Michigan in Focus

The federal government will give a $1.5 billion loan to restart the Palisades nuclear plant. The loan follows Michigan shuttering coal plants at a record pace while chasing a 100% renewable energy standard by 2040. In 2022, renewables comprised 12% of Michigan's electricity net generation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

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New analysis shows Michigan school districts are underperforming against districts in other states. Launch Michigan, a nonprofit public education organization, released a dashboard showing how Michigan school districts compare to similar districts in top-performing states in reading and math proficiency, graduation rate, and other metrics.

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 Rep. Mike Harris, a retired police sergeant, opposes bills that aim to allow murderers, rapists and other violent offenders to reduce their prison sentences. The House Criminal Justice Committee held a hearing on House Bills 4556, 4557, 4558, 4559, and 4560. The “Second Look Sentencing Act” aims to allow sentence reconsideration for eligible prisoners who have served at least ten years of a sentence.

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A company taking $715 million of taxpayer subsidies is suing the local government for revoking vital water infrastructure for its electric vehicle plant. In October 2023, the Green Charter Township board approved the water line for Gotion, which bought 270 actors of land in Mecosta County in August 2023. In November, voters ousted the entire board, claiming it signed non-disclosure agreements to give Gotion taxpayer dollars to build the $2.4 billion electric vehicle plant without telling the local community.

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Michigan officials traveled to Austin, Texas to speak at the SXSW festival's Midwest House. Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II is featured on a Tuesday panel while Michigan Chief Mobility Officer Justine Johnson will discuss “The Future of Air Travel: Innovation From the Ground Up.” It’s unclear if the Michigan Economic Development Corp. or taxpayers are funding the trip and how much the trip will cost. The Center Square has filed a records request seeking the total cost.

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House Republican Leader Matt Hall urged House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, to pass reform to records requests during Sunshine Week, which celebrates government transparency. Sunshine Week, observed this year from March 10-16, highlights the need for transparency and accountability at all levels of government. The letter from the Richland Township Repubican said House Republicans in the minority are ready to pass 55 bills, including House Bills 5422, 5423, 5424, 5425, 5426, and 5427.

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Repubican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida wants to stop China from flooding the automobile market via state subsidiaries, slave labor and property theft. The Center Square reported Chinese automaker BYD, the world’s largest EV maker, wants to build a factory in Mexico for a 2.5% tariff instead of a 27.5% tariff. The new factory follows BYD releasing a $14,000 EV in February that some in the industry say could “demolish” domestic EVs, often $40,000 more expensive.

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Michigan Democratic lawmakers want mass transit between Grand Rapids, Detroit and Ann Arbor but don’t know how to pay for it. State Sen. Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia, majority caucus chair & Education Committee chair, posted on social media that mass transit would prevent young people from leaving the state. Polehanki’s office hasn’t yet responded to additional questions about the funding source, the mode or the the timing of mass transit – whether it would be funded before or after Michigan fixes its roads, ranked as worse than the national average.

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An Alliance for American Manufacturing report called for tariffs to protect the U.S. electric vehicle market from an “extinction-level event” caused by Chinese competitors. The report follows Chinese EV maker BYD, the world’s largest EV maker, releasing a $14,000 EV in February that could “demolish” domestic EVs, often $40,000 more expensive. The report says China uses Mexico's trade relationship with the United States to avoid high tariffs. The Institute for Energy Research says BYD will dodge a 27.5% tariff from China by building a factory in Mexico where tariffs are 2.5%.

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Former President Donald Trump defeated former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in Michigan’s Republican presidential primary while President Joe Biden cruised to an easy victory on the Democrats' side. The races were called within an hour of polls closing, with the GOP primary determined with about 80% of the vote counted. Biden received more than 126,000 votes while the “uncommitted” spot received more than 23,000 votes, a vote protesting the Israel-Hamas conflict and the U.S’s continual funding of the war.

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