Michigan Legislature

A package of bills designed to protect children from lead exposure has advanced in the Michigan House.

Development of large-scale data centers is booming across the Midwest and South. As some communities push back, local and state governments are trying to catch up on how to regulate the new development.

The order also declares June to be Gun Violence Prevention Month.

A $10,000 a year pay raise may help with recruitment, but it may not be enough to keep officers working at Upper Peninsula prisons, where former corrections officers say vacant positions contribute to assaults on prison staffers.

Some Republican state legislators say the program that provides financial help to pregnant women and new parents needs more control over how the money is spent.

Chedrick Greene joined the Michigan Senate after winning a special election earlier this month to serve out the remainder of a term in a seat left vacant last January.

For Republican House Speaker Matt Hall, the bills are part of his party's plan to shrink Michigan's budget and trim excess spending from state programs.

A state Senate committee voted to create a Michigan Voting Rights Act, largely in response to the U.S. Supreme Court stricking down key portions of the federal Voting Rights Act.

Starting next year, Michigan 11th graders will no longer face the essay portion of the Michigan Merit Exam, and SAT scores will no longer have to be part of high school transcripts.

The Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday on whether legislative leaders have any discretion in deciding whether bills passed by the House and Senate must go to the governor.