Executive Vice President Michael J. Reitz, who also serves on the board of directors for the Michigan Coalition for Open Government, writes in at op-ed at MLive today that the Michigan Senate should give consideration to House Bill 4001, which would strengthen the state’s Freedom of Information Act.
A panel last March at the Milken Institute in California featured several film incentive boosters who admitted Michigan’s subsidy program was a bad call.
The panel was centered on what California should do with its incentive program. There were four pro-subsidy representatives: Fred Baron of 20th Century Fox; Rajiv Dalal with the Los Angeles mayor’s office; Kathy Garmezy of the Directors Guild of America; and Kevin Klowden of the Milken Institute. Joe Henchman of the Tax Foundation was the lone opposition.
Labor Policy Director F. Vincent Vernuccio recently wrote in The Detroit News that union members should enjoy the same democratic process voters enjoy on Election Day by getting to vote not just on union contracts and officials, but whether or not they want to be represented by their current union.
In his recent Dome Magazine article, Rich Robinson of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network writes that Republicans won the state House and Senate because of “the power of the gerrymander”:
As old Joe Stalin observed, it’s less important who votes than who counts the votes. Or, in our contemporary situation, how the votes are grouped to be counted.
By Jack McHugh
House Bill 5477, Increase gas tax: Passed 23 to 14 in the Senate
To replace the current 19 cents per gallon gas tax and 15 cents diesel tax with a 9.5 percent wholesale fuel tax, gradually increasing to 15.5 percent in 2018. When fully phased-in this would represent a tax hike of around $1.0 billion at current wholesale fuel prices.
State Rep. Tim Kelly, R-Saginaw, introduced legislation that would create state-based regulations for ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft. At first glance, the regulations appear reasonable and have the support of these so-called transportation network companies themselves, as reported by MIRS News (subscription required).
(Editor’s note: Jack Spencer is capitol affairs specialist for Michigan Capitol Confidential and a veteran Lansing-based journalist. His columns do not necessarily represent the views of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy or Michigan Capitol Confidential.)
Good intentions are no substitute for sound results, and nowhere is this more evident than in public policy. Correcting a possible policy mistake should therefore be a priority when lawmakers begin work on the next state budget. An initiative that funnels minority students into teacher preparation programs is a prime candidate
Labor Policy Director F. Vincent Vernuccio was cited in the Chattanooga Times Free Press and Bloomberg Businessweek about the ongoing labor talks at Volkswagen’s plant in Chattanooga, Tenn.
VW recently announced a policy that could recognize multiple unions in the plant, including the American Council of Employees and the UAW. Vernuccio cautioned that VW that it should not recognize either group as an exclusive representative of employees.
On Tuesday, the human resources department at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., released a new policy allowing for voluntary recognition of multiple unions at their plant.
The company said it would recognize any union that can show it represents at least 15 percent of the employees in the plant. As detailed below, the company will bestow greater privileges upon organizations that prove they represent more workers. These include use of company facilities and meetings with VW’s human resources department and executive committee.
(Author’s Note: In last week’s Detroit News editorial, “Second term agenda focused on right priorities,” Gov. Snyder noted that a road funding package “was pretty much done.” We hope some of the sound ideas below are contained therein.)
Last May, the Michigan House of Representatives passed a legislative package that would permanently increase annual road funding by around $462 million without a significant tax increase. Some of the measures could theoretically lead to modest restraints on other state spending. The Senate should adopt this or a similar package to move the ball forward on road funding.
Detroit bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes called on the state to address the underfunding of local government pension benefits in his oral opinion. He stated that the state has a “constitutional, legal and moral obligation to assure that the municipalities in this state adequately fund their pension obligation.”
Mackinac Center President Joseph G. Lehman was a guest this morning on “The Tony Conley Show” on WILS-AM1320 in Lansing, discussing his recent commentary titled “What Should the Next Legislature Do?”
Lehman noted that Fiscal Policy Director Michael LaFaive recent put together $2.1 billion worth of budget reforms, which he submitted to legislators.
Mackinac Center Executive Vice President Michael J. Reitz told MLive that a legislative package on criminal sentencing reform is a good stop forward, including a proposal that would create a Justice Policy Commission to review sentencing guidelines.
“It is a valuable component of the proposals,” Reitz said. “These issues tend to fade to the background if there isn’t someone, or a group or entity, that’s continually looking at it.”
By Jack McHugh
The House and Senate met one day this week, primarily so that returning members and newly elected freshmen could select legislative leaders for the 2015-2016 session.
House Republicans chose Rep. Kevin Cotter to be the next Speaker of the House, and Senate Republicans chose Sen. Arlan Meekhof as the next Senate Majority Leader. These selections will be confirmed in official votes when the 98th Michigan Legislature convenes on Jan. 7.
Labor Policy Director F. Vincent Vernuccio was cited by Fox News and in The Week regarding the failure of Big Labor to accomplish the political retribution on Election Day against elected officials who embraced labor reforms.
“The voters are siding with taxpayers and the workers,” he told Fox News. “This [election] was less a referendum and more of a reaffirmation. Unions are going to have to adapt.”
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.
