Spartan Newsroom (https://news.jrn.msu.edu/category/news/government/)
The DNR’s Fisheries Division says further cutbacks on staffing and fish stocking are likely as costs of operations rise. The division relies on licenses for much of its budget, but the price has remained consistent for more than a decade. Only restricted, one-time funding was included in the latest state budget. We also hear from the Michigan’s Anglers Consortium. By Anna Barnes.
Changes in the federal SNAP program will cut off many Michigan residents from food assistance, putting additional strain on food banks and food pantries. We hear from the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, Michigan League for Public Policy and Food Bank Council of Michigan. By Marissa Gonzalez.
A pending Senate bill would give some convicted felons the right to new DNA testing that could help prove their innocence. Currently, only defendants convicted before Jan. 8, 2001, can ask a judge to allow DNA testing of evidence that was not tested for their initial trial. The Cooley Law School Innocence Project supports the proposal. Sponsors are from Ann Arbor, Detroit, Redford Township, Taylor and Northfield Township. By Kiera Kemppainen.
Democratic Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed rallied hundreds of students at the MSU Student Union on September 11. El-Sayed’s “Students vs. Billionaires” event gives college students the microphone to voice their concerns and ask questions about issues affecting them. With less than a month before early voting begins in Michigan, students inside the Union chanted for Medicare for All and heard a pitch from Michigan congressional candidate William Lawrence (D), along with endorsements for MSU Trustees Kelly Tebay and Brianna Scott. They also asked questions ranging from collective AI ownership to health care disparities.
Some townships are having trouble attracting or retaining elected officials, in part because of threats and hostility from residents over hot-button issues. That includes some, such as solar and wind project siting, where the local government isn’t the decision maker. The Saline Township treasurer quit over hostility about data centers, and the Attorney General’s Office charged two Metro Detroit residents with making terroristic threats against elected officials, including Dearborn’s mayor and the governor. We hear from the Michigan Townships Association. By Kiera Kemppainen.
Senate Democrats have again pushed through a bill to cap the share of the amount that local government employees pay towards their health benefits, but it’s unlikely to pass the GOP-controlled House. Lead sponsor is from St. Clair Shores. We talk to the Michigan Townships Association, Association of Counties and Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council. By Jackson Lukas.
Local governments are still pushing legislation – languishing for more than a year in a House committee – to establish a state revenue sharing trust fund to make state aid to localities more stable and predictable. The Delhi Township treasurer, Meridian Township manager and Michigan Townships Association opine. By Shaina Sternhell.
Most households in Jackson get their water through lead pipes, but the city is making significant progress in changing that. Michigan law requires public water systems to replace all lead service lines by 2041 By Demonte Thomas.
On Feb. 10, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law two new bills that aim to limit cellphone use in classrooms. While the state law is new, classrooms in Lansing have attempted to curb students’ distraction on their own for a few years. J. W. Sexton High School (JWSHS) in Lansing has had a no-phone policy since 2024.
For every pothole in need of a fresh patch of asphalt along Lansing roads lies a math problem that doesn’t add up. The city has an estimated $300 million in road needs, according to Public Service Director Andy Kilpatrick. But the city’s proposed budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year allocates only $41.4 million across the Major and Local Street Funds. This amount, even with new state funding, leaves a gap between what the city needs and what it can spend.
A $1.2 million cut in state grants to combat invasive species is challenging conservation organizations to rethink how they protect forests, waterways and communities.Michigan awarded $2.4 million in grant funding for invasive species control in 2026, down from $3.6 million in previous years. We talk to Huron Pines in the Northern Lower Peninsula, Three Shores Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area in the UP and the DNR. By Anna Ironside.