Governor Snyder to make an announcement on Detroit's financial emergency
"Governor Rick Snyder is expected to announce today that he agrees with a review team’s determination that Detroit is in a financial crisis with no plan to solve it. That would set the stage for the governor to name an emergency manager to run the city later in March. There’s no official word on what the governor plans to do, but he has said the condition of Detroit’s finances is unacceptable," Rick Pluta reports.
Health care exchange and Blue Cross Blue Shield bills move forward
Michigan is moving forward on the Affordable Care Act. As the Detroit Free Press reports,
"In a 78-31 vote, 29 Republicans joined with 49 Democrats [Thursday] to accept $30.6 million in federal money to set up a Web-based health care exchange where Michigan residents can easily go and investigate, and ultimately buy, the health insurance mandated under the act. The House also overwhelmingly passed a pair of bills that transforms Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan from a tax-exempt nonprofit into a nonprofit mutual insurer."
Lawmakers consider ballot proposal to raise sales tax to fund Michigan roads
Lawmakers have come up with a new idea to fix Michigan's roads. As the Detroit News reports,
"Republican lawmakers could take the first step next week toward financing Gov. Rick Snyder's $1.2 billion road improvements by trying to place a 1-cent sales tax increase on the May ballot."