Michigan Senator Wayne Schmidt (R-Traverse City) on Wednesday introduced a bill with the goal of easing the financial burden placed on first responders throughout the state.
Senate Bill 821 amends a current law to allow local governments to purchase real or personal property, like fire trucks or ambulances, under an installment purchase agreement.
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Jordan Peterson, a long time professor at the University of Toronto, announced on Wednesday that he will surrender his full time status, largely due to social justice initiatives of the university and higher education in general.
However, Peterson will remain at the school. He will receive the title of professor emeritus, a title normally awarded to a retired professor who wishes to remain involved in academia.
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Multiple Michigan lawmakers are demanding answers to a report from the Michigan Office of the Auditor General that detailed thousands of additional COVID-related deaths in long-term care facilities across the state.
The analysis discovered more than 2,000 additional deaths than reported by Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Department of Health and Human Services.
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The Republican Governors Association on Monday blasted Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, after a new analysis detailed thousands of additional deaths in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
The Michigan Auditor General explained in a report that roughly 2,400 more individuals died from the virus than previously reported by state agencies.
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Tea Party Patriots Action (TPPA) and the Job Creators Network (JCN) praised the ruling handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court that prohibited President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for private businesses.
The mandate, which would have been enacted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, could have forced businesses with 100 or more employees to mandate the vaccine or weekly testing.
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The U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Wednesday that students in the state have no constitutional right to learn about civics while in school.
The ruling, written by U.S. Judge Denise Casper, denied an appeal from the group, upholding a decision rendered from a lower court.
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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer will deliver the annual State of the State address remotely, according to a release from her office.
The top executive detailed the event, scheduled for January 26, will be held virtually “to ensure everyone can safely partake” during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Numerous Michigan lawmakers voiced their support for in-person learning, following school districts across the state moving to virtual learning.
The Republican legislators pointed to the harmful social impacts and decreased academic scores for children in the state.
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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has remained silent as school districts in her state have opted to return to virtual learning for students.
Approximately nine different school systems in Michigan have moved educational instruction to computer screens, affecting roughly 100,000 students thus far.
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Michigan State University (MSU) will begin the semester with remote learning for the first three weeks, according to a press release issued by the university on Friday.
Citing the rise in coronavirus cases throughout the state, MSU officials elected to delay the return to campus for most students, which was originally scheduled for January 10.
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Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance agency paid out more than $8 billion in fraudulent claims from March 2020 to September 2021, according to a new report from Deloitte.
According to the consulting agency, an estimated 10.16 percent of the funds were paid out to individuals “involving likely imposter fraud.” Furthermore, an additional 20.21 percent to people “involving likely intentional misrepresentation fraud.”
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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Monday signed legislation that aims to limit the state’s substitute teacher shortage.
House Bill 4294, sponsored by State Representative Brad Paquette (R-Niles), will allow certain school staff members, like secretaries, to fill open substitute teacher positions through the end of the current school year.
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Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on Tuesday resolved a campaign finance complaint against Governor Gretchen Whitmer, ruling the governor did not violate campaign finance laws.
The original complaint, filed by the Michigan Freedom Fund, alleged that Whitmer used threat of a recall to collect campaign donations beyond the established individual limits. However, no recall attempt materialized into a credible challenge, making the donations illegal.
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The Michigan Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the state’s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission must release documents and recordings related to a closed-door meeting the group conducted earlier this year.
According to the 4-3 ruling written by Justice David Viviano, the commission’s decision to hold a secret meeting violated the state Constitution. The Michigan Constitution states the “commission shall conduct all of its business at open meetings.”
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Independent journalist Alex Berenson on Monday announced from his SubStack account, “Unreported Truths,” a lawsuit against Twitter for violating his First Amendment rights.
The lawsuit, which follows the social media giant banning the author from the platform, contends that multiple Twitter officials assured Berenson that he would have access to the platform, only to be kicked off later.
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Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill to enact a bipartisan measure to fund the state’s emergency response system until December 2027.
House Bill 5026, sponsored by state Rep. Julie Calley (R-Portland), will allow the state to modernize its system to better its GPS location service to pinpoint the location of calls made from mobile phones.
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Michigan State University (MSU) announced on Friday that all students and faculty will be required to receive the coronavirus vaccine booster shot.
Beginning in the upcoming spring semester, all individuals must have the additional shot to remain in compliance with the university’s policies, according to an email from MSU President Samuel L. Stanley.
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Michigan lawmakers in both the House and the Senate overwhelmingly approved a measure that aims to ease the tax burden on small businesses in the state.
When filing federal taxes, large corporations are allowed unlimited state and local tax (SALT) deductions. However, small business, considered flow-through entities, deductions are capped at $10,000.
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Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday slammed Congressman Adam Schiff for changing the substance of a text message that he read during a January 6th Committee hearing.
Congressman Schiff (D-CA-28) allegedly altered a text message between White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH-04), according to a report from The Federalist.
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A new poll released on Wednesday shows that a majority of Michigan voters believe that the state is on the wrong track, an increase from September.
The survey initiated by the Detroit Regional Chamber demonstrated that 52.8 percent of voters do not support the direction of the state, compared to 31.7 percent who believe it is on the right track.
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Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday sent a letter to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, requesting special elections to fill multiple legislative vacancies.
According to Whitmer, the elections are needed to ensure that all residents of the states are equally represented in government.
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The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Friday ruled to strike down Governor Tom Wolf’s statewide mask mandate for schools.
The challengers of the mandate, including Pennsylvania Senate President pro tempore Jake Corman (R-Centre) and State Representative Jesse Topper (R-Bedford), argued that the decision of masking should be left to local school boards or parents, not the state government.
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Michigan State Senator Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) on Thursday introduced a bill to close a campaign finance loophole that has allowed Governor Gretchen Whitmer to rake in millions of dollars through questionable donations.
Whitmer, pointing to a ruling from 1983, claims she had the right to haul in donations over the $7,150 individual limit due to a threat of a recall campaign.
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Across the country, elected leaders are suing to prevent President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandates. However, Michigan’s Attorney General Dana Nessel refuses to weigh in on the constitutional matter.
Most recently, a ruling from U.S. District Judge Stan Baker halted a provision that required contractors working with the federal government to receive the coronavirus vaccine, one of the last remaining national vaccine mandates.
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Two Michigan residents were charged in criminal complaints for conducting an unemployment insurance benefit fraud scheme that stole millions.
The two defendants, Tauheed Wilder and Shuqueni Franklin, are alleged to have engaged in mail fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering.
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The Voter Reference Foundation (VRF), an outside organization that has reviewed multiple states’ voter registration lists, called for more transparency in Michigan’s voter rolls.
When analyzing the data, the group claimed that the state has a discrepancy between the number of voters listed as having voted in the 2020 general election and the number of ballots reported being cast according to states’ official canvass and turnout reports.
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Michigan State Representative Beau LaFave (R-Iron Mountain) on Thursday introduced a bill to limit the influence of Big Tech on the state’s elections.
House Bill 5597, entitled Justice Abolishing Corporate Kneecapping (JACK) Act, would prohibit social media platforms from “willfully” de-platforming a candidate running for office.
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Michigan State Senator Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton) on Thursday introduced legislation to cut the state’s income tax rates.
The measure, Senate Bill 768, would reduce the personal and corporate income tax rates to 3.9% from 4.25% and 6%, respectively.
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Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday withdrew a federal lawsuit against Enbridge, a Canadian company that owns the Line 5 pipeline.
Instead, the Democratic governor detailed that the state is “shifting its legal strategy,” to use a state lawsuit filed by Attorney General Dana Nessel to shut down the pipeline.
Whitmer called for Line 5 to be terminated “as soon as possible.”
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Republican Al Schmidt, who is the only GOP member with a seat on Philadelphia’s election board, announced on Tuesday that he will resign from his position.
Schmidt, who has received harsh criticism from former President Donald Trump, is accepting a position as president and CEO of The Committee of Seventy.
The commissioner will step down in the middle of his third term.
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Empower Oversight, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization with the goal of enhancing oversight of government, won an appeal for six Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, allowing the group to access documents previously undisclosed.
The organization sought documents related to multiple reports of misconduct in the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General (FHFA-OIG).
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Tea Party Patriots will focus on training and helping elect “constitutionally conservative” candidates for local elections across the country.
The organization is partnering with American Majority to encourage residents to “step up and participate in government.”
“As we watch a full-fledged attack on our freedoms from the local level all the way to the federal level, we simply can’t depend on the current class of politicians to save us,” Jenny Beth Martin in a statement. “From local school boards allowing — and, in some cases, forcing — our children to learn about anti-American concepts to city councils, mayors, and governors forcing mandates on the population that are a direct violation of our rights as free people, the time for patriots to step up and participate in government is now.”
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Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Wednesday announced her office is launching a holiday consumer protection campaign.
The goal of the initiative is to protect consumer’s information while shopping in person or online throughout the holiday season.
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Former President Donald Trump on Sunday challenged the January 6th Committee over their ongoing investigation into the event.
In a statement, Trump argued that the legislators, instead of questioning former Trump administration officials, should examine what “caused” the events.
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Michigan State University (MSU) employees are asking the university to restore pay cuts that were issued during the coronavirus pandemic.
According to a resolution passed by the Faculty Senate, employees were forced to take 10-month salary cuts of 1-8%, an 18-month, 50% cut in retirement match, and at least a 36-month gap between merit raises for all non-union academic management, faculty, and academic staff.
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Bernie Kerik, former New York City Police Commissioner, will testify before the January 6th Committee, according to a letter from Kerik’s attorney obtained by Politico.
The group of lawmakers on the committee allege that Kerik was present at a meeting at the Willard Hotel on Jan. 5, discussing multiple issues with Rudy Giuliani and others.
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Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Committee, the group responsible for redrawing the state’s congressional districts, is under fire from both sides of the political aisle.
In October, the members of the group held a closed-door meeting, despite the fact the state’s Constitution says the “commission shall conduct all of its business at open meetings.”
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A group of Republican lawmakers in the Michigan State Senate signed a letter written by Senator Jim Runestad (R-White Lake), urging the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) to withdraw its membership and affiliation from the National School Board Association (NSBA).
In the letter, the state lawmakers expressed concern over the direction of local schooling and the role parents are allowed to play in their children’s education.
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Michigan businessman Kevin Rinke on Monday formally launched his campaign for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2022.
Rinke, who enters a crowded and growing GOP field, has pledged to self-fund his campaign, unlike his other Republican opponents.
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Michigan State Senator Ed McBroom (R-Waucedah Township) on Friday pledged to utilize the state legislature’s Oversight committees to investigate the mistakes of the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA).
McBroom, who serves as the chair of the Senate Oversight Committee, promised a joint hearing with his counterparts in the Michigan House.
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Michigan’s Office of the Auditor General on Thursday released a report on the shortcomings of the state’s Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA).
During the coronavirus pandemic, the state agency dished out $3.9 billion in overpayments of federal dollars to residents who did not qualify for the funds.
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Michigan State Senator Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte) on Monday officially launched a campaign for Congress in an expected competition against incumbent Democrat Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI-08).
Barrett, who has served in the Armed Services, pledged to stand up to President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for service members. The mandate served as a factor for Barrett to leave the Army after 21 years.
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Former President Donald Trump on Monday endorsed John Gibbs, a former member of his administration, in a GOP primary challenge against Representative Peter Meijer (R-MI-03).
Trump, who has remained critical of Meijer after the incumbent supported an impeachment resolution against the former president, said that Gibbs would better represent the district.
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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) on Friday vetoed a bill passed by the Michigan State Legislature, which would eliminate some penalties imposed on businesses that violated strict COVID-19 orders.
House Bill 4501, introduced by State Representative Tim Beson (R-Bay City), would have forgiven fines for first-time violations.
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Former Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) official John Gibbons launched a GOP primary challenge against incumbent Peter Meijer.
The former Trump administration staff member pledged to support “America First” policies, similar to those of former President Trump
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Republican lawmakers in the Michigan House and Senate on Thursday filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit against President Joe Biden’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration vaccine mandate.
The mandate, which could impact millions of Americans, has faced widespread backlash and legal opposition from multiple state officials and private leaders. Numerous lawsuits have been filed.
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Former President Donald Trump on Thursday endorsed Representative Matt Maddock (R-Milford) in his reelection campaign for the Michigan State Legislature.
Maddock, who has remained a strong proponent of the former president, is also running for a leadership position among House Republicans.
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Michigan State Senator Lana Theis (R-Brighton) on Wednesday penned a letter to Auditor General Doug Ringler, calling for a series of audits to be conducted within the state’s nursing homes.
Specifically, the call for the investigation seeks to review the facilities’ inspections during and after COVID-19 lockdowns.
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Michigan State Representative John Damoose (R-Harbor Springs) on Wednesday detailed a plan to reduce the shortage of nurses throughout the state.
The legislation would allow community colleges in Michigan to award bachelor’s degrees in nursing.
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Republicans in the Michigan House of Representatives on Wednesday introduced a plan to increase financial resources for law enforcement, aiming to support and recruit local police officers.
Representatives Timmy Beson (R-Bangor Township) and Annette Glenn (R-Midland), members of the Appropriations committee, backed the use of remaining COVID-19 relief funds to back the measure.
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