The Michigan Law Revision Commission, which evaluates comprehensive changes and updates to state statutes, met Nov. 5 to discuss the need to modernize the state’s Open Meetings Act. The OMA requires public bodies (school boards, city councils, etc.) to deliberate, make decisions and take action in a public meeting, with the goal of keeping the public fully informed about the actions of public bodies.
Nearly a year ago, popular Michigan pundit Tim Skubick opined on MLive.com that “another disease is starting to make the rounds in this town (Lansing): Tax Cut Fever.”
Personally, this observer welcomed the prospect of a bipartisan frenzy to convert a projected state budget surplus into tax cuts, even if the politicians’ motives included wanting to “help cement their 2014 re-election bid …”
Yesterday’s election was not so much a referendum on labor reform as yet another reminder that when elected officials protect freedom and taxpayers they do not need to fear the wrath of the union political juggernaut.
These reformers winning and opponents losing cannot be easily dismissed as “it was a Republican wave which protected the politicians who took on labor reform.” Almost more striking than what was in the Republican wins was what was not in the Democrat losses.
By Jack McHugh
While the Legislature is on a campaign season break from voting, the Roll Call Report continues a series reviewing key votes of the 2013-2014 session. This edition focuses on what are called "economic development" bills.
House Bill 4782, Expand a corporate/developer subsidy regime: Passed 87 to 23 in the House on November 14, 2013
Gosh almighty and gee whiz — what a shock it is to discover that nature often operates in cycles. One would think that obvious fact was as clear as night and day and the four seasons of the year. Apparently to some it wasn’t, or at least it never appeared to have been considered by global warming alarmists who preached putting trust in faulty science instead of historically observable water level patterns on the Great Lakes.
Michigan’s state budget is a $52 billion-plus document that cuts across most aspects of our lives: police, courts, transportation and education to name a few subjects. Is it any wonder then that few noticed or complained when a $100,000 “one-time” appropriation was slipped in to subsidize an athletic competition between people who are in the autumn of their years?
A common talking point in Michigan political campaigns this year is criticizing Republicans for “giving a “$1.8 billion tax break to business.” As is often the case with political claims, there is more to the story.
In 2011, policymakers here eliminated the much-reviled Michigan Business Tax and replaced it with a simpler corporate income tax and a separate financial institutions tax. This reduced the annual tax collected from Michigan job providers by $1.2 billion. While some firms benefited more than others, the reform was a substantial across-the-board tax cut. And it was a departure from the previous administration that approved huge subsidies or tax breaks for politically connected enterprises.
The new edition of Michigan Education Digest is now online. Topics include charter public school success, Brighton release time and school board elections.
Confused by all the political polls with varying results that seem to appear on a daily basis leading up to Election Day?
“Understanding Public Opinion Surveys” from February 2008 provides an in-depth look at polling, including the history of political polls, how to read them with a cautious eye and what questions to ask about how a particular poll was conducted.
While stopping short of going “full Krugman,” Michigan Radio suggests a “silver lining” regarding the state of Michigan’s roads:
The spending certainly helps the local repair shop, but at the expense of the overall economy. The idea that simply spending money is good without regard to the value produced is relatively common. The best rejoinder comes from an 1850 essay by 19th century French political theorist Frédéric Bastiat, who wrote “That Which Is Seen and That Which Is Unseen.”
If current polling is a forecast of the election results, establishment Republicans have no grounds for claiming the candidates they prefer are any better at winning general elections than those that might emerge from the conservative base.
In the U.S. Senate race, former GOP Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land continues to trail Democratic Congressman Gary Peters by nearly 10 percentage points in the polls. Unless something changes drastically in the final week leading up to the election, Rep. Peters will win it in a walk.
Host Frank Beckmann on his WJR-AM760 show Friday cited Michigan Capitol Confidential while interviewing Sen. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, about the Senate’s vote to extend corporate welfare for film makers. Sen. Moolenaar was one of four senators to vote against the measure.
By Jack McHugh
While the Legislature is on a campaign season break from voting, the Roll Call Report continues a series reviewing key votes of the 2013-2014 session, starting with one that occurred this week.
Senate Bill 1103, Extend film producer subsidies: Passed 32 to 4 in the Senate on October 22
Michigan Capitol Confidential staff won three awards in the 2014 Michigan Press Association’s “Better Newspaper Contest.”
Former Managing Editor Manny Lopez won a second place and an honorable mention in the headline writing category, while Jarrett Skorup, digital engagement manager, and Tom Gantert, senior capitol correspondent, took third place in enterprise reporting for their work on Michigan’s film subsidy program.
The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation announced today that Brighton Area Schools and the local union “have removed illegal language from a contract in response to a lawsuit filed on behalf of a Brighton High School teacher who said the union and district were violating his freedoms under Michigan’s right-to-work law.”
The Michigan Senate passed a bill yesterday that gets rid of the sunset provision for the state’s film incentive program, meaning the subsidies are set to continue beyond 2017. Senate Bill 1103 also removes a clause that previously capped the amount taxpayers would spend on highly paid out-of-state workers (such as actors, directors and producers), which is currently set at $540,000.
“Aunt Karen, your homemade salsa is so good. You should bottle it and sell it!”
You’ve probably said something similar to a relative, friend or neighbor. And this is how many food companies get started – a recipe of homemade hard work, a pinch of encouragement and a healthy dose of risk-taking.
The new issue of Michigan Education Digest is now available. Topics include charter public school success, Flint’s self-created overspending crisis and MEA politics.
Mackinac Center research, particularly this piece by Senior Legislative Analyst Jack McHugh and Assistant Director of Fiscal Policy James Hohman, is featured in a story by The Daily Caller about corporate welfare.
You can read more about the Center’s work on corporate welfare here.
While the Legislature is on a campaign season break from voting, the Roll Call Report continues a series reviewing key votes of the 2013-2014 session.
House Bill 4001, Cap FOIA charges and increase government FOIA scofflaw penalties: Passed 102 to 8 in the House on March 20, 2014
Patrick Wright, vice president for legal affairs, explained in the Livingston Daily Press & Argus why the president of the Brighton Education Association is wrong about a lawsuit filed by the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation against the union on behalf of a Brighton High School teacher.
The filing of a lawsuit by the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation on behalf of a Brighton High School teacher against his union and school district for violating his right-to-work freedoms is gaining state and national media attention.
Adam Neuman is suing the Brighton Education Association and the Brighton Area Schools Board of Education because after opting out of union membership, he does not believe he should have to pay money via payroll deduction to support the union’s “release time,” allowing union officials to conduct union business during school hours.
Five years and $500 million later, Michigan has fewer film jobs than it did when the state started its subsidy program.
According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, Michigan had 1,561 film jobs in 2013 (the latest year information is available). In 2008, the state had 1,663 film jobs. See chart nearby.
Michigan Capitol Confidential has been reviewing how the state's economy performed during the previous decade, in answer to a question raised by a politician’s recent assertion that “those years weren’t as bad as we think.” Separate articles looked at changes in Michigan’s employment, personal income and loss of people to other states. The data shows the period was quite bad, although causes and culprits will be debated.
While the Legislature is on a campaign season break from voting, the Roll Call Report continues a series reviewing key votes of the 2013-2014 session.
Senate Bill 821, Whitmer amendment to impose "Amazon" internet sales tax: Failed 12 to 26 in the Senate on March 4, 2014
