Displaying items by tag: Michigan Chamber of Commerce

Citing onerous and biased rule-making functions at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, the Michigan Chamber of Commerce has long sought to reform the agency’s regulatory process.

Business advocates in Lansing say legislation to add work requirements for able-bodied Medicaid recipients could offer a boost to the labor pool in Michigan during times of low unemployment.

About 70 miles north of Grand Rapids, water conservation groups continue to put pressure on a pair of developments that would withdraw hundreds of gallons of groundwater per minute.

Business and local government advocates aren’t always aligned on policy issues, but both groups say 2018 will require concerted efforts to attract and retain talent in Michigan.

A year ago, Gov. Rick Snyder signed a pair of comprehensive, bipartisan energy bills that expanded the state’s clean energy standards and charted a new course for how various utility programs are overseen by state regulators.

Many employers adopt emergency preparedness plans and train employees how to react in crisis situations like a building fire or when the company faces an imminent threat of severe weather.

West Michigan educators and at least one business group say the Trump administration’s plan to rescind the Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals program already is leading to anxiety and uncertainty.

A veteran executive from the Michigan Chamber of Commerce will join the administration of Gov. Rick Snyder.

Michigan Republicans are taking swift action at the start of this year’s legislative session to gradually phase out Michigan’s income tax.

The Legislature’s 2016 lame-duck session was marked by both bipartisan agreement on tough policy issues as well as contentious attempts to solve ongoing state problems that nonetheless split along party lines.

LANSING — Sweeping energy policy reform that has taken nearly two years to move through the state Legislature could face a contentious debate during the remaining days of the post-election lame duck session.

Eight years after voters approved the use of medical marijuana, Michigan lawmakers have agreed to a regulatory framework for the commercial growing and selling of marijuana to qualified patients.

At least two Republican-controlled state House seats in West Michigan are expected to be competitive in the Nov. 8 election as Democrats set lofty goals to retake a majority in the lower chamber.

As Michigan’s private sector continues to expand, municipal executives remain concerned that the state’s local units of government have limited options to share in that growth.  

Earlier this month, the state Legislature adjourned for most of the summer so lawmakers can focus on constituent issues in their home districts, as well as this year’s election. 

Even though a pair of sweeping energy reform bills advanced in the state Senate late last month, key business groups stood opposed to the plans. 

State revenue from taxes paid by small businesses more than doubled as Michigan’s economy improved coming out of the Great Recession and as the overall business tax burden in the state declined.

In 2009, Michigan State University economist Charles Ballard met with then-gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder to discuss tax policy at an Applebee’s off I-96 near Okemos.

Medicaid and funding issues dominate the health care agenda in 2016 for advocacy groups in Lansing.

State lawmakers remain focused on passing energy policy this year that preserves Michigan’s limited electric choice market and abandons renewable energy standards in favor of comprehensive planning requirements.

As the state grapples with the Flint water crisis and a long-term funding solution for Detroit Public Schools, business advocates hope lawmakers will still be able to tackle policies that keep health care costs down, add transparency and help companies attract talent. 

While a competitive tax structure was important, Las Vegas-based Switch Communications Group LLC had a different prerequisite before even considering opening a cloud-based data center in Michigan: reliable, renewable energy. 

Business advocates in Michigan are applauding the Legislature and Gov. Rick Snyder over changes made late last year to the state’s abandoned and unclaimed property process.