A state House bill is proposing EV owners pay up to $100 more in registration fees to help fund the state’s roads plan. Automakers counter that buyers should be given incentives to buy alternative-fuel cars, not penalties.
Proposed legislation would move public notices – hearings, descriptions of property to be sold, election dates, all in tiny type – from print to the Web, and with it money that Michigan’s newspapers can ill-afford to relinquish.
Critics say legislative leaders should be meeting now with Gov. Snyder to hash out permanent roads fix for Michigan. But House prefers to wait to see what the Senate comes up with first.
A 2013 report promising more than $200 million in annual savings from a repeal has drawn criticism and some backtracking by its author. Republican leaders, defying Gov. Snyder, are pressing ahead with a ban.
Two state groups seeking to legalize adult recreational use of marijuana in Michigan have received approval for their petition language from the Board of State Canvassers.
Democrats accuse Republicans of going back on their support for local government control; Republicans say allowing local governments to set their own minimum wages would create a patchwork that discourage business investment.
Fuel or sales tax hikes are favored options among 300 Metro Detroit business owners and managers polled after Proposal 1 flopped on the state ballot this month.
Unrest in cities far from Michigan will spark discussion at the annual policy conference, presented by the Detroit Regional Chamber. Speakers include the architects of Detroit's bankruptcy deal, authors and lawmakers.
