News & Resources

Whitmer Wants ‘Lame Lame Duck’

If the Legislature isn’t going to put some type of mask mandate into state law, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Monday she believes the rest of the legislative year should be a “lame lame duck.” Whitmer told […]

November 17, 2020

In a Move that SBAM Opposes, Gov Moves To Revoke Line 5 Easement, Pipelines Would Close In May 2021

SBAM supports the 2018 tunnel agreement as the best solution to ensure uninterrupted and affordable energy supply under the Straits of Mackinac; we also oppose undoing properly enacted legislation through […]

November 17, 2020

MI Hits Triple Digit Deaths For 1st Time Since May, Another Case Record Set

Another single day record for COVID-19 cases was reported by the state Friday – 8,516. The 8,500+ cases are closer to the current two-day record of 9,010 cases set earlier […]

October 27, 2020

DHHS Takes Testimony On Flavored Vaping Ban Rule

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) took at least six hours of testimony Tuesday on permanent rules designed to ban the sale of flavored vaping products. Health advocates […]

October 27, 2020

Northern Michigan Real Estate Booming; Builders Struggling To Meet Demand

Michigan builders are prioritizing the construction of higher-value homes to gain more profit, a market-driven in part by the pandemic. But the state lacks housing for moderate-income buyers, such as […]

October 20, 2020

Deal Struck On Biz COVID-19 Liability

Expanded unemployment benefits and COVID-19 liability protections for businesses passed out of the House and Senate early Wednesday morning as part of a deal with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. House Speaker […]

October 15, 2020

MiOSHA Issues New Workplace Safety Orders

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) within the Michigan Dept. of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) is one of the first state OSHA programs to promulgate rules […]

October 13, 2020

$165M Lifted From Restricted Funds To Prop Up Budget

To shore up the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 budget, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and lawmakers agreed to shift $165.6 million from 13 restricted funds for other purposes to help plug the General […]

October 6, 2020

GOP Justices Rule Against Gov On Emergency Powers Used During COVID

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer arguably lost her battle Friday to retain power under the 1945 Emergency Powers of Governor Act (EPGA), which a split Michigan Supreme Court (MSC) said violates the Constitution […]

October 6, 2020

Gov Moves UP Backwards In Reopening Plan Due To ‘Surge’ In COVID Cases

After a “recent surge” of COVID-19 cases, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Friday she is moving the Upper Peninsula backwards into Phase 4 of the MI Safe Start Plan. Whitmer said […]

September 29, 2020

No License Suspension For Low-Tier Violations; Expungement Goes To Gov

Drivers would no longer lose their licenses for low-tier violations unrelated to unsafe driving violations under a series of bills approved by the House Thursday. “When we suspend an individual’s […]

September 22, 2020

COVID Liability Protections Move To House Floor

Additional legal liability protections for business and health care providers moved out of a House committee Wednesday morning, but not with unanimous support or the backing of the state’s trial […]

September 15, 2020

Record-Setting 2.1M Absentee Ballots Requested So Far

As of Wednesday, 2.1 million voters had requested absentee ballots for the Nov. 3 general election, eclipsing a record set during the August primary of 2,065,000 requests for absentee ballots, […]

September 15, 2020

Whitmer: Bulk of Economy is Back; Still Early Stages Of COVID-19

Pointing to her strategy to confront the COVID crisis, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce Wednesday that “our economy is operating at 87% of what it was […]

September 1, 2020

‘I’m Scared’ Says Business Owner Still Closed By COVID EOs

Don Slimmen, owner of the 16-lane Spartan West Bowling Center in Ludington, told a legislative panel Wednesday morning that he will be out of business in 30 days if he’s […]

July 28, 2020

Fed Money, Shifts, Rainy Day, Some Cuts Balance FY ’20 Budget

The Legislature hastily approved measures Wednesday morning designed to plug a $2.2 billion hole in the state’s current year budget with mostly federal money, $350 million from the Rainy Day […]

July 7, 2020

State Uses Federal Money Shift, $490M In Cuts To Fill FY ’20 Hole

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and legislative leaders agreed June 29 to shift around nearly enough federal money to fill the $2.2 billion hole in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 budget without funding […]

June 16, 2020

Appeals Court Hands Nessel A Loss On Line 5 Tunnel

The Michigan Court of Appeals Thursday said legislation allowing construction of a Line 5 tunnel beneath the Mackinac Straits is constitutional. Attorney General Dana Nessel plans to appeal the ruling, […]