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LANSING, Mich - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says Michiganders must pay more to fix the damn roads.
“To my friends in the GOP: fixing the roads in a sustainable way means looking for new, fair sources of revenue,” Whitmer said in her Jan. 15 ‘Road Ahead’ address. “We can’t just cut our way to better roads.”
Approaching a 2026 term limit, Whitmer says that Michigan must raise the corporate income tax rate from 6% to 8.5%, a rate hike she claims would bring in an additional $1.6 billion; impose a 32% wholesale tax on cannabis to raise a projected $470 million; and cut a promised $500M in unspecified spending.
If all Michiganders use the roads, then individuals — not just businesses — should pay to fix them, Randy Gross, Senior Director of Legislative Affairs and Associate General Counsel at the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, told Michigan Capitol Confidential in a phone interview. Click here to read more.
CHICAGO, IL - Illinois state lawmakers again want to tax drivers on each mile of road they use – an idea that lasted a week the last time they raised the idea.
With electric cars and cars being more fuel efficient, Illinois is not seeing as much revenue per vehicle, so state lawmakers are considering a vehicle miles traveled tax to raise more money from motorists. State Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, proposed legislation exploring a “road usage charge” to tax drivers by the mile.
The tax might involve transponders, meaning the taxman would be tracking a driver’s movement. Or a photo of the odometer could be sent. Both gas and electric vehicles would be part of a 1,000-vehicle test of drivers who volunteer to be taxed based on miles driven, and possibly on the time of day they use roads. The move would target Illinois drivers who don’t pay the gas tax by driving electric cars or use less gas because their vehicles are efficient.
Proponents say electric vehicle drivers should contribute more than they are to funding roads. Electric vehicle license plate renewals are $251 compared to $151 for a gas vehicle. The pilot program would incentivize EV drivers to join with a discount on annual registration. Click here to read more.
WASHINGTON D.C. - Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, is raising the alarm about evidence suggesting the tech giant—which has a long history of censorship—has unfairly treated a Christian family TV station.
“[I]n the case of YouTube TV, concerns have been raised alleging that your company has a policy (secret or otherwise) that discriminates against faith-based programming,”?Carr wrote March 7 to Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, and Neal Mohan, CEO of YouTube. (Alphabet owns Google, which owns YouTube.)
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Carr says Great American Media, which is helmed by former Hallmark Channel leader Bill Abbott, drew his attention to YouTube TV’s refusal to host the network. Great American Media, which also includes TV star and outspoken Christian Candace Cameron Bure as chief creative officer, focuses on a range of faith-based and family-friendly content. Click here to read more.
NEWARK, NJ - As if coming up with a great baby name wasn’t hard enough.
Newborns can’t even control their own movements, but that isn’t stopping New Jersey hospitals from asking parents for their baby’s preferred pronouns and sexual orientation.
Inspira Health’s “Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Questionnaire” requires new parents to “identify” their babies as either “Male, Female, Transgender, Gender Queer,” or “Additional gender category.”
It further asks parents to select the word that best describes their infant: “Lesbian or gay, Straight or heterosexual, Self-described, Questioning/Unsure.”
The healthcare system — which operates four hospitals, two cancer centers, and eight health centers throughout South Jersey — created the form last year to comply with a newly-enacted Garden State law that required health care providers “to collect race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity in a culturally competent and sensitive manner.” Click here to read more.
BAY SHORE, N.Y. - Police in New York arrested a woman on Long Island for allegedly practicing dentistry without a license.
“What she’s doing is extremely dangerous,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said.
Yolany Mejia Carranza was arrested for operating a fully functioning dentist office out of a Bay Shore home without a license.
“We do know that she used a localized anesthesia, but nobody was getting the anesthesia necessary for the complex dentist operations that she was conducting,” Catalina said.
The Suffolk County police commissioner believes the 55-year-old was performing all dental services, including root canals and extractions.
Three alleged victims with injuries reported Carranza to the police.
“We have one person that suffered partial facial paralysis,” Catalina added. Click here to read more.
