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March 27, 2012

Date for Final Submission of Billings for ARRA Changed

The initial date for final submission of billings for the American Recovery and Reconstruction Act of 2009 (ARRA) has been changed. The original date was set at September 30, 2015. A new guidance document released by the Federal Highway Administration…

March 23, 2012

House Republicans introduce budget – vote expected soon

Last month the President introduced his 2013 budget proposal. This month, its the House GOP turn. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin introduced the bill on March 20th and one day later, it was voted out of committee by one…

March 22, 2012

House Republicans look to extend current transportation act

With a March 31 deadline looming on the latest extension of the current federal transportation authorization act, it appears that House Republicans will pass a three month extension. Readers will recall that the House bill, H.R. 7, failed to get off the…

March 19, 2012

Bill to Eliminate Road Funding for Small Communities Opposed by Michigan Municipal League Members

The House Transportation Committee took up HB 5304 for testimony only on March 14. This bill among other things would amend Public Act 51 to provide that local road agencies that receive less than $50,000 in 2012 would have their…

March 16, 2012

League Testifies On Bill Requiring Locals Report Past Due Taxes on Tax Bills

This week I had the opportunity to testify in Senate Finance committee on SB 972 (Sen. Hildenbrand, R-Lowell), a bill that would require local municipalities to include past due amounts on all tax bills. While we agree that this is…

March 16, 2012

Expert Says State is Partially to Blame for Emergency Managers and Fiscal Stress

Mitch Bean speaks to the Michigan Municipal League Board in 2010.There was an excellent article from MIRS (Michigan Information & Research Service) this week about who is to blame for the ongoing financial strain in Detroit and other Michigan cities.MIRS…

March 16, 2012

Yard waste ban exemption passes House

Yesterday afternoon the House passed HBs 4265 and 4266, bills that lift the yard waste ban exemption in certain circumstances to allow for the capture of methane gas as a form of renewable energy. The League has been supportive of…

March 16, 2012

Senate passes cell phone ban for level 1 and 2 graduated drivers licenses

Yesterday morning the Senate passed SB 756, a bill that would institute a cell phone ban for level 1 and 2 graduated drivers licenses. The League was approached to support this by several members who passed resolutions supporting the KDR…

March 16, 2012

ONE DAY LIQUOR LICENSES NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

The Michigan Municipal League has been contacted by several members telling us that the Michigan Liqupr Control Commission is no longer issuing one-day liquor licenses to local units of government for fairs and festivals and other one-day events. Here is…

March 15, 2012

Transportation bill passes U.S. Senate; Call House members to do same!

By a bi-partisan vote of 74-22, the U.S. Senate has passed S. 1813, legislation that would support $109 billion of transportation programs over a two year period. The bill now goes to the House, where a March 31 deadline looms…

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