Senate Democrats said Wednesday disparities in maternal health are growing in the state and must be addressed, which was why they introduced legislation that seeks to create equity while enhancing accountability for maternal health care providers.
A draft Senate map for the Detroit area drawn by professors at Michigan State University, done as a potential guide for the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission as they redraw the area under court order, could mean at least one open seat, an opportunity for a Republican pickup and some changes for incumbent senators.
Members of the Senate voted Tuesday along party lines to resurrect an income tax capture program that was allowed to lapse in 2019 with what supporters called significant improvements while opponents attacked it as an unnecessary corporate handout.
The work and decisions of the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association would be subject to open records and open meetings laws under legislation introduced Thursday in the Senate, a move bill sponsors said would add transparency on how motorists are being assessed yearly premiums.
The Senate Finance, Insurance and Consumer Protection Committee reported legislation that would create a sales and use tax exemption for enterprise data centers.
Senators were told legislation to cap payday lending interest rates at 36 percent would rein in what supporters called a predatory practice of shackling people in marginalized communities in debt.
A $100 million research and development tax credit was one of the highlights in the governor's proposed economic development budget released Wednesday.
Leaders of public universities warned Wednesday that Governor Gretchen Whitmer's proposed 2.5 percent increase in operational funding for the upcoming fiscal year may be insufficient.
The spread of misinformation to voters to undermine their ability to cast their ballots has become a growing problem, a senator told reporters Tuesday, and penalties are needed in statute to deter people who might seek to harm the election process.
Senate Democrats last week introduced legislation that would allow terminally ill patients to be prescribed deadly medication, the latest in a long line of attempts in recent decades to allow such action in the state.