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Politicians have many reasons for avoiding journalists, whether it is stepping out of the limelight, scandal or something embarrassing they don’t want to explain, but social media has created an end run.

Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) says House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) gave her a "sore loser vibe" after the House Appropriations Committee rejected "work project" dollars from Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. Legislative Democrats right now are using the recent headline to heavily target House Republicans.

House Republicans, led by Rep. James DeSana (R-Carleton), launched on Thursday a Department of Government Efficient (DOGE)-like task force that's been charged with recommending sniffing out public assistance fraud and efficiencies within state government.

As many as 163 community enhancement grants and infrastructure projects asked for by legislators last year were included in the $644.9 million in carryover programs and projects denied by House Republicans on Wednesday, including 20 asked for by seven Senate Republican members, according to a list obtained by MIRS.

The House Health Policy Committee on Wednesday advanced a hospital price transparency bill and several health measures before turning to testimony on a mental health code rewrite designed to respond to individuals before “tragedy strikes.”

Someone experiencing suicidal thoughts could have their names put on a temporary or indefinite do-not-sell list for firearms, under legislation by Sen. Rosemary Bayer (D-Keego Harbor).

The State Board of Education is not recommending mandatory vaccinations at public schools, but members seemed at a loss for answers on Tuesday as the state's chief medical executive officer told them how vaccination levels are dropping.

The Senate Tuesday night passed a bill significantly expanding Michigan's brownfield redevelopment program, which would award developers with $3.5 billion in total tax capture off from payrolls and other costs. Folks around the Capitol see this as greasing the wheels on a massive redevelopment of Detroit's Renaissance Center, a planned aquarium in Kent County, a Macomb County mall, and other large projects in Traverse City and Muskegon.

More than 30 years ago, Rep. Dave Prestin (R-Cedar River) – a 2026 state Senate candidate – pleaded guilty to domestic battery against his then-fiancé, Kimber'y Lanute in DuPage County, Illinois. Prestin says it's an incident he's never run from.

Rep. Jason Woolford (R-Howell), chair of the House Oversight Subcommittee on State and Local Assistance Programs, has been named legislative Freshman of the Year on the MIRS Monday podcast. The first-time legislator used his committee post to explore ways to better shield state food assistance from fraud.

Distributing human milk that is improperly pasteurized, adulterated or contaminated would be formally outlawed under new legislation by Sen. Erika Geiss (D-Taylor).

In the new legislative year, House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) is planning to introduce a property tax cut proposal that gives Michigan voters two choices on how to replace the lost dollars for local governments and schools.

The humble penny is rapidly vanishing from American cash registers, and a new policy brief from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) warns that lawmakers are running out of time to manage the fallout.

Residents with employer-provided health insurance will see the "additional financial pressure" of more folks going uninsured due to federal Medicaid reforms and the looming expiration of Enhanced Premium Tax Credits, says one benefits consultant.

Lue Yang – a Hmong refugee and St. Johns married father of six – who was detained and threatened with deportation by federal immigration officials for a 30-year-old expunged home invasion conviction on his record, was released to his family Wednesday afternoon.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and several Democratic legislators put up opposing comments as the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) held a well-attended virtual hearing about speeding up approvals for DTE to provide electrical service to a proposed Washtenaw County data center.

The House will remain out of session for the rest of the week as the caucus remains in Fort Worth, Texas, for the annual American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) meeting, where members receive an award based on their work with the state budget.

Three Michigan news talk stations this week were turned into affiliates of Detroit’s largest sports talk radio station, 97.1 FM this week, a move that takes, at least temporarily, conservative talk host Steve Gruber off the air in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo and alters his range in Lansing.

The Attorney General on Monday described two Virginia men sentenced for 2020 robocalls targeting Detroit's black voters as "sociopaths" likely to re-offend.

Polling of the 38th Senate district in the Upper Peninsula shows former Rep. Beau LaFave, the Iron Mountain conservative, defeating Rep. Dave Prestin (R-Cedar River) in a head-to-head matchup with 59.78 percent of the vote.