HB 5725 has been referred to the Michigan House Judiciary Committee:

https://michiganadvance.com/2026/03/19/house-republican-introduces-bill-that-would-essentially-nullify-nessels-insulin-price-gouging-suit/

https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2026-HB-5725

House Republican introduces bill that would essentially nullify Nessel’s insulin price gouging suit
By Katherine Dailey - March 19, 2026

Rep. Bill G. Schuette (R-Midland) introduced a bill on Tuesday that would codify the regulatory compliance exemption within the Michigan Consumer Protection Act into Michigan state law — an exemption that Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is currently challenging in the state Supreme Court.

The exemption, in short, excludes activities already approved by government or regulatory agencies from being challenged under the Michigan Consumer Protection Act. In Nessel’s suit against pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly and Company, she argues that the company’s pricing practices for insulin, which some consider price gouging, are illegal. But the company argues that they fall under this exemption.

“This flawed and broad interpretation of a narrow exemption within the MCPA shields many corporations from any state scrutiny of even the most egregiously unfair alleged business conduct,” Nessel’s office said in 2024.

Schuette’s bill, House Bill 5725, would basically nullify Nessel’s lawsuit by establishing in state law the very provision that she is seeking to challenge.

When asked for comment, Nessel told Michigan Advance she was staunchly opposed to the bill.

“The State of Michigan is already distantly behind other states’ consumer protection laws, and the overbroad judicial exemptions Rep. Schuette seeks to encapsulate into law are the main reason why,” Nessel said. “At a time when the federal government is abandoning any meaningful consumer protection efforts, shuttering the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and catering to the whims of big businesses with the President’s ear, Michigan lawmakers should be looking for ways to strengthen our consumer protection laws, not waving a white flag to bad actors’ business abuses.

The Michigan Alliance for Legal Reform, a coalition of business associations formed in November 2025 to advocate against “lawsuit abuse” — which has also been criticized as disproportionately supporting the interests of the insurance industry — said in a press release that the group supports Schuette’s legislation, and that if the exemption were eliminated, “licensed professionals and regulated industries would be exposed to overlapping regulations, greater uncertainty, abusive litigation, and higher costs.”

“The Michigan Supreme Court is poised to upend decades of settled law, fundamentally changing how licensed professionals and regulated industries operate while exposing workers and job providers to expansive litigation and higher costs,” Zach Rudat, the organization’s director said in a press release. “Preserving the regulatory compliance exemption is essential to ensuring our legal system is predictable, balanced and avoids unnecessary duplication.”

Nessel, however, said defending Michigan residents from price gouging and other predatory business practices was a “tentpole responsibility” of her office and that Schuette, as the son of former Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, “should know better than to think that gutting our already weak consumer protection laws is anything other than a gift to the worst, most predatory offenders looking to take advantage of Michigan customers.”

The state Supreme Court heard arguments in the case last November, but has yet to issue a ruling on whether to allow Nessel’s lawsuit to proceed.

Reason lists all state debt levels and more at their original report. 

https://www.thecentersquare.com/michigan/article_53e1609a-cb7c-44d8-9c79-f31e18d4ed41.html

Report: Michigan's debt totals nearly $40 billion

Oct 31, 2025

(The Center Square) – The Michigan state government had $39.21 billion in debt, according to a new report.

The report, which was released by Reason Foundation, ranked Michigan’s debt 16th highest nationally at the end of the 2023 fiscal year. That is the most recent year that information is available.

California topped the report with nearly $500 billion in debt, as previously reported by The Center Square, while South Dakota came in 50th with $2.46 billion.

Per capita, Michigan’s debt ranked better than most states nationally, coming in at the 34th-highest. That is about $3,891 in debt for each citizen of the state, or significantly lower than the national average of approximately $8,000 per person.

The report also dug into debt in county governments, municipalities, and school districts throughout Michigan. In an exclusive interview with The Center Square about Michigan’s findings, the report’s authors dug into its results.

“Local governments are responsible for about 60% of all state and local debt nationwide, but their liabilities are often buried in individual financial reports that are hard for the public to access,” said Mariana Trujillo, one of the report’s authors. “The findings highlight the importance of governments disclosing their financial information transparently and accessibly.”

In total, all of Michigan’s public entities examined in the study owe $141 billion. That makes the state the 23rd-highest per capita, working out to $13,984 per citizen. While significant, that is lower than the national average of $18,376.

The report also found that state and local long-term debt in Michigan is made up of bonded debt (39%), unfunded pension liabilities (47%), and unfunded retiree healthcare obligations (9%). Long-term debt means it is due in more than one year.

The report looked at records for 588 school districts throughout Michigan. It found that those districts make up a significant portion of that debt, especially the pension debt.

“Of the $113.1 billion in long-term debt (non-current) liabilities, the largest share—$59.6 billion—is held by school districts,” said Jordan Campbell, the other author on the report. “Among school districts, 59% of all long-term debt is pension-related, showing how retirement costs dominate local balance sheets.”

This massive liability for Michigan school districts is especially worrying considering the declining state of its schools, something The Center Square has previously reported on.

“This trend is particularly concerning given declining public school enrollment . . . meaning fewer students and teachers are supporting growing legacy costs,” Campbell said.

This is not the first red flag thrown on the state’s growing pension obligations. Recently, The Center Square reported that Michigan received a “C” financial ranking.

While an improvement from previous years, Michigan’s financial condition could be on a continued downward spiral as federal funding is cut.

On top of that, unfunded pensions can have a real impact on many Michiganders, with pensioners seeing reduced retirement benefits or even an increase in required contributions from workers and taxpayers.

Trujillo explained this is why it is important for citizens and lawmakers to understand how deeply in debt their state and local municipalities are.

“Local debt directly affects residents through property taxes, sales taxes, and service levels, influencing how much communities pay and what they receive in return,” Trujillo said. “By showing the financial condition of so many state and local governments in the nation—and mapping where debt actually sits —the study helps taxpayers understand the financial pressures shaping local budgets and serves as a tool to hold their governments accountable for long-term obligations.”

Elyse Apel is a reporter for The Center Square covering Colorado and Michigan. A graduate of Hillsdale College, Elyse’s writing has been published in a wide variety of national publications from the Washington Examiner to The American Spectator and The Daily Wire.

Official bill description:
Health: pharmaceuticals; manufacturers of products containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine; require to participate in a national logging system. Amends secs. 7340 & 7340a of 1978 PA 368 (MCL 333.7340 & 333.7340a).

Note that this is a legal, useful medication; and that every new regulation raises the price tag for it, and for government spending.

Watch for Canadian drug prices to rise, too. They are tweaking the other end of the supply chain.

https://globalnews.ca/news/11584886/health-canada-chemicals-fentanyl-methamphetamine/

Canada changes chemical regulations to curb illegal fentanyl, other drugs

By Staff The Canadian Press    |    December 19, 2025 

Health Canada says it has amended the regulations for precursor chemicals and manufacturing equipment used to make illegal synthetic drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Changes to the regulations under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act include mandatory reporting of suspicious transactions involving precursors, and requiring licensed companies to take “reasonable measures” to prevent the diversion of the chemicals.

A statement from Health Canada says the changes expand conditions for selling certain health products containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine to minimize the risk of diversion to illegal markets.

The agency says it is also decreasing the availability of drug manufacturing equipment such as pill presses and by requiring import registration for certain component parts.

Canada’s drug laws list dozens of chemicals, most of which have legal uses — such as in pharmaceuticals, fragrances and flavouring agents — that are also considered precursors to making illegal drugs.

Health Canada says the new measures aim to help disrupt illegal drug production by criminal organizations and ensure that border enforcement officials have the tools to stop the illegal importation of drug manufacturing equipment.

A summary of the new regulations says most of the overdose deaths in Canada involve illegally produced fentanyl, and that police have noticed an increase in illegal domestic production as well as the illegal importation and diversion of chemical ingredients and equipment.

“The amendments will help disrupt illegal domestic drug production by organized crime groups, not only decreasing the risk that these harmful drugs are present in Canada, but also decreasing the risk that they would be illegally exported to other countries,” the summary says.

Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are two precursors that have an established history of misuse and diversion to the illegal production of methamphetamine.

Health Canada says natural health products and non-prescription drugs containing these precursors have been authorized for sale as decongestants, but there is evidence that some have been promoted and sold often to consumers who want to enhance athletic performance and increase weight loss and energy.

In other articles, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks has said Democrats will focus on utility costs, childcare and government transparency.  She has not mentioned health care as a 2026 priority:

https://www.mlive.com/politics/2026/01/affordability-rural-health-care-among-2026-priorities-for-house-speaker-hall-says.html

Affordability, rural health care among 2026 priorities for House, Speaker Hall says
Affordability, rural health care among 2026 priorities for House, Speaker Hall says

By Danielle James | January 16, 2026

LANSING, MI – House Speaker Matt Hall said affordability is going to be the focus for his chamber this year, with healthcare costs key among a list that also includes housing and energy prices and property tax reform.

“I think we’ve got a lot of work to do on healthcare,” said Hall, R-Richland Township, who spoke this week ahead of the first legislative session day of 2026.

“It’s not just hospitals. It’s drug companies, it’s insurance,” he said. “I mean, everyone has a role in the high cost of healthcare, but this is really one of the biggest issues facing our state.”

Hall said he’s taking cues from President Donald Trump, who first mentioned during a Detroit visit on Tuesday that he planned to announce a new healthcare affordability framework, focused on reducing premiums and prescription drug costs.

Trump spoke at an event at the Motorcity Casino hosted by the Detroit Economic Club.

The federal announcement signals the latest push by the White House to address rising insurance and medical costs, as the extension of recently-lapsed federal healthcare subsidies faces an uncertain future before Congress.

At the state level, Hall said he too wants to address what he described as a bloated healthcare system in Michigan, referencing drug companies, insurance providers and health systems that have gotten “way too big.”

House Republicans are looking at a new commission to assess what hospitals are doing to lower costs, Hall said, looking at finances and determining if the health systems are overspending on things like infrastructure.

“This new commission will have the authority to look at their prices and make sure they’re keeping their prices in line with affordability,” he said. Hall did not provide more details.

Democratic candidate for governor Jocelyn Benson, now serving as the Secretary of State, pitched a similar concept for tackling prescription drug affordability this month, reviving a past priority of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

While Hall spoke mainly about reducing costs for Michiganders, he also talked about the need to draw down more federal dollars for Michigan’s rural hospitals.

Michigan has 75 of its 83 counties classified in whole or in part as rural, according to the state, the seventh-highest rural population in the nation.

Around 1.7 million rural Michiganders live in a county with a shortage of primary care doctors, and 91% of rural Michigan counties have a primary care shortage.

In December, the state was awarded over $173 million from the federal government, part of a $50 billion initiative created in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill to “strengthen rural health” through expanded preventative, primary, maternal and behavioral health services.

Hall said House Republicans were disappointed with the rural health funds application submitted by the state, however.

The program received a mixed national reaction when it was created, with some lawmakers and rural health advocates concerned that receiving a portion of funds was based on the promise to pass health care policies favored by the Trump administration.

In an attempt to get better scores on their applications and more funding, several states made promises to change their laws to restrict low-income people from using food benefits to buy junk food or to expand telehealth, according to reporting by Politico.

Michigan initially requested $200 million and got $173 million, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).

“They left, I think, hundreds of millions of dollars on the table that they could have gotten for Michigan because they aren’t adopting a lot of these MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) principles,” Hall said, referencing the moniker adopted for U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s lifestyle initiative.

Before submitting its application, MDHHS hosted an online survey and two listening sessions to gather input on how the funding could help rural providers.

MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel said the approved proposal focused on enhancing the long-term sustainability of rural providers while supporting their growth and continued service to their communities.

MDHHS did not return a subsequent request for comment asking how Trump administration requirements factored into the state determining its proposal.

Hall said looking into 2026, House Republicans will prioritize legislation that could earn the state more rural health funding, giving the example of restricting the purchase of soda from those using government benefits to buy food through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

There are approximately 1.4 million SNAP recipients in Michigan, around 13% of households in the state.

According to December reporting by BBC, five states so far in 2026 have banned the purchase of items, like soda and candy, from being purchased with SNAP funds.

“If you do things to encourage healthier lifestyles, healthier eating, healthier habits, you can get more rural health funding,” Hall said.

Hall also spoke about enacting a bipartisan Senate package that would require hospitals to publicly disclose the cost of treatments and operations, also prohibiting the collection of debts if a hospital is not in compliance with price transparency laws.

The legislation, which has passed through both chambers with some changes, is awaiting another vote in the Senate, which Hall said he’s hopeful will come early.

“This is one of those funny bills where when you put it up for a vote, everybody votes for it,” Hall said, “but there’s so much posturing behind the scenes from the politicians to stop it.”

Other than healthcare, Hall said affordability – reforming property taxes and bringing down housing costs and energy prices – is going to be the focus of the House going into 2026.

“I don’t care that it’s an election year,” he said. “We’re gonna take risks. We’re gonna do bold things.”

There will be a lot wrangling in Lansing during the coming days as a result.  That wrangling will undoubtedly begin well before Gov. Whitmer's February 25th State of the State speech:

https://wwmt.com/news/michigan-politics/michigan-fiscal-agencies-11-billion-dollars-state-revenue-2027-government-politics-economy-funding-money-lawmakers

https://www.michigan.gov/treasury/-/media/Project/Websites/treasury/ORTA/Consensus-Revenue-Estimating-Conference---CREC/FY-2026/Jan-2026-CREC-Docs/Forecasts-and-Summary/Consensus-Executive-Summary-Final.pdf

Michigan fiscal agencies predict $1.1 billion dip in state revenue for 2027
By Remington Hernandez | January 16, 2026

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan is set to bring in significantly less revenue in 2027, according to an assessment from all three state fiscal agencies in a joint report.

The report is called a Consensus Revenue Estimate, and it's typically the beginning of the budget process.

The two fiscal agencies in the Legislature and the State Treasury under the Governor come together and compare numbers, settling on one set of predictions.

The consensus revises the previous estimates for 2026 and 2027, now showing general fund and school aid revenues are $779.4 million lower than expected this year. Next year, the gap grows to $1.09 billion.

Study: Record teacher certification still can’t keep up with those leaving the classroom
The Whitmer Administration blames changes at the federal level, which put more responsibilities on states.

"We've taken some important steps to mitigate that damage here in our state," State Budget Director Jen Flood said. "But it's going to continue to apply pressure to the state budget for fiscal year 27 and beyond.”

Estimates are based on the most recent economic projections, and the numbers will be used by the governor and lawmakers to formulate their budget proposals.

The administration wouldn't say whether cuts were on the table, but alluded to the rainy day fund as an option to boost funding.

"Michigan's economy is stable. Our foundation is strong," State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks said. "That stability gives us confidence as we plan for the future and continue making disciplined decisions to keep Michigan moving forward."

Legislative republicans have long championed cuts.

State House Speaker Rep. Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) feels vindicated by the consensus estimate.

"The state government is gonna have to start tightening its belt, making priorities, and getting better value out of your dollars," Hall said.

Hall says State House Republicans already identified $5 billion in what he labeled "waste, fraud and abuse," and he says much of it still needs to go.

"We got to cut the ghost workers. We've got eliminate these wasteful grant programs including the corporate giveaways," Hall said. "I think we'll be able to put together a budget another budget smaller than the one before."

Democrats, though, say there needs to be a smart approach to the budget, and they're keeping options open.

"We're not gonna just say cuts for the sake of cuts, we should exhaust every option we have first," Rep. Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn), Minority Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee said. "That means looking at programs that can be modernized that maybe we no longer need. That means, yes, making some smart cuts, but it does not mean just right away one billion dollars out of the budget."

Farhat also said Michiganders should be the main consideration when formulating the budget.

"The State of Michigan right now is looking at its budget and making tough decisions," Farhat said. "Families across the state are making those same decisions, and so how can we make it easier for them?"

Flood said the governor's proposal is just weeks away, setting the stage for what could be another contentious budget fight, as seen in 2025.

Still, all sides are hopeful a proposal will pass by the June 30 deadline.

However, as you'll see below, the new mammogram law's implications have escaped the media.

From WLNS Lansing, whose video within the link is a must-see.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/michigan-produced-record-low-number-004531976.html

Michigan produced a record low number of new laws in 2025

Brad LaPlante    |    January 2, 2026

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Michigan lawmakers signed into law a record low number of bills in 2025 as the state faces low elementary reading scores, high unemployment and uncertainty in several major job sectors.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, signed 74 new public acts in 2025, significantly less than the state’s recent average of 383.

With the House controlled by Republicans and the Senate controlled by Democrats, Michigan spent most of the year grappling with a near-state government shutdown that culminated in an eleventh-hour bipartisan budget deal after several missed deadlines.

Despite low production, House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) told reporters the Legislature had “the best year” of the seven years Whitmer has been governor. Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) did not feel the same, saying, “I have a lot to say about this year,” in a floor speech to close the year.

Hall views the low level of production as a positive and vows to enact even fewer laws next year. Brinks told reporters it’s “strange that he is so proud of not doing his job.” House Majority Floor Leader Bryan Posthumus (R-Cannon Township) said on social media that passing fewer bills is a “feature of good government.”

Absent from the Legislature’s final agenda of the year was a jobs-creation package that was promised by Whitmer, Hall, and Brinks. Hall said he was “committed” to the legislation on Off the Record in December, but a package has not yet come to fruition.

In February, a significant economic and labor policy compromise raised the minimum wage on an accelerated path, albeit at a slower pace for tipped workers, and established paid sick leave. The deal avoided the court-ordered upheaval after a Michigan Supreme Court ruling.

When the budget was finally approved for the new fiscal year, the Legislature approved a new 24% wholesale tax on cannabis, with revenue earmarked for roads. The industry immediately sued, arguing that the tax sidestepped the 2018 voter framework, but a judge allowed it to proceed pending appeal. That tax went into effect on Jan. 1, 2026.

Hall’s goal next year is to develop policy for the state’s next governor, who Michigan will elect in November. In addition, every seat in the Legislature will be on the ballot.

Michigan’s Legislature isn’t the only legislative body with lower production; President Donald Trump signed 70 bills from Congress last year despite Republicans controlling both chambers and the presidency.

A nice list from News Channel 3, accessible at the link.

https://wwmt.com/news/local/new-laws-taking-effect-michigan-2026-new-year-legislation-bills-politics-government-taylor-swift-law-education-child-care-safety-lansing-state

A look at some of the new laws taking effect in Michigan in 2026

Remington Hernandez    |    December 29, 2025 

LANSING, Mich. — It wasn't exactly a banner year for the Michigan Legislature when it came to passing laws, as the state is on track to see the fewest number of laws passed ever in a two-year session.

74 were signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2025. Most have already gone into effect, but 27 will become law in the new year.

Click here to view the PDF file

One of the biggest laws deals with transparency on how state lawmakers spend your tax dollars.

Staring January 1, Public Acts 32 and 33 require the details of all proposed enhancement grant funding, known as earmarks, to be published online. The disclosure would include information on the legislators proposing the grants and the recipients.

For-profit entities will be barred from receiving the grants, as well, and recipients must be established in Michigan for three years, among other requirements.

Another law taking effect on the first, Public Act 59, would allow vehicle repair shop owners to operate another shop under the same license.

The 24 other laws take effect March 24.

Among them, Public Act 52, which puts more speech protections in place , allowing for quicker review of what are often referred to as "strategic lawsuits against public participation"

Those lawsuits are typically brought against people weighing in on public issues when their comments reflect unfavorably on the plaintiff.

Public Act 35 allows legislative Sergeants at Arms and their officers to enforce laws and protect legislators outside of the capitol grounds.

Public Act 49, nicknamed the "Taylor Swift Law," bans event ticket bots and attempts at getting tickets through prohibited means.

Public Act 48 allows schools to teach an elective firearm safety course.

Public Act 60 paves the way for child care centers to install door locks for use during security incidents.

Public Act 46 increases the fines for racial discrimination in insurance to as high as one thousand dollars.

Both houses of the Legislature will be back in session January 14. Whether the record low stays that way is left for them to decide.

Bridge Magazine focuses on autism treatments in this piece, but HB 5044 allows all medical treatments.  HB 5044 has been referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce:

https://bridgemi.com/talent-education/should-aba-therapists-be-allowed-in-michigan-schools-to-aid-kids-with-autism/

https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-HB-5044

• Parents of students with autism say their private behavior technicians should be allowed in public school
• School groups are opposed to the idea
• Roughly 13.5% of students with a disability have autism spectrum disorder in Michigan

For 14-year-old Michael Chami, the “Guess Who?” board game is more than just a game. It’s also a way for his registered behavior technician to help him practice how to describe other people.

Chami sees his technician about 12 to 15 hours a week after school for applied behavior analysis support. The technician works with a board certified behavior analyst that observes Chami weekly and works with Chami’s mother, Angela Khater, on how to help him with communication skills.

Khater is one of many parents and advocates fighting to have this type of support take place at Michigan’s public schools. Parents say requiring schools to allow these technicians in the school would be better for students, their peers and teachers.

“We don’t want these kids to have a crutch in a school,” Khater told Bridge Michigan. “We want them to be independent. So we want to work with them one-on-one so that they can gain these independent skills so we can fade out.”

Under House Bill 5044, school districts would be required to let students receive treatment during the school day if it is medically necessary. In recent weeks, several proponents of the bill have spoken about how much of a difference applied behavior analysis therapy, often referred to as “ABA,” has made in their children’ s lives.

Some parents are already willing to pull their children out of classes so they can receive therapy off-site.

The ABA industry is valued at $4 billion nationwide and expected to grow. Allowing sessions to take place in schools could give the industry an additional boost by increasing the number of parents who arrange such services for their children. The therapy sessions are covered by health insurance and provided by outside companies.

“You have a for-profit entity (whose) model is built around billable services…we don’t have that model,” Eric Hoppstock, superintendent of Berrien County Regional Education Service Agency, told Bridge.

School groups oppose requiring that therapists be allowed in. They say there are logistical challenges, and when a private behavior technician works with a student, the goals may not be aligned with the education goals school officials have already laid out for the students through individualized education programs, or IEPs.

“What is medically necessary that you would provide that is so distinctly different in the schools than what we already provide?” Hoppstock asked.

Khater, who is also a board certified behavior analyst, sees it differently: “I often wonder: Are they hiding something? Why don’t they want us in? Why wouldn’t they want something that doesn’t cost them anything in their schools that would help these children?”

ABA in classrooms and clinics

Schools may hire board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) or registered behavior technicians (RBTs) to oversee behavior programs in schools. But advocates want this to go a step further by having them directly in the classroom with a student as the student is instructed by a teacher.

Parents say current accommodations for these behavior experts vary school-to-school and district-to-district.

Some parents pull their children out of part or all of the school day to make time for this therapy. Statewide, 35.8% of students with disabilities are chronically absent, meaning they missed 18 or more school days in a year.

“Every day that a student is out of school, every hour, gaps in learning are growing and opportunities with their peers are being minimized,” said Michigan Department of Education office of special education assistant director Rebecca McIntyre. “So we really need to focus on having ABA supplement education and not replace it.”

McIntyre spoke Wednesday at a House Education and Workforce Committee, which has held several public meetings on the bill. The bill has not yet received a vote. MDE officials urged lawmakers to not pass the bill, instead giving schools more time to implement guidance released by MDE and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services in May about these services.

“When a physician or other provider has determined medical necessity for ABA therapy, there can and should be a coordination of therapy with the district so the child can access the ABA therapy they are entitled to and maximize the full school day they are also entitled to,” the guidance says. “Private ABA therapy is funded through private insurance, the parents or other sources, but is not funded by the district. Therefore, although districts have an obligation to provide a full school day, a district is not required to provide a place for an outside provider to provide private ABA therapy.”

Michigan based its guidelines on a model developed by Virginia. “They’ve worked really hard to support the guidelines and not move into a place where there is more restrictive legislation about what schools have to do, because the goal is collaboration and working together,” Amy Matthews, a Grand Valley State University professor and director of the Statewide Autism Resources and Training (START) Project, told legislators at Wednesday’s hearing of the Michigan House Education and Workforce Committee.

She said in some states “there is a lot of tension between the private providers and schools. It’s not always been a productive relationship. We don’t really want to go there. We really want to look at how do we work well together.”

But some say students with disabilities do not have time to wait for school districts to consider whether or not to follow the guidance.

“A big sigh comes out of me when I hear anyone in a school system say wait and see, especially with kids with disabilities,” Heather Eckner, director of statewide education for the Autism Alliance of Michigan, told Bridge. “They don’t have time for us to wait and see.”

Committee chair Rep. Nancy DeBoer, R-Holland, said “if the children were receiving all the care they need in these settings, parents wouldn’t be clamoring for a bill as they are.”

A growing movement

The push to allow these practices in schools comes more than a decade after the state began requiring insurance plans it regulates to provide coverage for ABA therapy.

There are 223,100 students receiving special education in the state including students in private schools or homeschooling who receive special education services by a public school. About 13.5% of the students have an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis.

Colorado passed a similar law in 2022 that requires school districts to adopt a policy on how students can receive medically necessary treatment. But Chalkbeat Colorado reports that advocates and parents say the opportunity to have ABA in schools still varies by district. For example, Denver Public Schools only approved three out of 28 requests for the therapy, according to the outlet.

The proposal in Michigan would require districts to report how many requests for treatment they granted or denied to the state.

In Indiana, Medicaid covers ABA therapy with the coverage being “very valuable” but the rising costs being “unsustainable,” said one state agency official, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.

The road ahead

In Holly, Lisa Havneraas, said ABA therapy gave her 10-year-old son “the life that he has now.”

Havneraas said her son can communicate wants and needs at school, home and public settings.

At one point, she pulled her son out of his traditional public school after he wasn’t able to have ABA therapy support in schools. Now, he attends a charter school in Holly that allows him to have ABA during the school day. ABA, Havneraas said, “doesn’t replace school but it made school possible for him.”

DeBoer, the state representative, told Bridge 500 parents have reached out to her office about the bill. She said the bill is a priority but several considerations need to be worked out before passing it.

“I want to be measured and careful with what we do,” she said.

Autism diagnosis rates have increased in recent decades.

“I don’t understand the growth in the numbers but I do know every child has intrinsic worth and we are responsible to be the best they can be and reach their full potential as much as we can and inspire them,” DeBoer said.

For Khater, the mother in Dearborn, she wants to see Michigan follow the creed of ‘students first’, a motto that State Superintendent Glenn Maleyko used when he led Dearborn schools and continues to use in his new state role.

“If they really want to put students first, then they would do this for our children. Because it is evidence-based, it’s proven to work and it’s proven to help our kids.”

Should they need any ideas of places to look for WFA (waste, fraud, and abuse), last month Citi Journal wrote that the largest funder of Al-Shabaab terror group is the Minnesota taxpayer, while PJ Media tracked how California, among other states "swimming in tax dollars, lost track of more than $24 billion of homeless spending. Spending on homelessness is being plundered."

The latter article in particular brings Michigan's budget details to mind.

https://www.themidwesterner.news/2025/12/house-republicans-launch-michigan-doge-task-force-to-slash-state-departments-jobs-spending-return-value-back-to-the-taxpayer/

House Republicans launch Michigan DOGE Task Force to slash state departments, jobs, spending, ‘return value back to the taxpayer’

Rep. DeSana: 'Michiganders deserve a government that works for them, not against them'

Victor Skinner     |     December 11, 2025

How much money can lawmakers save Michigan taxpayers by eliminating waste, fraud and abuse?

It’s a question House Republicans plan to answer.

“Michiganders deserve a government that works for them, not against them,” state Rep. James DeSana, R-Carleton, said in a statement Thursday announcing a new DOGE Task Force. “The DOGE Task Force will shine a light on what’s broken, cut through the bureaucracy, and push for real reforms that put the people of Michigan first.

“This initiative is about accountability, transparency, and delivering results,” he said.

DeSana announced the task force alongside his Republican colleagues at a press conference at the Capitol “with the intent to streamline Michigan government … and get us back to where we need to be, where the people of Michigan can prosper.”

“Yesterday we had our first meeting,” DeSana said, noting the task force he chairs consists of a dozen state representatives. “Obviously, we’re focusing on waste, fraud and abuse, especially zeroing in on Medicaid. We’ve had some research done that we have discussed where there’s $1.8 billion in proven Medicaid fraud, and that’s with only about 40% of Medicaid being verified, so that number could easily double …”

Estimates suggest there’s 12,000 millionaires on Medicaid in Michigan, he said, based on research and bank account information.

Task force members also “want to reduce the amount of departments in the state” from 18 to 12, DeSana said, noting the Medicaid fraud is in addition to “a lot of ineligible people collecting SNAP benefits,” referring to the federal food stamp program.

“When it comes to state government, we believe a lot of the reduction in state costs for employees can be done through attrition, natural retirement,” he said. “We need to shrink the size of state government.”

DeSana pointed to a state budget that has swelled by $30 billion over the last eight years, which has coincided with an increasing state workforce to roughly 50,000, or 180,000 including local government workers supported by state funds.

Other issues include administrative salaries and benefits in the Michigan Department of Education outstripping the same for teachers in the budget for the first time in Michigan history.

“We should be focusing our resources on the classroom and on teachers, not on administrative costs,” DeSana said, adding estimates project a 20% decline in high school graduates over the next decade.

“This DOGE process will look at every process of state government, how can we cut state government,” he said.

“We believe the catalyst for Michigan, the catalyst to get us back, is going to be a reduction in state government and at some point a return of resources to the taxpayer,” DeSana continued. “We believe that Michiganders are overtaxed, both in income and in property taxes, and we believe we have to get to a fairer system where we look at our house and try to return value back to the taxpayer.”

While the task force is named after the same on the federal level, where DOGE is an acronym for Department of Government Efficiency, its work is modeled after similar efforts underway in Ohio, which are focused in large part on Medicaid, he said.

Priorities in Michigan will focus on bloat in the state’s departments of Health and Human Services; Natural Resources; Environment, Great Lakes and Energy; and Education, among others, DeSana said.

“We have whole buildings that are not being used in the state of Michigan,” he said, adding that while the task force is entirely Republicans, it welcomes input from across the aisle.

The task force is expected to craft recommendations for lawmakers, though DeSana acknowledged that implementing those recommendations could rest on voters electing a Republican governor in 2026.

“We’re hoping to get back to where we … have a governor on board that can make some of these changes,” he said.

“We have several candidates for governor talking about cutting the income tax, or possibly eliminating the income tax altogether,” he added.

In addition to DeSana, members of the Michigan DOGE Task Force include Appropriations Committee Chair Rep. Ann Bollin, House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. Jay DeBoyer, Communications and Technology Committee Chair Rep Jamie Greene, Election Integrity Committee Chair Rachelle Smit, and Rules Committee Chair Rep. Bill Schuette, along with Reps. Steve Carra, Gina Johnsen, Joseph Pavolv, Bradley Slagh, Donni Steele, Jason Woolford, and Jennifer Wortz.

It's also the issue championed by bill sponsor and fourth MHF 2025 Defender Award Nominee.

This week, Mackinac Center lays out legal and health benefits from changing Michigan law.

https://www.mackinac.org/blog/2025/michigan-would-benefit-from-independent-nurse-practitioners

Michigan would benefit from independent nurse practitioners

More than 30 states allow the practice

Warren Anderson    |    December 4, 2025 

The Michigan Legislature is considering bills to allow nurse practitioners to be independent operators, which they currently can do in most states. Recent research suggests this would lead to fewer malpractice lawsuits, better care that leads to hospital stays being shorter, and fewer preventable deaths.

The nurse practitioner profession began in the 1960s. Nurses had to earn at least a Master of Science in nursing, pass a national licensing exam and obtain a state license. All states initially required nurse practitioners to work under the supervision of a licensed physician. But now more than 30 states allow these medical professionals to operate on their own, which is known as full practice authority.

Some interests in the established medical field, such as the American Medical Association, opposes empowering nurse practitioners to work on their own. Naysayers cite potential poorer care as a reason to oppose such laws. Recently published scholarship, however, undermines this concern.

Sara Markowitz and Andrew Smith of Emory University and the Food and Drug Administration, respectively, analyzed states that changed their laws to allow full practice authority. Twenty states made such a change from 1998 to 2019. The authors looked at malpractice cases to test the impact of these laws. If patient care worsened, malpractice cases should increase.

Markowitz and Smith found that letting nurse practitioners practice independently had no impact on their own malpractice payments. Further, malpractice payouts for physicians declined by a little more than 20%. The number of safety and drug violations committed by medical professionals did not change for the worse. These findings suggest that enabling full practice for nurse practitioners does not result in poorer patient care.

The fact that physicians experienced fewer malpractice cases is possibly due to liability laws. Doctors could be held liable in some cases for an error by one of their supervised nurse practitioners, even if the physician had no contact with the patient. When these nurses become directly responsible for their actions and physicians no longer responsible for them, overall malpractice claims fell. The change does not directly show that full practice authority laws improved levels of care, but it does suggest that they reduce the type of harmful actions that typically lead to claims of malpractice.

Benjamin McMichael of the University of Alabama tested the impact of full-practice laws on the quality of care in a different way. He used data on nearly every hospital discharge in 22 states, including Michigan, from 2010 to 2019. Ten of these states enacted full-practice laws during this time, enabling McMichael to test the effects of changing state policy on medical outcomes. He looked at outcomes related to which hospital admissions could have been avoided with better outpatient care, the type that nurse practitioners often provide.

McMichael found that full-practice laws were associated with a roughly 5% decline in hospitalizations. This has large cumulative effects: Hospital stays declined overall by about 108 days per 100,000 people. For Michigan, that would mean roughly 11,000 fewer stays in hospitals, making medical care cheaper and less disruptive for consumers and freeing doctors’ time and resources for more serious medical issues.

In a separate paper, McMichael assessed the impact that these laws have on “health care amenable deaths,” or “premature death(s) from causes that should not occur in the presence of timely and effective health care.” Looking at data across the United States from 2005 and 2019, McMichael found that allowing nurse practitioners greater freedom to practice reduced amenable deaths by 12 per 100,000 individuals, with the largest impact on underserved, rural areas. This makes sense as nurse practitioners often establish practices in places where health care is in short supply.

If Michigan allows nurse practitioners to offer medical services on their own, the state would simply be mirroring what most states have done. Studies on the impacts of this legal change suggest that malpractice suits would decline, hospital stays would drop because of better earlier medical treatment, and unnecessary deaths would decrease. The Legislature should follow the lead of other states and allow better and more accessible medical care for Michiganders.