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Locals to Lansing: Get a budget deal, because cuts are getting real
While Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and GOP leaders squabble, budget vetoes are forcing cuts or other tough decisions for local governments, nonprofits and service entities that have already lost state funding — or will soon if state leaders do not resolve the dispute.
Michigan judge rules Enbridge Line 5 construction is constitutional
The victory, which could pave the way for the tunnel plan to proceed, is a setback for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who halted work on the project in March. Attorney General Dana Nessel released a 120-page report and vowed to appeal.
Michigan Gov. Whitmer to GOP: I’ll make a budget deal, but won’t cede powers
Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday offered Republican legislative leaders a series of bargaining concessions in an attempt to break an ongoing budget stalemate but made clear she will not sign away gubernatorial power.
For 10,000 Michigan counselors, bill’s passage a sigh of relief
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill Tuesday that preserves the right of counselors to diagnose and practice psychotherapy in the state. The measure effectively overrules a licensing agency’s bid to restrict their professional practice.
Opinion | Gov. Whitmer’s effort to ban vaping products was the right move
A Michigan school superintendent says his district has seen a 71 percent increase in tobacco-related incidents in the past two years, despite efforts to both educate students and address offenses to the codes of conduct.
Opinion | Restore financial aid to Michiganders in prison
Gov. Whitmer recently restored financial aid access for incarcerated college students but more policy changes are needed to fully restore access to college in prison.
Michigan Republicans say ‘the budget is done.’ Here’s what they really mean.
For weeks, GOP leaders have said the state budget is in place, even though $1 billion of their priorities were cut and negotiations continue with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. At the core of the standoff is broken trust and the GOP’s insistence on capping how much money the governor can shift from department budgets.
Pure Michigan gets reprieve, but its future is cloudy amid budget showdown
Work on Pure Michigan tourism ads will continue through at least the end of the year after approval to use $740K to pay firms. Its long-term status remains shaky after a $37.5 million budget veto.
How Michigan Republicans nearly gutted discrimination investigations
In an under-the-radar move, the GOP tried to shift $1.5 million from the Department of Civil Rights to three private museums. The move came as hate crimes are increasing.
Opinion | Gov. Whitmer prioritizes Native American students in Michigan budget
With more than 147 line-item vetoes, the governor signaled a stark change from her earlier stance on a roads plan and other funding. However, her 2019-20 budget does reflect one of her campaign promises to Native American communities: a fully-funded tuition waiver program.
Score one for bipartisanship: Michigan Dems, GOP pass ‘raise the age’ bills
The legislation would make 17-year-olds automatically treated as juveniles in criminal proceedings. Advocates say it will help curb recidivism among young offenders. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to sign the legislation.
Michigan judge suspends Gov. Whitmer’s ban on flavored e-cigarettes
In granting a preliminary injunction, the judge said the state undermined its own argument that the move was a public health “emergency.”
Plans for visitor center at Michigan Capitol downsized after Whitmer veto
A visitor center next to the state Capitol will be smaller after the first-term governor nixes an additional $15 million for the project.
Opinion | We must work together to reverse Whitmer cuts to autism services
Two GOP representatives -- also parents of children with special needs -- say Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was wrong to use vulnerable residents as leverage in the road funding debate. They've introduced a plan that would restore funding for the autism services she cut from the budget.
Michigan Republicans want to rein in Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s budget power
Republicans explore taking power away from Whitmer, as her Democratic allies submit bills to restore some unpopular budget cuts, including $1 million for an autism program and $34 million for rural hospitals.
Michigan Republicans jockeying to override Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s budget vetoes
Ahead of a Thursday meeting with the first-term governor, GOP lawmakers are drafting bills to restore funding for popular programs Whitmer cut including an autism hotline.
In the spring, Gov. Whitmer praised an opioid clinic. In the fall, a veto.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s vetoes in the Michigan budget included funds for Andy’s Place, an opioid recovery project near Jackson that she endorsed months ago. The planned facility is in the district of Republican budget and political foe Mike Shirkey.
Tiny school districts to Lansing: Stop acting like ‘middle-schoolers’
Superintendents in some of Michigan’s most isolated districts blame Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Repubican leaders for a budget fight that they say threatens their future and treats students like political pawns.
Michigan has $1B left over from budget. What happens to all that money?
Now that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has gone on a line-item veto spree, some $947 million in taxpayer money is unspent. Time is running out, but Whitmer says ‘all is not lost’ and there’s still an opportunity to salvage programs.
Opinion | Governor’s cuts use people as negotiation tools
Being a leader is recognizing when you have made a mistake — and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made a doozy by cutting funds for scholarships and for programs to help children with autism or seniors with Alzheimer’s. It's cruel, and it's wrong.