Category: Capitol News

By Mary Pollock The volume and speed of relevant news is picking up in Lansing! But first… COVID Good News — COVID-19 vaccinations in Michigan may have helped prevent about 8,500 seniors from contracting the virus, 1,400 from dying, and 3,900 from being hospitalized from January through May 2021, according to a medical study published by… 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

By Mary Pollock The House of Representatives and Senate have been on recess since late June except for a day or two in July. The House of Representatives is scheduled to return for the week of August 15 and the Senate for a day on August 25 before starting their tentative fall schedule on August… Read more

By Mary Pollock COVID-19 You could almost hear a statewide sigh of relief on June 1 when the capacity limits for outdoor events like baseball games and outdoor residential gatherings were lifted entirely. Indoor capacity limits increased from 25 percent to 50 percent, allowing larger indoor social gatherings such as weddings and funerals to resume… Read more

By Mary Pollock COVID The biggest news of the month is that Michigan has moved to a new metric for determining COVID-related restrictions. Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced on April 29 the “MI Vacc to Normal” plan that will use four vaccination-based milestones — using data for Michiganders 16 years or older who’ve received their first… Read more

By Mary Pollock During March, the Legislature took some important actions just before leaving for a two-week “district work” break from March 26 through April 12. State employees who are currently teleworking were ordered to stay home until July 12, a signal that State public health officials see danger in prolonged periods of time in… Read more

By Mary Pollock FUTURE FOR SOCIAL SECURITY (SS) AND MEDICARE? Telephone Town Hall — With the new Biden administration and bare Democratic majorities in both the U.S. House and Senate, what might be the future of SS and Medicare? To discuss that question, Michigan SERA Coordinating Council has asked Washington insider Dan Adcock, Director of Government Relations… Read more

By Mary Pollock January, in odd-numbered years, is very busy at the Capitol. New legislators are inducted, the Governor’s State of the State address is given, and the Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference all happen in January. MONEY MATTERS Pension Tax Elimination Bills Introduced — Three bills that would eliminate the tax on pensions were introduced on… Read more

By Mary Pollock While the pandemic continues to structure our daily lives and the economy, political events continue to amaze. COVID-19 VACCINATIONS On January 6, Governor Whitmer caught many public health officials and seniors in Michigan by surprise when she announced that starting January 11, people in the Priority 1B group, which includes those 65… Read more

By Mary Pollock COVID-19’s spread topped the news this month along with post-election news (see separate article). COVID-19 UPDATE Twenty million doses of Pfizer and Moderna’s MNRA COVID-19 vaccines are on their way to Michigan now or by year’s end, we are told. AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson’s vaccines are not far behind. The vaccine likely… Read more