Michigan Advance

Tucked away between Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s headline-grabbing spending proposals for education, infrastructure and more on Wednesday lies a potentially historic win for local governments.

Whitmer has called on the Democrat-controlled Legislature to pass “red flag” laws, universal background checks, and safe storage laws. And gun violence survivors are hopeful the reforms will help Michigan.

About 860,000 Michiganders applied or were automatically eligible to get their student loan debt forgiven last year, according to data from the Biden-Harris administration, but that relief continues to be held up by lawsuits.

As the 30th anniversary of the seminal federal Family Medical Leave Act nears, African American Michigan mothers and caregivers on Thursday shared their experiences and called for state paid leave legislation. 

Senate Appropriations Committee Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) said her colleagues plan to reintroduce measures to address police brutality, no-knock warrants and other matters such as funding for training.

A record number of Michiganders enrolled into the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for 2023, with state leaders on Thursday praising new federal policies that are set to lower health care premiums.

Michigan Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) this month introduced legislation, Senate Bill 35, that would remove the legal requirement for DHHS to apply an asset test to determine eligibility for food assistance.

The Democratic-controlled Michigan Senate on Thursday approved measures to boost the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit and repeal Michigan’s so-called pension tax, bringing both longtime Democratic priorities one step closer to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk.

Final negotiations on a supplemental budget bill have been teed up, but there was no shortage of drama with the first big piece of legislation taken up by the new Democratic-led Legislature.

A recently formed group in Michigan, Great Schools Initiative, is arming parents with a new sexual education opt-out form that focuses heavily on cutting out any conversation about gender identity and sexual orientation in schools.