LANSING - In Michigan, where House seats tend to be in very safe Democrat or Republican districts, winning the primary almost assures candidates they’ll win the general election, so says political analyst Brendan Ringlever of BL Government Affairs. Listen to what’s likely to happen in the primary on Aug. 5 in this special BL Government Affairs edition of News Maker Interview.
You are currently browsing the archive for the BLGovernment Affairs category.
LANSING - Michigan Sen. Patty Birkholz (R-Saugatuck Twp.) talks about where the negotiations stand on the Great Lakes Compact, which would preserve water resources in the Great Lakes region. The package, which will end up at 12 bills including all of the House bills and all but one of the Senate bills, maintains much of the permitting and water use thresholds that had passed the Senate, but also provides for public input into the permitting process. Listen to Birkholz in this BL Government Affairs edition of News Maker Interview.
LANSING - New legislation developing a Michigan Renewable Portfolio Standard has been captured by the state’s major utilities and will result in less green-powered energy for more money, argues Barry Cargill, Executive Director of the Customer Choice Coalition. Cargill also said the Michigan Democratic Party delegation, eager to retain and expand unionized jobs, has fallen under the spell cast by DTE and Consumer’s Energy. The state’s Republicans, on the other hand, remain proponents of competition and will likely mitigate some of the Democrats bad legislation. Listen to this special BL Government Affairs edition of Newsmaker Interview now.
LANSING - Andy Such, Executive Director, Michigan Sustainable Energy Coaltion, discusses the Michigan renewable portfolio standard that would require that at least 10 percent of the state’s energy came from renewable sources by 2015. This special edition of New Maker Interview is sponsored by BL Government Affairs.
GRAND RAPIDS - Eric Hendrickson, Senior Vice President Mortgage Manager, Fifth Third Bank Western Michigan, discusses Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox proactive efforts to solve the state’s growing mortgage foreclosure crisis. Cox recently hosted three foreclosure forums around the state offering mortgage loan workshops for people facing foreclosure. Fifth Third was one of the banks that participated. To learn about some of the solutions offered, listen to this News Maker Interview.
LANSING - The Michigan Community College Association is in talks with Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s Administration to develop a couple of very innovative programs that would help the state train more tech savvy workers, including nurses, and new hires for existing or newly recruited technology companies in Michigan. Mike Hansen, President of the Michigan Community College Association, outlines those efforts in this special BL Government Affairs edition of News Maker Interview.
LANSING - Gov. Jennifer Granholm presented the broad brush strokes of her proposed 2008-2009 budget during her State of the State address in January. Last week, she provided the fine print for the Michigan legislature. BL Government Affairs’ Brendan Ringlever takes a close look at her legislative priorities in this special edition of News Maker Interview.
LANSING - There’s a movement afoot in Lansing to blend all the state’s business and sales taxes into one super Fair Tax that would not only hit folks paying taxes now, but also people in the underground economy - including cash only deals from criminals and illegal aliens - plus tourist that visit the state. Brendan Ringlever of BL Government Affairs outlines what the Michigan Fair Tax is all about in this special edition of News Maker Interview.
LANSING - Brendan Ringlever of BL Government Affairs’ Lansing office analyzes Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s State of the State Address Tuesday night. Granholm usurped some common Republican themes by pushing for jobs for every worker, no new taxes or fees, and one-stop shopping for businesses looking to relocate or expand in Michigan. To find out more, listen to this special BL Government Affairs edition of News Maker Interview.
LANSING - A new Michigan energy plan is developing in the House, which could result in a bill by the end of the year. What the house is trying to do is keep alternative energy providers in the mix and not return the state to the monopoly control of Consumers’ Energy and DTE Energy. Terry Harvill Vice President, Regional Regulatory and Government Affairs for Ohio and Michigan, for Constellation Energy, the largest alternative energy supplier in the state, talks about what’s at stake in this News Maker Interview.
LANSING - Over the weekend, the Michigan legislature passed changes to the former Single Business Tax, now called the Michigan Business Tax, that included a surcharge to make up for a $700 million budget shortfall. If all of this remains confusing, we’ve got Brendan Ringlever from BL Government Affair’s Lansing office to explain it all to you.
LANSING - Legislation to ban the incandescent light bulb - invented by Michigan’s own Thomas Edison more than a century ago - has been introduced by Senator John Gleason. Senate bill 578 bans the use of incandescent light bulbs. Why would the legislature want to ban something like a light bulb that everyone uses? Find out by listening to this special edition of News Maker Interview with Brandon Ringlever, with BL Government Affairs’ Lansing office.
LANSING - The Michigan Senate has introduced three new bills that would seek to curtail spyware, the malicious code that tracks everything from buying patterns, to keystroke entries - almost always without the approval of Internet users. Brendan Ringlever of BL Government Affair’s office in Lansing discusses all three bills in this special edition of News Maker Interview.
