Democratic lawmakers try again to boost the minimum wage. A Van Buren County state Senator says the “Green New Deal” amounts to socialism. The Speaker of the Michigan House calls the governor’s proposed gas tax increase “dead on arrival.”
(MPRN) Democratic lawmakers are trying to once again make the state’s minimum wage $12 an hour by 2022. Last year there was a ballot measure to increase the minimum wage to 12 dollars an hour. The Legislature passed the measure without it going to the voters and then quickly made major changes. So now the minimum wage won’t get to 12 dollars an hour until 2030. The state Attorney General could weigh in on the legality of the move by the Legislature. Opponents say the current structure protects the economy.
A state lawmaker from Van Buren County says the "Green New Deal" initiative by Democrats in Washington amounts to "socialism." Republican Senator Aric Nesbitt of Lawton has introduced a resolution in Lansing opposing the plan. He says it would - in Nesbitt's words - "wreck our economy" and pay people not to work. Democrats on Capitol Hill have introduced resolutions for the plan. They say it would help deal with climate change and reduce economic inequality. Among other things, it includes universal health care and efforts to move the nation toward more renewable sources of energy.
(MPRN) The Speaker of the state House says a part of Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s budget is dead on arrival. Whitmer wants to raise the state’s gas and diesel tax at the pump by 45 cents per gallon. Then use that money to get more than $2-billion to fix the roads. Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield says people can’t afford that large of an increase. Chatfield says he’s still open to finding other solutions. He says Republicans in the House are working on their own plan to fix the roads.
(Kalamazoo Gazette) The Kalamazoo School Board is ending the meetings they have been holding before regular sessions. The board has met for dinner with Superintendent Michael Rice to discuss issues in the district. The meetings were technically open to the public, but critics pointed out that there were held in a small conference room with little space for observers. Questions were also raised about notice provided that the meetings were being held. The Kalamazoo Gazette says School Board president Patti Scholler-Barber announced this week that the meetings would end citing scheduling conflicts for new board members.
(Michigan Radio) Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says the city’s budget is balanced. But he told the Detroit City Council Thursday it remains tight. Debt service and retiree costs are set to jump in coming years. Duggan wants to add more money to the city’s rainy day fund this year to cushion the blow of a potential economic downturn. This year’s budget also has limited increases for police and transportation.
In softball, Western Michigan has won two out of three games over two days after an 8-1 victory over Penn Thursday in Clearwater, Florida. The Broncos split two games on Wednesday and will play five more games over the next three days in Florida.