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<p>LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Rick Snyder and lawmakers will be forced to consider yet another alternative to address Michigan's deteriorating roads after voters' resounding rejection of a ballot measure that would have increased taxes to pump $1.2 billion a year more into transportation infrastructure.</p>

LANSING, MI — Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder "is running" for president, according to a former U.S. Senator, whose comments at a Republican confab were quickly contradicted by a spokesman for the governor, who said he has not made any decisions of that kind. "I met with Rick Snyder yesterday," former Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman told reporters on Saturday morning at the Republican Jewish Coalition's spring meeting, according to the Guardian and other publications. "He's running. He's running." Snyder was in Las Vegas this weekend to attend the RJC meeting as part of what his advisors are calling an economic tour....

People close to Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder have formed a fund allowing him to travel the country to more aggressively tell of the state’s rebound under his watch, raising the prospect of a potential Republican presidential bid. A spokesman for the governor told The Associated Press on Friday that a 501(c)(4) group, Making Government Accountable, was established within the past month. “Once we get into May, the governor will travel more out of the state and promote Michigan, particularly the remarkable economic comeback,” Jarrod Agen said. An aide close to the governor said Snyder is considering a presidential run and...

BRIGHTON, Mich. (WXYZ) - Is Proposal 1 the right solution for our crumbling roads? It has the support of Republicans in Lansing, but one local GOP group is breaking with their party on this vote. Three weeks from today, voters across the state will have the final say on Proposal 1. In the meantime, there's no shortage of opinions on this proposed "fix" for Michigan's crumbling roads. "I'm like everyone, I'm for getting the roads fixed and I don't want taxes to increase," says voter Jim Johnson. "I want it to go to what they actually are saying it's supposed...

Amid a nationwide firestorm over so-called religious freedom bills, Michigan’s Republican governor is taking cover. Rick Snyder told the Detroit Free Press on Thursday that he would veto a bill like Indiana’s if it made its way through the state Legislature. “Given all the events that are happening in Indiana, I thought it would be good to clarify my position,” he told the Detroit paper. “I would veto RFRA legislation in Michigan if it is a standalone piece of legislation.” Though state Religious Freedom Restoration Act bills are not as controversial when the state also has anti-discrimination laws that include...

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2015/03/25/gov-snyder-dc-talk-military-issues/70438024/ Link only due to copyright rules

Since its right-to-work law took effect, Michigan has experienced the nation's sixth-largest growth in the number of people working, adding 141,990 jobs from March 2013 through December 2014, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. California saw the largest increase during that span, adding 603,174 jobs. On a percentage basis, Michigan employment grew 3.3 percent, ranking 15th overall in the nation. North Dakota held the top spot, growing its workforce by 5.4 percent. Michigan had 4,294,532 jobs in March of 2013, a number that increased to 4,436,522 in December of 2014. The data on jobs comes from the monthly...

A question I often am asked is: "Who would you bet on to win the presidency?" Personally, I don't bet on politics, but here's my current take on the 2016 presidential race—with, of course, the caveat that we don't know which campaigns will turn out the best in terms of organization, strategy, tactics, or execution, much less which candidates will step on land mines along the way. The Democratic nomination appears fairly straightforward. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is now the prohibitive favorite. If her early stumbles during her book tour, or remarks like the one she made about...

".....Economists and others who study the issue say it's too soon to draw conclusions from either state about what effect right-to-work is having.But that hasn't stopped proponents from pointing to job growth in Indiana, and detractors highlighting union membership slides in Michigan,as possible outcomes headed Wisconsin's way.Under right-to-work,private-sector businesses cannot enter labor contracts that require workers to pay union dues. Supporters say that it's about worker freedom and that right-to-work will make Wisconsin more attractive to businesses looking to move in or expand.But opponents say the goal is to destroy unions,which they argue will hurt the economy,lower wages and endanger...

Michigan will recognize more than 300 same-sex marriages that were quickly performed in the hours before an appeals court blocked a ruling legalizing the unions, Gov. Rick Snyder announced Wednesday. The Republican said he wouldn’t appeal a federal court’s ruling last month that required the state to recognize the marriages performed on March 22, 2014. The governor’s decision means the ruling takes effect Thursday and could affect the couples’ health insurance coverage, their ability to jointly adopt children and other state benefits. “The judge has determined that same-sex couples were legally married on that day, and we will follow the...

After the 2014 midterm elections, a lame-duck session of lawmakers got together to strike one final blow against the citizens of Michigan who voted them out. They are pushing for a new tax reform that would tie Michigan for having the second-highest state sales tax in the country at 7 percent. The lawmakers claim that the revenue is needed to fund government services like and local schools and roads despite the fact that it would also double Michigan’s fuel tax, making it the highest in the country. For the sake of the Great Lake State’s economy, Michiganders should reject such...

Medical retainer agreements between physicians and patients will not be considered “insurance” in Michigan under a recently passed bill signed into law on Jan. 15 by Gov. Rick Snyder. The idea is to ensure that this innovative way for families to obtain routine medical services at lower costs will not be stifled by the extensive state regulatory structure currently imposed on conventional health insurance policies that cover expensive non-routine care. The rationale for this alternative is that while insurance coverage may be advisable for catastrophic illnesses and injuries, it makes less sense as a way to pay for routine primary...

**SNIP** Gov. Rick Snyder just signed a new law that says medical retainer agreements are not insurance. What does this mean in plain, non-lawyer English? Under the Michigan law, individuals and doctors may enter into retainer agreements. The customer pays the doctor a monthly retainer and in exchange for that, the customer gets access to a menu of routine services at no additional charge. These agreements, under Michigan law, do not constitute insurance therefore are not subject to all of the laws, rules and regulations that apply to insurance. This is a great idea. For starters, it gets the insurance...

LANSING, MI - While Michigan Republicans are still debating when to hold their 2016 presidential primary, some of the party’s top political strategists are making the case for potential candidates. Welcome to Michigan Political Points, my weekly roundup of news, views and YouTubes from the state Capitol and beyond. CRUZ NEWS: Former Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis, now working as a political consultant, penned a column this week making the case for a Ted Cruz presidential nomination in 2016. “He’s the candidate many in the mainstream media and Washington chattering class love to hate,” Anuzis wrote. “He is demonized...

One group of potential candidates for president probably won't be shuffling off to Iowa, New Hampshire or other early campaign spots in the new year. They'll be hunkered down in statehouses across the Midwest, pushing bills through their legislatures. Few outside their home states will notice, but these governors and their policies could wind up in the national campaign picture. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Mike Pence of Indiana, Rick Snyder of Michigan and John Kasich of Ohio were all elected after Republicans began taking political control of the middle of the country back in 2010. Since then, they have offered...

Kevyn Orr has agreed to step down as Detroit’s emergency manager, saying in a letter released Tuesday that the city will no longer be in a financial emergency once it exits bankruptcy. Orr also told Gov. Rick Snyder in his letter, dated Monday, that he has implemented the city’s two-year budget that reflects the elimination of about $7 billion in debt through the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. […] Orr—a turnaround expert who helped steer Chrysler through the automaker’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy—had been the official face of Detroit government since he was appointed in March 2013 by Snyder. …

In December of 2012, in the aftermath of Michigan’s Republican Legislature passing a right-to-work law, thousands of union members from around the state participated in a teleconference where their leaders promised “retribution” against the GOP. One union member wondered if Democrats took control of the Legislature, “Could we shove it right down their throats?” Al Garrett, president of Michigan AFSCME Council 25, shot back: “If we were to change the composition of both houses, where we were the majority and had the governor, no question we would be able to get rid of it right away. … In November of...

I’d almost forgotten to write this column. I’m sitting here watching election returns, and I am just stunned. Massachusetts? Maryland? MARYLAND?!?! Forget the Senate for a minute, or the massive Republican majority in the House, and think about the fact that Republicans did so well in the gubernatorial races across the country. In Michigan, after passing a “Right-To-Work” law, Gov. Rick Snyder wins handily. Union money and muscle plus President Obama campaigning against him couldn’t sink a man with the Twitter handle @OneToughNerd. Speaking of unions, no one had a bigger target placed on their back by the unions than...

PPP's final polls for Governor in Florida, Michigan, and Illinois find incredibly tight contests in all three states. Florida is the closest. Rick Scott and Charlie Crist both have 44%, with Libertarian Adrian Wyllie polling at 6%. PPP usually has a policy of not releasing poll results to the decimal, but when we find a tie on our final poll of the cycle somewhere we make an exception. Crist is at 44.0% to 43.8% for Scott- in terms of raw respondents to the poll that's 526 for Crist and 524 for Scott. Wyllie may be playing a spoiler role for...

Against the interests of Michiganders, Governor Rick Snyder has signed a bill banning Tesla Motor’s direct-to-consumer automobile sales in the state.The original focus of House Bill 5606 was on determining how franchise-dealership fees are charged. Then, right before the vote, an amendment banning automobile sales directly to consumers was added by State Senator Joe Hune. This backhanded maneuver shielded the amendment from public comment and debate. Passed unanimously in the State Senate and with only one dissenting vote in the House, the “anti-Tesla bill” is an economic loss for Michigan. The state will miss out on tax revenue from sales...