Close up of Education Muse painted on the interior of the Capitol dome in Lansing, Mi

MLA Advocacy News

Local Library Funding From Voter-Approved Millages Facing Opposition

What Would Happen if Libraries Were No Longer Funded by Property Taxes?

A small group in Michigan is questioning if property taxes should be eliminated by changing the Michigan Constitution and is actively working to get this question onto the November ballot. Over 446,000 valid voter signatures are needed by July 8, 2024, to make this a reality. And then it would be left to the voters.

Governor Whitmer Proposes No Increase to State Aid to Libraries in FY25 Budget

As we have experienced for 8 years of the Snyder Administration and the 6th year of Governor Whitmer’s administration, the FY25 State Aid to Libraries budget remains flat. We also saw no increases for Library of Michigan programs/staff. (Link to the full GF budget below – Library of Michigan budget is on page 76.)

Freedom to Read Legislation Update

Just when Michigan House members were set to introduce the Freedom to Read legislation in November, we stepped back and are taking a pause. Why? In the course of about two months, residents in the state of Michigan experienced a pause in the legislative cycle due to sine die; we saw two House Democrats elected in November to mayoral positions leaving the House evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, which also is leading to a new election being scheduled for these two districts in late April; and adding fuel to the fire, seven of the newly adopted House districts in SE Michigan were challenged and must be redrawn before any further elections can take place.

Michiganders Encouraged to Participate in the Redistricting Process (Again!)

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Michigan’s court-ordered legislative map redrawing for seven state House districts must move forward. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson encourages Michiganders to take part in upcoming public sessions of the Michigan Independent Citizen’s Redistricting Commission (MICRC) to redraw the seven state house districts.

Right To Read Screening Launch Event

All Michigan students deserve the freedom to learn - and it starts with a foundation of reading. Children need schools to prepare them for a diverse and rapidly changing world.

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