Government

New proposal would add deposit to water bottles

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By ERIC FREEDMAN
Capital News Service
LANSING — There’s another move underway in the Legislature to expand Michigan’s 40-year-old beverage deposit law to include water and juice containers. But prospects for passage this year appear unlikely. The latest effort would add the current 10-cent deposit requirement on metal, glass and plastic carbonated beverage containers to include noncarbonated drinks, with exceptions for milk, other dairy products, unflavored soymilk and unflavored rice milk. The major additions would be water, juice, wine and liquor containers. The law that voters approved in 1976 covers containers of one gallon or less of “soft drinks, soda water, carbonated natural or mineral water or other nonalcoholic carbonated drink; beer, ale or other malt drinks of whatever alcoholic content or a mixed wine drink or a mixed spirit drink.” It took effect in 1978.

Business & Economy

Will Proposal 1 fix roads? Only the voters know

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By COLLIN KRIZMANICH
Capital News Service
LANSING — By now you’ve seen the ads on TV, heard them on the radio or read the op-eds in your local paper: Proposal 1 is either a devastating tax increase on all hardworking Michiganders or a crucial investment in our crumbling infrastructure. So what exactly does Proposal 1 do? One of the common criticisms of the Proposal is that it’s too complicated. It does more than just fix roads. Here’s what the proposal would do if approved by voters, according to the Senate Fiscal Agency, a nonpartisan government agency that provides analysis of legislation:

— Change the 19-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax to a 14.9 percent tax per gallon of gasoline.

Elections & Politics

Fight for press freedom faces privacy advocates

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By ERIC FREEDMAN
Capital News Service
LANSING — Lawmakers are split about what public information should be public and what public meetings should be public. Access to information is essential to press freedom. And with World Press Freedom Day ahead on May 3, the political debate sometimes focuses on conflicting views about personal or business privacy on one side and citizens’ right to know what their government is doing on the other. Several pending proposals would make it easier to find out what state and local agencies do. For example, Rep. Brandon Dillon, D-Grand Rapids, wants the Legislature to obey the Freedom of Information Act – something lawmakers have long resisted.