Michigan in Focus

A recent report on Michigan’s Child Protection Agency shows organizational issues that have been going on for at least six years. An audit completed in 2018 revealed a failure to conduct background checks, major delays in abuse investigations, failure to meet with some victims, and a lack of safety plans for identified victims. The updated report, conducted by the nonpartisan Office of the Auditor...

Michigan politicians from both sides of the aisle took to social media this weekend to show support for former President Donald Trump following an attempted assassination at a campaign rally. Trump’s upper ear was pierced by a rifle’s bullet during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, narrowly missing his forehead. Since then, many voices have come forward to condemn the murder attempt, in...

Four weeks out from Michigan’s Primary Election Day, more than 1.5 million of the state’s voters have requested or received an absentee ballot, breaking records set in 2020. More than 178,000 of those voters have already submitted a completed ballot. Support this podcast:  https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx Full story: https:/...

For multiple years, the deer population in southern Michigan has been out of control. Cars and crops have suffered alike from a deer surplus, but local conservationists say relaxed hunting regulations could solve the issue. Last year alone, deer were involved in 58,000 car wrecks, killing 19 people. Herds cause millions in crop damage per year. The problem is only exacerbated by declining hunting...

 Consumers Energy, the largest Michigan utility company, made a commitment Monday to install 1,500 public electric vehicle chargers by 2030 across the state. The decision would make transportation history yet again in the home of the automobile. Consumer’s goal, as a part of the new Transportation Electrification  Plan, would nearly double the number of publicly accessible electric charging statio...

 As a part of the new statewide budget for the 2025 fiscal year, bipartisan support was given toward opioid addiction services. About $48.2 million will be allocated to fighting the opioid epidemic. Statistics show one Michigan resident dies from an opioid overdose every four hours. All funding comes from a settlement reached with opioid companies at the end of 2023. Support this podcast: https://...

After denying any interest in replacing President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination this fall, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined a team of fellow Democratic governors at a White House meeting Wednesday. It’s currently unknown what the meeting entailed, but Biden was also scheduled to have lunch with Vice President Kamala Harris. Whitmer said on social media Monday the president can still...

Michigan’s $82.5 billion budget for fiscal year 2025 passed in the House at 4 a.m. on Thursday following hours of debate over spending. With a surplus this past year, the House Democratic majority focused on urban community projects, affordable housing, free community college and a new firearm injury grant. House Republicans argue the budget does not emphasize rural communities, infrastructure or...

 Two years after Roe v. Wade was overturned, a Michigan court blocked the state’s required 24-hour waiting period before an abortion. Michigan Court of Claims Judge Sima Patel ruled the requirement infringes on the state’s constitutional right to abortion, which was approved by voters in November 2022. The ruling also stops the state from mandating certain information be given before the procedure...

In an effort to boost voter turnout, the state of Michigan plans to bring politics to schools, workplaces and social media. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson played host to a roundtable earlier this week to discuss solutions to voter turnout gaps among young Michiganders. Compared to the rest of the nation, Michigan boasted a higher turnout of voters aged 18-29 in the 2022 midterm election. Yet, n...

The Michigan House of Representatives is set to vote on legislation that supporters say will protect the state’s elections from bad actors. House Bill 5551, sponsored by Rep. Noah Arbit, D-West Bloomfield, would amend the Michigan Election Law to prohibit individuals convicted of election-related crimes from serving on the board of state or county canvassers, which certify the election results. Mi...

SOAR is taking a fall against House Republican scrutiny, with numerous amendments preventing the package from leaving the House Economic Development Committee. The Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve Fund, first introduced in 2021 as a means of keeping business in Michigan, has faced recent backlash from both sides of the aisle for its high spending and lack of results. Governor Gretchen Whi...

Michigan farms affected by the rise in bird flu cases are now eligible for financial assistance but at a cost. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has determined 20 Michigan dairy farms are eligible for up to $28,000 each, so long as they assist in researching the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Since first detected in March, 24 cow herds have been infected, alongside three Mi...

 Two bills looking to fight against deed fraud have passed the Michigan House with bipartisan support. If successful in a Senate vote, HB 5598 and 5599 would enforce a new 10-year felony for anyone who tries to falsify information on a property deed, such as ownership or a forged signature. The bills would also allow registrar employees to submit fraudulent documents to a county prosecutor for ana...

In what Republicans are calling a win for election integrity, the Michigan Court of Claims ruled election clerks cannot initially presume voter signatures are valid. The decision struck down Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s second attempt in 2023 to adjust signature verification requirements, even after the court ruled in 2021 that those changes were invalid. The December 2023 guidance manual i...

Southwestern Michigan impacted by recent storms might be given a federal disaster declaration. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants President Joe Biden to issue a Major Disaster Declaration for four Michigan counties after the multiple tornadoes earlier this month. While Branch, Cass, Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties have all received state disaster support, and preliminary estimates suggest a ne...

A small group of Michigan lawmakers want to crack down on illegal immigration. The Michigan House Freedom Caucus introduced a five-bill package and a resolution recently seeking to criminalize inaction on illegal immigration. State Reps. Neil Friske, R-Charlevoix; Steve Carra, R-Three Rivers; Matt Maddock, R-Milford and James DeSana, R-Ash Township announced the package. Support this podcast: http...

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently announced a new “PitchMI” competition, where startups will compete for $100,000 in the style of the television show “Shark Tank.” The state will partner with other organizations to award the best pitch on improving transportation. Details on applying are expected soon. The competition is timely, since the state is nearing the close of a five-year, $3.5 billi...

One Fair Wage isn't giving up on a higher minimum wage in Michigan, despite an October ruling that ended a chance to get the question before voters in 2024. Instead, the group is banking on a court case and lawmakers to push the state's non-tipped minimum wage eventually to $15 an hour. A  2024 ballot proposal  to raise Michigan’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2027, circulated by One Fair Wage,...

A bipartisan group of Michigan state representatives want to stop local delivery drivers from paying taxes twice. Reps. Alabas Farhat, D-Dearborn; Jimmie Wilson, D-Ypsilanti; Graham Filler, R-Duplain Township; and Jasper Martus, D-Flushing introduced HB 5745 and 5746 to eliminate a double sales tax on delivery companies like Instacart and Shipt. Under current Michigan law, local delivery companies...

With border exposure and natural ports, Michigan Republicans want to change state law to make human smuggling illegal and criminalize harboring and transporting people who are or have entered the country illegally. There are no state-level criminal penalties for human smuggling. State Reps. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, and Gina Johnsen, R-Lake Odessa, recently introduced legislation that would crimina...

After a recent Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference, tensions remain between the Michigan Legislature and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. In February, the governor proposed an $80.7 billion budget for the 2025 fiscal year. Since then, both the House and Senate have passed their own. After the CREC, a final vote in both chambers is necessary to finalize the budget before the July 1 deadline. F...

Insurance coverage for mental health and substance abuse treatments is now law in Michigan after Republicans and Democrats came together on legislation. Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Senate Bill 27 on Tuesday, requiring insurance companies to cover both issues to the same degree as medical coverage. Inpatient, outpatient and emergency services, and prescribed medication all fall under the bill’...

 A Michigan lawmaker wants to restore what he calls a fur harvester licensed hunter’s right to hunt coyotes all year. State Rep. Greg Markkanen, R-Hancock recently introduced House Bill 5721 that he says would give that right back to hunters. The bill was created by a group of house Republicans after the Michigan Natural Resources Commission voted 4-2 to end the coyote hunting season from mid-Apri...

Michigan House Democrats passed budget bills totaling nearly $81 billion – larger than Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s recommendation. Republicans in the minority for the first time in 40 years decried the spending proposals as wasteful as Democrats said the budget would invest in all Michiganders. House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, welcomed the proposed budget. Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com...