July 2012
"Revising Pension System" - Lawmakers voting to keep the current pension system instead of switching public school employees into a 401(k) plan like the rest of government workers and nearly all private-sector employees.
March 2011
"Pure Spending" - Lawmakers who voted TO SPEND $10 MILLION MORE on Pure Michigan advertising.
November 2010
"Minimum Wage"- Michigan congressional delegates who voted TO PROHIBIT EMPLOYMENT FOR LESS THAN A SPECIFIED WAGE.
October 2010
"Teacher Union Money" - Republican lawmakers who received money from the Michigan Education Association (MEA).
August 2010
"Stimulus Fund Approval" - Lawmakers voting on STIMULUS FUNDING.
"Smoking Ban" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO PROHIBIT BUSINESS OWNERS from allowing smoking in their buildings.
July 2010
"Unpaid Parking Tickets" - Lawmakers who voted TO BLOCK DRIVER LICENSE RENEWAL FOR THREE UNPAID PARKING TICKETS.
"Selected Tax Breaks" - Lawmakers voting IN FAVOR OF A SPECIAL TAX BREAK for a company in Gaylord.
"Unemployment Spending" - Lawmakers IN FAVOR OF a resolution asking Congress for more unemployment and Medicaid spending.
MichCapCon Profile: The 3rd Congressional District Primary
MichCapCon Profile: The 6th Congressional District Primary
MichCapCon Profile: The 2nd Congressional District Primary
MichCapCon Profile: The 12th Congressional District Primary
MichCapCon Profile: The 30th State Senate District Primary
MichCapCon Profile: The 11th State Senate District Primary
MichCapCon Profile: The 12th State Senate District Primary
June 2010
"Super Speedway" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO EXTEND A SPECIAL TAX PERK for a super speedway.
"Driver Responsibility Fees" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO IMPOSE 'driver responsibility fees.'
May 2010
"Crony Capitalism" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO RESTRICT THE RIGHT of shareholders to sell their own stock.
April 2010
"Right to Work" - Lawmakers voting on an amendment SUPPORTING RIGHT-TO-WORK zones.
"Dept. of State Cost-Saving" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO SLOW DOWN PROGRESS ON THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S COST-SAVING CONSOLIDATION PLAN.
March/April 2010 Edition (click here for full edition)
"Golf Carts" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO SUBSIDIZE the production of electric vehicle batteries.
January/February 2010 Edition (click here for full edition)
"Home Court Disadvantage" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO GIVE MORE TAXING POWER to local government in Kalamazoo so it can finance a taxpayer-subsidized sports arena.
"Mandate Beer Keg Buyer's Tags" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO MANDATE beer keg buyer's tags.
"Remonumentation of State Border" - Lawmakers voting on whether to appropriate funds up to $500,000 for remonumentation of the Michigan-Indiana border.
"Fire Safe Cigarettes" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO BAN the sale of cigarettes that are not "fire safe."
"Commission on Spanish-Speaking Affairs" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO EXPAND DUTIES of and rename government's Commission on Spanish-Speaking Affairs.
November/December 2009 Edition (click here for full edition)
"Balancing Act" - Lawmakers voting on a budget to CUT REVENUE SHARING PAYMENTS to local governments as a way to balance the state budget without raising taxes.
"Balancing Act" - Lawmakers voting on a cut of less than 3 percent to K-12 school aid payments so as to balance the state budget without tax increases.
"A Good Tax Gone Bad?" - Lawmakers voting on the Michigan Business Tax.
September/October 2009 Edition (click here for full edition)
"Lobster Institute" - Michigan U.S. Representatives voting on the "Lobster Institute" earmark.
"Charles B. Rangel Center" - Michigan U.S. Representatives voting on the "Charles B. Rangel Center" earmark.
"Kansas Regional Prisons Museum" - Michigan U.S. Representatives voting on the "Kansas Regional Prisons Museum" earmark.
"National Mule and Packers Museum" - Michigan U.S. Representatives voting on the "National Mule and Packers Museum" earmark.
"Perfect Christmas Tree Project" - Michigan U.S. Representatives voting on the "Perfect Christmas Tree Project" earmark.
"It's From the Children" - Lawmakers voting on whether to RAID $90 MILLION from the Michigan Higher Education Student Loan Authority.
July/August 2009 Edition (click here for full edition)
"Don't Blame Canada" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO BAN Canadian trash from Michigan landfills.
"Left Behind" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO FINANCE "No Worker Left Behind" with a 59.9 percent increase in general fund spending in the 2009 DELEG budget.
"First Class Schools?" - Lawmakers voting on whether to keep Detroit Public Schools' "first class" status even though the district no longer meets the population standard.
May/June 2009 Edition (click here for full edition)
"Politically Correct Capitalism" - Lawmakers voting on whether to INCREASE SUBSIDIES for plug-in traction battery packs used in electric cars.
"Politically Correct Capitalism" - Lawmakers voting on whether to GIVE SUBSIDIES for Michigan film production.
"Politically Correct Capitalism" - Lawmakers voting on whether to INCREASE ELECTRIC CAR SUBSIDIES for a subsidiary of a Korean battery company.
March/April 2009 Edition (click here for full edition)
"Secret Ballot" - Lawmakers voting on whether to keep a SECRET BALLOT for union elections.
"Property Taxes Assaulted Again" - Lawmakers voting on whether to allow public schools to EXPAND THE USE OF SINKING FUND property tax spending.
January/February 2009 Edition (click here for full edition)
"Sneak Attack" - Lawmakers voting on whether to allow public schools to EXPAND THE USE OF SINKING FUND property tax spending.
"Grapes of Wrath" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO BAN home shipment of beer and wine to Michigan consumers.
"Subsidize Manufacture of Electric Cars" - Lawmakers voting on whether to authorize a refundable Michigan Business Tax credit for makers of plug-in traction battery packs used in electric cars.
"Authorize Special Tax Breaks for Ethanol Gas Stations" - Lawmakers voting on whether to authorize a non-refundable Michigan Business Tax credit equal to 30 percent of the costs incurred by a gas station to convert existing pumps and tanks, or acquire new ones that deliver E85 ethanol or biodiesel fuel.
"Presidential Privileges" - Lawmakers voting on whether to require state workers to either work on President's Day or take the day off as an unpaid holiday.
November/December 2008 Edition (click here for full edition)
"Power Failure" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO MANDATE the production of "renewable" energy and pass additional costs on to ratepayers.
"Right to Work" - Lawmakers voting on whether to make Michigan into a right-to-work state.
"Annie Oakley Trail" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO NAME US-27 after Annie Oakley.
"Harry Gast Parkway" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO NAME a road after a term-limited legislator.
"Ride Your Motorcycle to Work Day" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO CREATE "Ride Your Motorcycle to Work Day."
"State Children's Book" - Lawmakers voting on whether to commemorate an official state children's book.
"Novelty Lighters" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO IMPOSE $500 FINES on stores that sell cigarette lighters that are designed to look like toys, feature flashing lights or make musical sounds.
September/October 2008 Edition (click here for full edition)
"Wasteful and Wrongheaded" - Lawmakers voting on a DLEG budget with a 59.9 percent increase in general fund spending.
"Frugality Put in the Pokey" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO MANDATE a more costly process of resolving labor disputes at county jails.
"Is Private Property Leaking Away" - Lawmakers voting on government ownership of groundwater.
"Growing Up" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO PROHIBIT a business owner from choosing to allow smoking in his or her establishment.
July/August 2008 Edition (click here for full edition)
"Are We Nuts?" - Lawmakers voting on a K-12 budget that overspends estimated revenue by $32.2 million.
"Never Enough" - The amount of additional spending that each state senator supported from the $90.5 million in budget amendments from the Dept. of Community Health Budget.
"Here's the Drill" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO PROHIBIT drilling for oil and gas underneath the Great Lakes.
May/June 2008 Edition (click here for full edition)
"Extra Credit" - Lawmakers voting on a budget for the Department of History, Arts and Libraries that is 15.1 percent higher than fiscal year 2008 and 8.1 percent higher than the governor's recommendation.
"Extra Credit" - Lawmakers voting on one or more bills that would pay for tourism promotion with debt.
"Extra Credit" - Lawmakers voting on whether to provide SPENDING AUTHORIZATION for some $1 billion in construction projects at state universities and colleges and $100 million in state building and facility projects.
"Wage Fairness Commission" - Lawmakers voting on whether to mandate a government pay equity commission.
March/April 2008 Edition (click here for full edition)
"FEE-ding the Beast" - Lawmakers voting on four bills that would extend the sunset date on "temporary" business fee increases at an additional $10,760,000 per year.
"Tourism Taxes" - Lawmakers voting IN FAVOR of the local tourism tax.
January/February 2008 Edition (click here for full edition)
"Corny Energy Plans" - Lawmakers voting IN FAVOR of ethanol incentives.
"The Year of Living Expensively" - Budget bills for fiscal year 2008.
"No Good Deed Goes Unpunished" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO PROHIBIT the Secretary of State from closing branch offices
"Negotiating Savings" - Lawmakers voting on whether TO ALLOW PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEE UNIONS TO NEGOTIATE A BAN on privatization of noninstructional public school services.
November/December 2007 Edition (click here for full edition)
"Blown Away" - Lawmakers voting on $574 million in spending reductions.
"Blown Away" - Lawmakers voting on whether to increase the state income tax.
"Blown Away" - Lawmakers voting on whether to impose a new 6 percent sales tax on services.
"Tourism Subsidies" - Lawmakers voting on an additional $10 million on tourism promotion.
"Reform and Tax Hikes" - Lawmakers voting on whether to allow privatization of prison mental health services.
"Reform and Tax Hikes" - Lawmakers voting on whether to end certain unusually generous benefits in the public school retirement system.
"Reform and Tax Hikes" - Lawmakers voting on whether to allow more competitive bidding of school district health insurance by requiring the release of aggregate claims history.
"State Setting Private Salaries" - Lawmakers who co-sponsored one or more of the three bills that would together impose a "comparable worth" wage standard on Michigan's private-sector employees.
September/October 2007 Edition (click here for full edition)
"Competitive Bidding" - Lawmakers voting on an amendment requiring school districts to investigate saving money by privatizing and competitively bidding out for non-instructional school services like busing, food services and custodians.
"Spending Restraint " - Lawmakers voting on spending cuts of $250 million for fiscal 2007.
"Union Politics" - Lawmakers voting on whether to require unions to ask for permission annually before using members dues for political activity.
"Michigan Business Tax" - Lawmakers voting on the Michigan Business Tax - an equally costly replacement for the Single Business Tax.
Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.