for a direct ruling on the constitutionality of the right-to-work law enacted last year. If the Supreme Court agrees to hear the case, it would bypass the trial courts and Court of Appeals should the unions or others have filed litigation against
LANSING - Rep. Wayne Schmidt said creating a surcharge on tires for all vehicles, including bikes and off- road vehicles, could be one way to help raise the approximately $1.6 billion needed to fix Michigan's roads. Schmidt (R-Traverse City) told Gongwer News Service Wednesday that bikes and ORVs have their own lanes or wider shoulders
LANSING - Governor Rick Snyder signaled he was willing to consider a major change in how Michigan awards its electoral votes in presidential elections by dropping the winner-take-all system for one based on the winner of each of the state's congressional districts. Snyder told The Associated Press for a story looking at Republican efforts to
LANSING - December tax collections were about $102.6 million above the level expected in the Senate Fiscal Agency's estimate for the month, with the bulk of additional revenue being accounted for with the Michigan Business Tax and Corporate Income Tax collections, the Senate Fiscal Agency's December 2012 revenue report showed on Wednesday. Michigan Business Tax
LANSING - Acting the day after his State of the State address, Governor Rick Snyder on Thursday signed Executive Order 2013-1, creating a new Department of Insurance and Financial Services. The order establishes that the new department will have authority over all insurance and banking issues in the state. In announcing the order, Snyder confirmed
LANSING - Governor Rick Snyder announced eight expansions of government to only two limitations, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy said in its annual analysis of his State of the State Address. The worst offense the group found was the $1.2 billion he proposed in new transportation funding. "The governor and legislators rightly recognize that
LANSING - Sen. Roger Kahn, who headed a task force on transportation near the end of 2012, said on Monday that Governor Rick Snyder is very likely to include transportation in his State of the State address, currently scheduled for January 16. "Conversations are going on with a view of toward fast-tracking this this time
LANSING - Michigan's tax system is not keeping up with program need, the Michigan League for Public Policy said in calling for changes as part of upcoming budget negotiations. In addition to ensuring there is enough money to pay for needed programs, the League called for changes that would shift the tax burden away from
LANSING - House Minority Leader Tim Greimel said he is ready and willing to work with majority Republicans as the 2013-14 term begins, but plans to aggressively communicate House Democrats' plans for Michigan to residents. But Greimel (D-Auburn Hills) said how much Democrats participate in the development of legislation is up to House Speaker Jase