The State Senate Judiciary Committee takes up bills today that would greatly change Michigan’s indigent defense system.   

James Samuels is the president of the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan.    He says the current system Michigan uses to provide attorneys for poor defendants is “broken”.

Samuels likes the proposed changes, including the way attorneys get contracts to represent indigent defendants.

“It’s not uncommon for attorneys not to put up a vigorous defense because they don’t want to irritate the judge who’s in charge of giving them assignments,” says Samuels.

Samuels says he’s also glad the proposed changes call for scrapping the current “low-bid” contracts for defenses attorneys.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Gov. Rick Snyder is urging residents to help prevent arson fires in Michigan's communities.

Snyder has proclaimed May 5-11 Arson Awareness Week in Michigan. This year's theme is "Reducing Residential Arson."

The state says that residential arson fires throughout Michigan resulted in more than $10 million in property losses last year. There were 782 residential arson fires in the state in 2012.

State Fire Marshal Rich Miller says in a statement that communities should set up Arson Watch Programs where citizens can team with local fire department and law enforcement officials to report suspicious activity.

He says people may carry out residential arson to conceal another crime, to vandalize the property or for revenge.

The federal court that serves 32 counties in the eastern half of Michigan is changing its juror selection process in the hopes of improving jury diversity.

Judges on the bench say one of the main problems is a high rate of "undeliverable" mail in ZIP codes where minorities live. So starting this month, when mailings to potential jurors come back to the court, another mailing will go out to the same ZIP code.

"Because the undeliverable rate is so much greater in the minority ZIP codes, we expect that this will have the effect of increasing minority responses, and therefore increasing minority representation,” said Chief Judge Gerald Rosen.

Student loan payments may be applied as tax credits if a new bill in Lansing becomes law. Democratic State Representative Andy Schor is sponsoring the legislation. 

He says “it’s the start of keeping that talent here and reversing the brain drain as we create some of the places where they want to be.”