Tagged: Weekly Political Roundup

We take a look at Michigan politics with Ken Sikkema, former senate majority leader and senior policy fellow at Public Sector Consultants, and Susan Demas, political analyst for Michigan Information and Research Service.

The Michigan legislature has come to an agreement on targets for the state budget. The state is carrying a surplus of $483 million more than projected for just the current fiscal year. So, what does that surplus tell us about the state’s fiscal health?

Listen to the full interview above.

Each week, we talk Michigan politics with Susan Demas, political analyst for Michigan Information and Research Service, and Ken Sikkema, former Senate Majority Leader and Senior Policy Fellow at Public Sector Consultants.

This week the Buena Vista School District closed due to a lack of funds. The state took away funding because the district was taking money from the state for a program they were no longer operating.

Teachers in that district offered to work for free, but the district closed anyway. Now, the state says their hands are tied.

"Well this is a big issue. We haven't had a school district close because of lack of funding for 20 years. That was Kalkaska in 1993, which really precipitated the passage of Proposal A, school finance reform. Buena Vista is a small district...and these 400 kids have to be in the classroom. I don't think there is any question about that in anybody's mind. And, the state and local officials are going to have to figure out a way  to get these children back into a classroom immediately," said Sikkema.

Each Thursday we speak with Susan Demas, political analyst for Michigan Information and Research Service, and Ken Sikkema, former Senate Majority Leader and Senior Policy Fellow at Public Sector Consultants.

This week, we look at clashes over the budget which led to House Speaker Jase Bolger removing eight Democrats from their committee assignments. Four were later given back those assignments after what Bolger called “positive individual meetings."

And Gary Peters announced his run for Senate. Who might Republicans choose to run against him?

Listen to the full interview above.

Each week host Jennifer White discusses Michigan politics with Susan Demas, political analyst for Michigan Information and Research Service, and Ken Sikkema, Senior Policy Fellow at Public Sector Consultants.

Two new bills have been recently introduced in the state legislature, which would dramatically impact the amount of care received by those injured in a catastrophic car accident. Under current law, severely injured Michiganders can receive unlimited benefits for their care; however, unlimited care may turn into a thing of the past.

“What it would seek to do is put a million dollar cap on the benefits offered to people who suffered devastating injuries during a car accident,” explains Susan Demas. “We’re the only true no-fault state in the country, and the insurance industry has long since been very concerned about this.”

Claims of finances in disarray, and the burden of unlimited benefits on the economy have been core reasons given for reform of the current system. But political sub-plots behind the scenes may slow down the governor’s momentum with these bills.

“This is really one of the best opportunities in the last generation for significant reform,” suggests Ken Sikkema. “But it’s not without political implications for the next election.”

-Austin Davis, Michigan Radio Newsroom

Each week we discuss Michigan politics with Susan Demas, political analyst for Michigan Information and Research Service, and Ken Sikkema, Senior Policy Fellow at Public Sector Consultants.

Michigan’s new emergency manager law went into effect today, so we wanted to find out how the new law differs from the one voters overturned in the November 2012 election. And we discuss the legal challenges to the new law. Plus, the Supreme Court is hearing two cases this week centering on same-sex marriage. In Michigan in 2004, voters approved a constitutional ban of same-sex marriage and civil unions. There has been a legal challenge to that ban, but the judge overseeing the case chose to delay his decision until after the Supreme Court makes their ruling. 

Listen to the full interview above.

The State Department of Community Health is launching a new program designed to address the needs of people with autism. Lisa Grost heads up the autism program. She tells Michigan Radio's Jennifer White there are seven key elements to the state autism plan, which include family engagement, early identification, education support, adult services, physical, mental and behavioral health care and training and professional development.