Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville said Wednesday he supports moving all newly hired public school employees into a 401(k)-style retirement plan and closing the pension and health care plan. “Tell the Mackinac Center that, OK?” Richardville quipped to reporters, referencing the Midland-based free market think-tank that has called for ending the traditional defined benefits of… Continue reading
The Backroom
Detroit News political reporters ferret out what's really going on in Detroit, Lansing and Washington D.C.
Michigan Democrats: Mitt Romney is a bully
Some Michigan Democratic lawmakers were quick to blast presumed Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney today in light of revelations that he bullied classmates as a student at Cranbrook School while his father, George Romney, was governor of Michigan. The Washington Post reported Thursday that Romney led a prep school posse in the spring of 1965 who pinned down a student… Continue reading
New Romney ad targets women on Mother's Day
The pro-Mitt Romney independent group launched a new TV ad this week in Michigan that blasts Democratic criticism of Ann Romney as a stay at home mom and tries to link the remarks to President Barack Obama. The Restore Our Future super PAC launched the new spot in time for Mother’s Day, a move that highlights the… Continue reading
Bolger: Executive branch must enforce cyber school enrollment cap
Lansing –House Speaker Jase Bolger, R-Marshall, is dismissing suggestions that caps the House put in place on cyber school enrollment could lead to 10 percent of Michigan students enrolling in the online schools. On a 56-54 vote, the House amended Senate Bill 619 last week to include a cap for cyber school enrollment based on 2 percent of… Continue reading
Michigan House delays vote on prison privatization
Lansing — The state House was poised to vote Wednesday on a bill to authorize Michigan’s first privately-run prison for adult inmates. But the bill sponsors delayed the vote for at least a week to make changes to House Bill 5174 , which would authorize the Department of Corrections to farm out operations for one prison to a… Continue reading
Jones: Self-defense with Taser beats being shot with a bullet
Sen. Rick Jones, sponsor of a bill to legalize Tasers for citizens with concealed pistol licenses, emailed The Detroit News feedback on today’s article about the legislation advancing to Gov. Rick Snyder’s desk. Here’s what the Grand Ledge Republican and former Eaton County sheriff had to say about a Michigan State University researcher’s conclusions about the safety of stun gun s used by police to subdue individuals during an arrest: Your article says the study shows 41 percent of the time… Continue reading
Mackinac a budget carrot for lawmakers
Word is members of the state Legislature will sit out this year’s Mackinac Island Policy Conference. Or maybe not. Ari Adler, spokesman for Speaker Jase Bolger, said he doesn’t expect a single member of the House Republican Caucus to show up because 1) it will be held on a Tuesday through Thursday, when they have session, and 2) it’s… Continue reading
Maddow calls tougher emergency manager law 'most radical' in GOP-run states
Following Thursday’s raucous Board of State Canvassers meeting, liberal MSNBC talk show host Rachel Maddow continued to rail against Michigan’s emergency manager law. “This Michigan law is, in my opinion, the single most radical thing done any of the all-red states since 2010,” Maddow told her MSNBC audience. The Rev. David Bullock, a Highland Park… Continue reading
House Republicans dominating Democrats in early money race
Republican who control the Michigan House are dominating the Democrats in fundraising less than seven months before the November general election. The House Republican Campaign Committee on Wednesday reported having more than $1 million in cash on hand after raising $529,909 from Jan. 1 to April 20, according a campaign finance report. The Michigan House Democratic Fund reported having $674,817 in cash on hand after raising $410,683 during the first quarter and… Continue reading
Brewer: Michigan doesn't have a problem with non-citizens voting
In Michigan’s Feb. 28 Republican presidential primary, Secretary of State Ruth Johnson added a check-off for voters to affirm their U.S. citizenship at the polls in effort to stop non-citizens from voting. There are an unknown number of legal permanent residents in the state who are not U.S. citizens but have been registered to vote… Continue reading