Category: Capitol News

By Mary Pollock By the time you read this in print, our airwaves and various inboxes will be liberated from incessant political ads and hopefully we will have newly elected, undisputed officeholders in Michigan and the U.S. Congress. The newly elected State Senators and State Representatives who will begin their service in mid-January will have… Read more

By Mary Pollock Early absentee voting began September 29 in Michigan. Four of Michigan’s 13 congressional districts are considered tossups (3, 7, 8, and 10) and our three statewide ballot proposals are being closely watched nationally. See the September SERA-Nade for information about the three ballot proposals. SERA has endorsed Proposal 2 about voting rights.… Read more

By Mary Pollock Lots of news this month, especially about elections. Attracting attention also is the new $40 million 40,000 square foot Heritage Hall visitor center under the west ground near the Michigan Capitol. It will be welcoming visitors after Labor Day. AUGUST 2 PRIMARY Unofficial results from the August 2 Michigan primary indicate over… Read more

By Mary Pollock The Legislature recessed on July 1 and is scheduled to reconvene for one day on July 20, then off for some more weeks before another one-day session on August 17. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of political activity elsewhere, including on the campaign trail. AUGUST 2 PRIMARY Michigan’s statewide primary… Read more

By Mary Pollock Signature fraud on petitions, great revenue news, budget negotiations, initiated law petition drives, and a first ballot proposal approval all made May and early June an exciting time. CANDIDATES BOOTED FROM THE BALLOT Veteran election watchers and ten candidates seeking State offices were shocked when the Bureau of Elections found widespread fraud… Read more

By Mary Pollock STATE BUDGET Both chambers have now passed their versions of department budgets and the next step is conference committees composed of representatives from each chamber’s appropriation sub-committee. The May Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference will be held May 20, after which there will be a more exact picture of State revenue available to… Read more

By Mary Pollock You know it’s close to spring when potholes sprout in Michigan along with the snowdrops and crocus. Governor Whitmer signed an Executive Directive recently ordering a speed up in pothole repairs on State trunk-line highways, but that is not going to fix local roads. Report them to your local public works department.… Read more

By Mary Pollock Despite the adversities created by a snow event in Lansing and the pandemic, there was still a lot of news this month. PENSION TAX REPEAL Pension and retirement tax elimination has been in the news again because Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s State of the State address on January 26 included a prominent endorsement… Read more

By Mary Pollock The biggest news in the political world this past month was the approval of new district lines for Michigan’s 13 Congressional seats and 148 State legislative districts. The Legislature returns for one day on Wednesday, January 12, and then starts meeting regularly (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) on January 18. COLA CAP REMOVAL UPDATE… Read more

By Mary Pollock The House and Senate were scheduled to return for their fall session September 9 and must tackle the looming budget deadline of September 30. COVID Good News — The Pfizer COVID vaccine is now fully approved by the FDA. At this writing, the State of Michigan has administered over 9.6 million total doses… Read more