Committee to begin work on Michigan Medicaid expansion next week
A state Senate panel is expected to start discussing a bill next week to expand Medicaid in Michigan.Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville (R-Monroe) expects a vote in the full Senate before...
View ArticleThis week in Michigan politics: Medicaid expansion, dissolving school...
This week in Michigan politics, Jack Lessenberry and Emily Fox discuss Governor Snyder and Randy Richardville's final efforts to expand Medicaid, a bill recently signed to dissolve financially...
View ArticleMedicaid substitute bill may be ready by next week
A group of lawmakers working on Michigan’s Medicaid expansion are meeting today to discuss their progress.Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville (R-Monroe) said today he expects a Medicaid...
View ArticleState Senate may vote next month on expanding Medicaid in Michigan
There could be a vote in the state Senate in late August on a bill to extend Medicaid health coverage to thousands of un-insured working poor people.That’s despite Governor Rick Snyder’s call for a...
View ArticleMedicaid expansion bill clears state Senate committee
A state Senate panel has approved legislation to expand Medicaid in Michigan.
View ArticleState lawmakers still far from agreeing on plan to fix Michigan's roads
A plan to improve Michigan’s roads and infrastructure will probably not be on the November ballot. That’s according to leaders of both parties in the state Senate.Governor Rick Snyder wants the state...
View ArticleState Senate expected to vote on Medicaid expansion this week
A bill to expand Medicaid in Michigan could get a vote in the state Senate as early as tomorrow. So could two other alternative plans to extend health insurance to low-income Michiganders.Senate...
View ArticleNext step for Medicaid expansion is back to the state House
It’s now up to the state House to decide whether to send a bill to expand Medicaid in Michigan to Governor Rick Snyder’s desk.That’s after the state Senate narrowly approved the bill yesterday. But...
View ArticleWeek in Michigan politics: Medicaid, Governor Snyder, and the Tea Party
This week in Michigan politics Christina Shockley and Jack Lessenberry discuss Medicaid expansion, Governor Rick Snyder's political status, and the Michigan Tea Party.
View ArticleRichardville: Preventing abortion coverage not a 'top priority'
The Republican leader in the state Senate says he's not yet willing to commit to taking up a measure that would ban insurance companies from including abortion coverage in standard health plans.Senate...
View ArticleSenate putting finishing touches on Common Core resolution
Lawmakers in the state Senate hope to move forward this week on a plan to fund the implementation of new school standards.Republican leaders in the Senate had hoped to introduce a resolution last week...
View ArticleGOP plan to stop drive to increase the minimum wage: increase the minimum...
It’s Michigan minimum wage redux. This week, conservative Republican state Senator Rick Jones introduced a bill to increase Michigan’s minimum wage from $7.40 to $8.15 an hour. The measure would also...
View ArticleLatest GOP minimum wage salvo could spark restaurant war
Republican state Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, R-Monroe, may have just turned up the heat in the fight over increasing Michigan’s minimum wage. But the petition campaign – headed by Raise...
View ArticleRumors of the demise of minimum wage petition drive are greatly exaggerated
So now that the Michigan Senate has approved a new, higher minimum wage, with bipartisan support (14 Rs, 10 Ds) no less, this is practically a done deal. Right?Not so much.The headlines and stories...
View ArticleMichigan Senate leader says he’s on board with medical marijuana bills
The top lawmaker in the state Senate says he’s now on board with legislation to allow medical marijuana dispensaries in Michigan.Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, R-Monroe, is now also...
View ArticleRandy Richardville will be forced to leave right when he's hitting his stride...
Michigan Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville will be out of a job in less than six months, thanks to term limits.This means his career in elected politics may be over.And I am beginning to be...
View ArticleMichigan Senate leader wants to fix roads and ease term limits
The state Legislature is scheduled to meet about 20 more days between now and the end of the year.State Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, R-Monroe, says he has two top priorities he’d like to...
View ArticleMcLaren's plan to bypass rules for new hospital is sheer arrogance in nature
One of the things I’ve noticed over the last few years is how many local hospitals seem to have been taken over by McLaren Health Care, a chain that originally started in Flint.That in itself may not...
View ArticleRepublican state Senate leader pushing to change term limits
There's been talk in Lansing about whether term limits should be extended, and that talk is heating up. Michigan voters approved term limits for state lawmakers back in 1992, but Republican Sen....
View ArticleDon't expect much from Michigan's lawmakers until "lame duck" session
This is the last week the state Legislature is scheduled to meet before the November election. Lawmakers probably won’t take up any controversial bills until their “lame duck” session in...
View ArticleTeachers to pay more for retirement, school districts get some relief
Teachers and other school employees will soon be paying more of their salaries for health care and pensions.Governor Snyder is expected to sign bills that require school workers to pay four or seven...
View ArticleMichigan Republican leader concerned with election change
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - The top Republican in the Michigan Senate says he has concerns with calls to divide the state's Electoral College votes proportionally.Changing from a winner-take-all system would...
View ArticleState leaders question plan to divide Michigan’s electoral votes
Two top Republicans in Lansing say they’re not on board with a plan to split Michigan’s Electoral College votes.Lawmakers have been expecting a bill that would divide the state’s electoral votes by...
View ArticleState Senate leader looks to expand Michigan's film tax credits
The state Senate’s top Republican says he’ll once again try to ward off big cuts to Michigan’s film industry credits.For the second year in a row, Governor Rick Snyder is proposing a budget that would...
View ArticleA Michigan state-federal health care exchange killed by Senate Republicans
Michigan will be part of the federal government’s health insurance exchange, instead of being a partner in a joint effort.That’s because the state Senate began its spring break yesterday without...
View ArticleEducation budget clears Michigan Legislature, goes to Gov. Snyder's desk
The Michigan Senate has passed a budget bill that would boost state funding to public schools by about 3%. Universities and colleges would also get a roughly 2% increase.Senate Majority Leader Randy...
View ArticleIn this morning's news: Budget passed in Legislature, bill to protect DIA,...
Budget awaits Governor Snyder's signature State lawmakers passed a budget that would increase funding to local governments and schools."Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville calls it the best...
View ArticleArlan Meekhof to lead Republicans in Michigan Senate
Sen. Arlan Meekhof, R-West Olive, will be the new state Senate majority leader in 2015.Republican senators chose Meekhof to replace term-limited Sen. Randy Richardville to lead their caucus.Republicans...
View ArticleFunding for Michigan road fixes, challenging a Grand Rapids pot law, and...
This Week in Michigan Politics, Emily Fox and Jack Lessenberry discuss whether the legislature will be able to come up with a plan to fix Michigan's roads before the end of the year, a challenge to a...
View ArticleMedical marijuana bills coming down to the wire in “lame duck”
It looks like a decision about whether to ease restrictions on medical marijuana will come down to the final days of the state Legislature’s 2014 session.The state Senate has been debating for almost a...
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