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In This Issue

  • Poll Identifies Public Safety as the Most Important Issue Among City of Lansing Voters
  • State Budget Update 
  • Population Council Announced 
  • LRCC Joins Coalition to Oppose Limitations on Independent Contractors 
  • LRCC Federal & State Business Roundtable with Senate Appropriations Chair Sarah Anthony

Poll Identifies Public Safety as the Most Important Issue Among City of Lansing Voters

A poll commissioned by Advance Greater Lansing shows that public safety is the leading concern among voters in the city of Lansing. The poll of citizens who are likely to vote in the 2023 Lansing City Council election was conducted by Greenlee Consulting. Poll findings show that 22.4% of respondents cite public safety as the most important issue for City Council members to address followed by roads (19.6%) and neighborhoods (14.2%). Other significant issues that emerged in the survey were housing, homelessness, job creation/opportunities, taxes and business corridors. Poll results are available here.

Advance Greater Lansing in the News

State Budget Update

Ongoing discussions are taking place to establish budget targets and form conference committees between the State Senate and State House of Representatives. There is optimism that the budget will receive approval within the next week. It is worth noting that there is a nonbinding deadline stated in the statute, requiring the Legislature to finalize their actions on the budget by July 1.
As part of the budget, the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce spent several months gathering feedback from our regional partners to make sure we are providing a unified voice on the priorities that are important to our region. In recognition of the critical importance of a thriving downtown in our capital city means to the region and the state, the Capital Region Improvement Support Package outlines funding requests to the Governor and State Legislature for projects and services that will combine to provide a much-needed shot-in-the-arm to efforts to revitalize the capital region. Support for this package is necessary for the anticipated growth coming to our region in the next few years. Read the full Capital Region Improvement Support Package below.

This package focuses on ongoing state aid as well as one-time investments focused on the following areas:

  • Economic Development & Community Revitalization
  • Education, Skills Training, & Workforce Development
  • Water & Electric Infrastructure Investment
  • Roads, Transportation, & Connectivity Infrastructure
  • Social Services
  • Housing

In the News

Population Council Announced 

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has established a new council tasked with the important objective of addressing the state’s sluggish population growth and devising long-term funding plans for infrastructure and education. This initiative is of particular interest to the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, as outlined in the State of the Region Report, as population growth is vital for the continued prosperity of our region.

The Growing Michigan Together Council, consisting of 28 members, will work diligently to formulate recommendations by the end of this year. The council will focus on setting population goals for 2050. Additionally, they will identify sustainable and equitable funding sources for infrastructure and education.

In addition, the council will address the discrepancy between recommended expenditures and actual revenue for infrastructure and higher education, providing insightful recommendations in this regard. The Lansing Regional Chamber will actively monitor and engage in this process, recognizing its significance for the growth and prosperity of our region.

LRCC Joins Coalition to Oppose Limitations on Independent Contractors 

Legislation introduced in the State House of Representatives seeks to limit the ability of ALL employers to use independent contractors. Under HB 4390, for a worker to be properly classified as an independent contractor, companies would need to establish the individual meets all three components of the ABC test:

  1. “The individual is free from control and direction of the [hiring entity’s] in connection with the performance of the work, both under contract and in fact.”
  2. “The individual performs work that is outside the usual course of the [hiring entity’s] business.”
  3. “The individual is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, or business of the same work performed by the individual for the [hiring entity].”

Learn more about the top things you should know about this proposal and why the LRCC opposes it.

LRCC Federal & State Business Roundtable with Senate Appropriations Chair Sarah Anthony

Join the Lansing Regional Chamber for a roundtable talk with Senate Appropriations Chair Sarah Anthony on Monday, June 26, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Lansing Regional Chamber, 500 E. Michigan Avenue, Suite 200, Lansing. The event is offered at no cost for LRCC members and $25 for future members. Capacity is limited, please register here.