Policy Issues

Lawmakers managed to spend nearly four hours dissecting Michigan's ballot petition process Wednesday, ultimately leaving some to question who has the authority to promulgate rules for the state's random sampling of ballot petition signatures.

Republican Mike Rogers repeatedly tried to draw a line tonight between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Hezbollah and Al-Qaeda, escalating the attack until El-Sayed, as Rogers began talking about someone in his family, cut him off.

House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) wants to prohibit hospitals from using artificial intelligence to maximize service prices and health insurers from using it to deny claims.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said today her administration is exploring ways to ease high fuel costs other than suspending Michigan’s gas tax, but declined when asked whether she would veto a temporary suspension if lawmakers sent one to her desk.

Robin Schneider of the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association (MiCIA) says two members have committed suicide in the last month as marijuana business owners struggle to keep up with the new 24% wholesale tax.

A new bill by Sen. Rosemary Bayer (D-Keego Harbor) will require manufacturers in Michigan to label products where PFAS have been intentionally added to them.

Outgoing U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Oakland County) said today that Democrats failed to respond aggressively enough to border security concerns, acknowledging that the party’s handling of the issue contributed to the nation’s political shift to the right.

Rep. Veronica Paiz (D-Harper Woods) wants the third Friday of every September designated as Prisoners of War and Missing in Action (POW/MIA) day in Michigan with her HB 6335.

House lawmakers should consider funding a large-scale study comparing the long-term health of vaccinated and unvaccinated children, the chair of a House oversight panel said today.

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson is proposing a $5,000 caregiver tax credit but, when asked, could not provide a cost estimate or enough eligibility details to calculate one.

A 25% pay raise may sound substantial, but for Michigan lawmakers and the governor, it still wouldn't come close to making up for more than two decades of pay falling behind inflation.

As U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-sayed bounced around among the different Democratic caucus meetings at Saturday's convention, gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson stayed mostly out of public eyesight.

Opposition to automated license plate-reading cameras is swiftly becoming an unusual bipartisan issue, drawing criticism from Republican activists, progressive candidates, civil libertarians and local officials concerned about how much information the systems collect and who can access it.

With minutes left in today's House Oversight Committee hearing over disputed gaming machines, Minority Vice Chair Reggie Miller (D-Belleville) asked Chair Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay) why lawmakers were still debating what is legal when bills intended to settle the question remain stalled.

The House passed the Michiganders for Money Out of Politics (MMOP) initiative to prevent utilities and high-dollar state contractors from contributing to campaigns with a 77-26 vote, though it likely will remain stalled in the Legislature as Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) said she wouldn't take it up for a vote.

Nearly 2,000 demonstrators, counter-protesters and spectators descended on a Dearborn City Council meeting Tuesday as an anti-Islamic march organized by far-right activists drew white supremacists and Christian nationalists — and condemnation from Michigan political leaders.

The first MIRS Pundit Monday after the primary election has four Michigan pundits answering the questions front of mind now about who makes the most sense as picks for gubernatorial running mates, among other questions.

Thirty-three states are falling short of their own goals for maintaining roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure as construction costs rise faster than the revenues traditionally used to pay for repairs, lawmakers were told earlier this month.

A room filled with dogs may have made this one of the cutest sessions at the National Conference of State Legislatures’ annual summit last week.

The Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2026 found that social media and video platforms have become the world’s leading source of news for the first time.