Budget Ax Falls on Farmers’ Mental Health—Now Lawmakers Say That Was a Mistake
LANSING, Mich. — After Michigan cut funding for a farmer suicide prevention program this fall, lawmakers from both parties are asking whether the savings were worth the risk.
Reps. Matt Beirlein (R-Vassar) and Jasper Martus (D-Flushing) sent a letter to House and Senate appropriations chairs asking for the program’s return in a future supplemental budget. The request follows reporting showing that farming ranks among Michigan’s deadliest professions when it comes to suicide. Click here to read more.
Lawmakers Seek Bipartisan Reform for MI Economic Development Programs
LANSING, Mich. — A bipartisan group of legislators in the Michigan House has joined forces to introduce an eight-bill package aimed at improving accountability and transparency in the state’s economic development programs. The legislation seeks to ensure taxpayers know how their money is being spent and whether job-creation promises are fulfilled.
The proposed legislation would bring greater oversight to economic development deals by:
Requiring transparency in project data before and after approval.
Mandating “failure notices” when job creation targets are not met.
Ensuring proportional reductions in subsidies if goals fall short.
Strengthening reporting and accountability for the Michigan Strategic Fund and Brownfield Redevelopment Fund. Click here to read more.
Fact Check Team: Who killed Charlie Kirk? What we know and -- what we still don't
WASHINGTON (TNND) — There has been no shortage of noise, speculation, and competing theories online following the killing of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. But when emotions run high, the facts matter more, and so do the gaps in the official narrative released by federal authorities.
What has been confirmed so far
A man named Tyler Robinson has been arrested and charged in connection with the shooting. As of now, he is the only person charged, and no co-conspirators have been publicly named by federal or state authorities.
Investigators have also confirmed the recovery of a rifle near the scene, found in a wooded area where the suspect allegedly fled. Click here to read more.
HHS takes sweeping action to reverse Biden-era policies on gender affirming care
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services unveiled a multi-pronged regulatory effort Thursday to curtail gender-affirming care for minors, including gender transition procedures at hospitals.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has drafted a rule that would prohibit pharmaceutical or surgical gender reassignment procedures from receiving federal Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program funding. It’s also proposing a rule that would allow it to withdraw Medicare and Medicaid funding from hospitals that perform such surgeries on minors. HHS is also working to “reverse the Biden administration’s attempt” to classify gender dysphoria as a type of disability. If gender dysphoria were to be defined as a disability, then health care providers who don’t want to perform what the department has dubbed “sex-rejecting” procedures could be in danger of violating anti-discrimination laws. Click here to read more.
Court blocks Michigan conversion therapy ban on free speech grounds
DETROIT — A federal appeals court on Wednesday blocked Michigan’s ban on conversion therapy for minors who are LGBTQ+, declaring it violates the First Amendment rights of therapists and counselors.
In a 2-1 opinion, the court said the law illegally restricts speech that reflects the moral beliefs of therapists. It set aside a lower court’s ruling and granted a preliminary injunction sought by Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties.
“The Michigan law discriminates based on viewpoint — meaning the law permits speech on a particular topic only if the speech expresses a viewpoint that the government itself approves,” Judge Raymond Kethledge wrote, joined by Judge Joan Larsen. Click here to read more.
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