Michigan politics

The GOP lawmakers say federal oversight is needed because Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has a conflict of interest since she is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor. One of the letter’s signers is Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt, who is seeking his party’s nomination.

Some new items in the guidelines include discussions about social media and newer technology, gender identity and sexuality, and boundary setting.

The Michigan Senate approved bills to outlaw per-signature payments to professional circulators gathering signatures for political candidates and ballot campaigns.

Michigan is one of only two states that fully exempts lawmakers and the governor’s office from FOIA.

Michigan bills to restart tracking abortion data — including patients' marital status, racial and ethnic background, and pregnancy history — will get a hearing in the Republican-led House Committee on Health Policy.

A new 24% wholesale tax on marijuana in Michigan has sparked a heated debate, with the state defending its constitutionality in court filings and arguing it does not conflict with a voter-approved law that legalized recreational cannabis.

With his sweeping pardons, Trump has effectively shielded those who challenged the 2020 election results from federal prosecution, however state charges and potential appeals loom on the horizon.

A state judicial task force is calling for a local court funding overhaul so local judges will have fewer incentives to squeeze defendants for revenue. That is part of a plan to bring courts into a compliance with an 11-year-old Michigan Supreme Court decision that money from fines and fees can’t be used to pay courts’ day-to-day operating costs.

The plan from Senate Democrats keeps three elections on the calendar each year. That’s the way school districts want it, but not clerks.

The MBS International Airport in Freeland is home to 48 federal employees, all of whom are receiving an influx of free lunches and supplies from soup kitchens, restaurants and small businesses across the Great Lakes Bay Region.