Friday, February 8, 2013
The Michigan governor is proposing a 2 percent increase in funding for K-12 schools next year.
Gov. Rick Snyder is proposing a 2 percent increase in funding for public schools, universities and community colleges in Michigan during the next school year. Snyder presented his budget plan during a joint session of the House and Senate appropriations committees on Thursday. “It’s clear that Michigan is on the comeback,” Snyder said in a press release. “We are creating more jobs, our unemployment rate has improved, personal income for families is increasing, and our population is growing again. The measures we have taken to fix our tax system and get our budget in long-term balance are paying dividends. I am pleased to recommend a budget that keeps the momentum moving in the right direction.” According to Crain's Detroit, the governor's …
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
The new agency will oversee operations to connect veterans to services and benefits in Michigan.
- GOVERNMENT
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Tuesday, January 22
Editor's note: This press release was submitted by Gov. Rick Snyder's Office. Gov. Rick Snyder issued an executive order on Jan. 18 that will help to better connect eligible veterans with their benefits. Executive Order 2013-2 creates the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency within the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The governor announced the move during his annual State of the State address. “Michigan’s veterans earned and deserve the best possible support – and we need to make sure that they can get it,” Snyder said. “With our state’s recent accreditation by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and with a new agency solely dedicated to their needs, veterans will experience more efficient and effective delivery of …
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Gov. Rick Snyder said he plans to "reinvent" Michigan during an appearance at a Brighton Chamber of Commerce luncheon this week.
Following his State of the State address, Gov. Rick Snyder reiterated the need to find a way to raise $1.2 billion in funding per year in order to fix the state's crumbling roads to more than 400 people that attended the Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Thursday. Snyder said roads are a topic he is "really fired up about." He called for raising vehicle registration fees and changing the current 19 cents per gallon gas tax to a percentage tax based on the wholesale rate that would allow it to grow with inflation. While legislators are looking at alternative ways to fund road improvements, Snyder said he preferred to do it fairly. "There are other ways to do it, but my preference is to do it through user fees," he said…
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Snyder will deliver his third State of the State address at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Gov. Snyder will deliver his third State of the State address to a joint session of the Michigan Legislature at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. According to the Detroit Free Press, one of the main topics of the speech will focus on matching job vacancies in Michigan with workers who possess the necessary skills to fill those jobs. Snyder notes that the state has thousands of vacant jobs, but a high unemployment level. The event will be broadcast live online at www.livestream.com/snyderlive. It will also be broadcast on Fox, and WWJ 950 AM.
Friday, January 11, 2013
The laws allow schools to implement programs for students and staff about the warning signs of sexual abuse.
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Friday, January 11
Gov. Rick Snyder signed Erin’s Law to strengthen protections against sexual abuse of children this week. Named in honor of sexual abuse survivor Erin Merryn, the package includes Senate Bills 1112-1114, sponsored by state Sens. John Proos, Rebekah Warren and Judy Emmons. The bills allow schools to implement a program to educate and provide resources for students, staff and parents about the warning signs of sexual abuse as well as available resources and counseling for children affected by abuse. The bills also create a task force to develop recommendations on how schools can best handle educational programs. “Everyone involved in a school – staff, students and parents – needs to recognize the warning signs of sexual abuse,” Snyder said. “…
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation that outlines guidelines for property owners and leasing tenants.
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Saturday, January 5
A new law signed by Gov. Rick Snyder this week protects property owners and renters. House Bill 5892, sponsored by state Rep. Wayne Schmidt, R-District 104, amends the Rental-Purchase Agreement Act to assist both lessors and lessees of property. Lessees who are temporarily unable to make payments and surrender the property in a timely fashion now will have 90 days, rather than one month or less, to make the payments required to reinstate a rental-purchase agreement without losing any rights or options. Lessors now will be able to require that property be returned seven days after a lessee misses a payment, instead of having to wait nearly a month. The law also clarifies what types of fees may be charged in these situations. The bill is …
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Theft of retail merchandise with the intent or purpose of reselling the products is now a felony punishable by up to five years' imprisonment.
Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation this week establishing the Organized Retail Crime Act to protect consumers by cracking down on the increasing prevalence of retail fraud. House Bills 5843 and 5902, sponsored by state Rep. Joe Graves, R-District 51, would make it a felony punishable by up to five years' imprisonment if a person is found guilty of knowingly committing organized retail crime. This includes the theft of retail merchandise with the intent or purpose of reselling, distributing, or transferring the stolen retail merchandise to another retail merchant or to any other person personally, through the mail, or through any electronic medium, including the Internet, in exchange for anything of value. The measures are now Public Acts …
Monday, December 31, 2012
Schools and businesses cannot ask employees for passwords for personal social media accounts.
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Monday, December 31, 2012
Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation on Dec. 28 protecting the online privacy of Michiganders by prohibiting employers and educational institutions from asking applicants, employees and students for passwords and other account information used to access private Internet and email accounts, including social networks like Facebook and Twitter. House Bill 5523, sponsored by state Rep. Aric Nesbitt, also penalizes educational institutions for dismissing or failing to admit a student who does not provide such details. “Cyber security is important to the reinvention of Michigan, and protecting the private Internet accounts of residents is a part of that,” Snyder said. “Potential employees and students should be judged on their skills and …
Saturday, December 29, 2012
A political expert said Michigan could be “ground zero for a recall vote” against the Republican governor in 2013.
Could the swift passage of the highly controversial right-to-work legislation lead to Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's appearance on a statewide ballot for something other than his re-election campaign? One political expert thinks it's possible. Joshua Spivak, a senior fellow at Wagner College’s Hugh L. Carey Institute for Government Reform, told Politico that Michigan could be “ground zero for a recall vote” against Snyder in 2013. “There doesn’t seem to be a specific goal of going after state legislatures or state governors in any significant way, though that might change in Michigan because of right-to-work (legislation),” Spivak said in the Politico story. Local recall elections, such as the one voters recently approved against Troy Mayor …
Friday, December 28, 2012
The new bill will take effect in the spring and offers more choices for struggling municipalities and school districts, the governor's office said.
- GOVERNMENT
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Friday, December 28, 2012
Gov. Rick Snyder signed a new emergency manager bill into law Thursday that will take effect in the spring for financially troubled local governments and school districts. According to a press release from the governor's office, Senate Bill 865, sponsored by state Sen. Phil Pavlov, allows for more public input and gives financially troubled cities and school districts a choice of four options — mediation; a consent agreement; an emergency manager; or Chapter 9 bankruptcy. Snyder said the bill strengthens the current financial manager law to handle severe financial stress in some municipalities, but also takes into account voters’ concerns regarding the previous emergency manager law expressed during the November election. “This legislation…
John Locke
8:56 pm on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
The question is whether the agency will do the typical government cosmetic things, Surface training, write resume, post jobs. Or will the state set aside part of ther 1 billion in procurements for only veteran owned businesses to bid on? more ›