Michigan Report Top Stories

Volume #47, Report #78--Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Senate Activity Report   |   House Activity Report

D.H.S. UNVEILS CHILD WELFARE TASK FORCE

As promised in recent weeks, the Department of Human Services unveiled on Tuesday what officials said is a major strategy in overhauling the child welfare system.

M.P.I. TO FILL VOID LEFT BY PFIZER CUTS IN KALAMAZOO

Touting the largest non-automotive jobs project in her time in office, Governor Jennifer Granholm said the 3,300 promised jobs in Kalamazoo by MPI Research will more than offset the losses that region suffered when Pfizer scaled back its pharmaceutical operations.

QUORUM ISSUE HOLDS UP CAPITAL OUTLAY BUDGET

Democratic members of the Joint Capital Outlay Committee were not pleased late Tuesday afternoon when none of the six Senate Republican members showed up for a hearing on a budget that would give airports in Michigan access to federal dollars, as well as provide planning authorizations for public university and community college projects.

HOUSE PASSES D.H.S. BUDGET

The House finally cleared its last chamber-originating budget on Tuesday, sending appropriations for the Department of Human Services to the Senate.

SPELLINGS REQUIRES MORE EFFORT FOR STRUGGLING SCHOOLS

Michigan and other states would have to ensure that schools required to restructure under the federal No Child Left Behind Act are making meaningful changes and local districts would have to be more clear to parents what tutoring and choice options are available under new regulations unveiled Tuesday.

AHMED: J.E.T. ISN'T ENOUGH TO MEET FEDERAL WORK REQUIREMENTS

Because of a high population of people who can't work and the limited number of activities counted by the federal government as training or work, the Jobs Education and Training program, once touted as the Department of Human Services' answer to meeting federal work requirements, won't bring the state up to the 50 percent work requirement it was supposed to meet by last fall, DHS Director Ismael Ahmed told the Senate Appropriations DHS Subcommittee on Tuesday.

SENATE GIVES OK TO $254M BREAK IN BUSINESS TAX

Mid-sized businesses would get some $254 million in annual relief from the new Michigan Business Tax under a bill approved with a nearly solid party-line vote in the Senate Tuesday.   The bill (SB 1198) increases credits available for owners' compensation and expands entrepreneurship credits.

INSURANCE CREDIT SCORING MEASURE CLEARS HOUSE

On a nearly party-line vote, the House approved legislation Tuesday that would eliminate the use of credit scoring by insurance companies in determining premiums for things like auto, home and boat coverage.

HOUSE PASSES PAY EQUITY BILLS

After passing legislation in February that would create a commission to look at pay equity in Michigan (HB 4627), the House on Tuesday approved two other bills in that package.

HOUSE PANEL EXPLORING EVIDENCE-BASED SENTENCING

The House Appropriations Corrections Subcommittee began its review Tuesday of the sentencing pilots added by the Senate to the Department of Corrections budget.