Environment

Coal-fired plants to close; wind and air to step up

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BY NICK MCWHERTER
Capital News Service
LANSING- Wind farms and solar power are finally getting a big-scale opportunity to prove their worth. Consumers Energy announced last week the closure of seven coal-fired power plants in Michigan and cancelled construction of another to focus on clean energy. Consumers Energy provides natural gas and electricity to nearly 6.5 million of Michigan’s 10 million residents. Consumers will phase out three plants at the J.R. Whiting Generating Complex near Luna Pier, two at the B.C. Cobb Generating Plant in Muskegon and two at the Karn/Weadock Generating Complex near Bay City. Many of these coal-fired plants are outdated, including some built in the early 1950s, said Dan Bishop, public information officer for Consumers Energy.

Government

Counties, business groups, state officials seek ways to stem revenue loss from tax reform

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By ALEX MITCHELL
Capital News Service
LANSING—With Gov. Rick Snyder planning to propose reforms to Michigan’s personal property tax this month, many counties and businesses are speculating about potential ways to replace lost revenue. Businesses pay personal property tax on their equipment. Critics say the tax discourages businesses from growing because they pay more as they invest in equipment. But local governments are worried because the tax accounts for anywhere from 3 percent to 27 percent of revenue for Michigan counties. “We won’t be proposing to totally do away with personal property taxes but to both change the way the system works and get rid of certain classifications of personal property taxes that do the most harm to Michigan,” Lt. Gov. Brian Calley said.

Environment

Counties could lose millions of dollars from wind farm tax change

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By SAM INGLOT
Capital News Service
LANSING—Michigan counties with wind farms stand to lose millions of dollars in property tax revenue due to a recent change in tax policy. Wind turbines are considered industrial personal property and taxed on their market value, said Rep. Kurt Damrow, R-Port Austin. Formerly each turbine’s tax liability was based on 100 percent of its value for the first year and depreciated over 15 years until bottoming out at 30 percent. But the State Tax Commission changed the tax code in early December so that turbines are now taxed at 80 percent on the first year and that drops to 30 percent within five years, Damrow said. The loss of tax revenue is significant in counties where large wind farms are under development.

Government

Bill would expand right to paternity test

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By SHANNAN O’NEIL
Capital News Service
LANSING- Daniel Quinn of Fenton says he hasn’t seen his daughter in three years because under state law, he is not allowed to prove he is her father. Quinn said that five years ago he fathered a child with a woman who was separated from her husband. Quinn and the woman raised the girl for more than two years together. When the woman returned to her husband, Quinn said he lost all rights to see his child. Quinn’s case prompted Sen. Steven Bieda, D-Warren, to introduce a bill to change Michigan’s Paternity Act.

Business & Economy

Layoffs could be eased by state work share program

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By JACOB KANCLERZ
Capital News Service
LANSING – To reduce layoffs during tough times, Gov. Rick Snyder, legislators and business groups favor a program that allows both businesses and the state unemployment insurance program to contribute to workers’ paychecks. The program, known as work sharing, allows businesses to keep employees during down periods in the economy by reducing their hours and wages. A part of the employees’ lost income is then made up through partial payments of unemployment insurance. The program is an alternative to full unemployment benefits paid to laid-off workers. Unemployment insurance is funded through payroll taxes on Michigan businesses.

Government

Painting toy guns to look real could be outlawed

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BY NICK MCWHERTER
Capital News Service
LANSING- Young teenagers playing with toy guns could have been killed in a mall parking lot a few years ago when police responded to the scene. This close call sparked legislators to develop a bill banning any modification of a toy to make it look more like a real gun. The incident with the toy guns took place in Taylor and could have been dangerous because others in the parking lot, as well as police, thought the guns were real. Lawmakers have proposed legislation to punish those who alter replica and toy guns to make them look more realistic. The bill would also protect those that modify the toys because police that respond are often under the impression that the guns are real.

Education

Michigan study says key to good schools is involvement by parents

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By COURTNEY CULEY
Capital News Service
LANSING—More than half of Michigan residents surveyed by Michigan State University said the most important reason schools have struggled is a lack of parental involvement. Big Rapids High School officials say encouraging such involvement is a reason the school was selected as one of the top 20 high schools in Michigan in 2010 by U.S. News and World Report. “It’s important to the community for parents to be involved,” said Tim Haist, Big Rapids Public Schools superintendent. The schools stress those relationships. “A lot of times I use the saying, ‘students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care’,” he said, “and in Big Rapids we feel that way.”
It’s been an important factor of the district’s success, he said.

Government

State may end second fine for expired licenses

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By COURTNEY CULEY
Capital News Service
LANSING—Motorists who are caught driving with an expired license or no proof of insurance may soon catch a financial break. Right now people get hit with a double whammy, said Sen. Judy Emmons, R-Sheridan. Motorists driving with expired licenses, no proof of insurance or no-fault insurance get ticketed for the violations. But each of the next two years they also are fined a driver responsibility fee – $150 for an expired license and $200 for no proof of insurance or lack of no-fault insurance. The fees were implemented in 2004 to help balance the budget deficit, Emmons said.

Education

Lawmakers at odds over expanding for-profit charter schools

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By ALEX MITCHELL
Capital News Service
LANSING—While some lawmakers discuss a bill to allow more charter schools in Michigan, others seek to ban those operated as for-profit enterprises. A constitutional amendment to ban for-profit charter schools has been proposed by Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood, D-Taylor, and Sen. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor. For-profit charter schools shift educational efforts to making money off of children, Hopgood said. “The result will be schools where children are just a means to profitable acts.”
The amendment would allow non-profit charter schools to continue, Warren said. “It is not a ban on charter schools; it is not even a cap or minimization,” Warren said.  “If those companies are doing such a great job and they want to come in and they want to educate our kids, they can reformat their business model and become non-profit.”
A bill that would lift the cap on charter schools passed the House Education Committee recently and will soon be heard by the whole House.

Health

State lawmakers scramble to approve website to encourage health insurance competition

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By SHANNAN O’NEIL
Capital News Service
LANSING- Buying health insurance in Michigan next year could be a lot like buying vacation packages on travel websites. To comply with federal law, Sen. Jim Marleau, R-Lake Orion, introduced a bill to create MiHealth Marketplace. It’s a website that compares health insurance packages and prices for people or businesses. A consumer could weigh options and compare the prices of multiple health care providers. The hope is to create competition and lower the cost of health insurance, Marleau said.