How Tailored Solutions Can Help Michigan’s Small Businesses Navigate New Paid Sick Leave Laws
October 28, 2024
GovernmentLabor
Effective February 21, 2025, Michigan’s Earned Sick Time Act will replace the Paid Medical Leave Act, following the Michigan Supreme Court's July 2024 ruling. As…
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Jose Gonzalez: Small Businesses Should Work Together to Affect Real Change in Lansing
October 3, 2024
EconomyGovernment
Small businesses are the cornerstone of Michigan’s economy, particularly in West Michigan, where local entrepreneurs fuel innovation and job creation. Yet, misguided policy decisions in…
West Michigan Policy Forum Highlights Urgent Need for Economic Reform and Business-Friendly Policies During Biennial Conference
October 1, 2024
EducationGovernment
The West Michigan Policy Forum (WMPF) recently wrapped up its highly anticipated biennial conference in Grand Rapids, where nearly 300 business leaders, policymakers, and community…
WMPF Conference Participants Can Help Affect Positive Change in Lansing
September 11, 2024
As the West Michigan Policy Forum gears up for its biennial conference on Sept. 12, 2024, west Michigan small-business leaders are talking about how events…
The 2024 Kids Count Data Book, recently released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Michigan League for Public Policy, paints a concerning picture of…
WMPF ON
Government
How Tailored Solutions Can Help Michigan’s Small Businesses Navigate New Paid Sick Leave Laws
October 28, 2024
GovernmentLabor
Effective February 21, 2025, Michigan’s Earned Sick Time Act will replace the Paid Medical Leave Act, following the Michigan Supreme Court's July 2024 ruling. As…
Jose Gonzalez: Small Businesses Should Work Together to Affect Real Change in Lansing
October 3, 2024
EconomyGovernment
Small businesses are the cornerstone of Michigan’s economy, particularly in West Michigan, where local entrepreneurs fuel innovation and job creation. Yet, misguided policy decisions in…
West Michigan Policy Forum Highlights Urgent Need for Economic Reform and Business-Friendly Policies During Biennial Conference
October 1, 2024
EducationGovernment
The West Michigan Policy Forum (WMPF) recently wrapped up its highly anticipated biennial conference in Grand Rapids, where nearly 300 business leaders, policymakers, and community…
Lansing’s Elected Leaders Send Misguided State Budget to Governor for Her Signature
July 1, 2024
Government
It’s been said that democracy dies in darkness. In related news, our state Legislature formally approved an irresponsible state budget in the dark of night…
As State Elected Officials Head up for Mackinac Island Conference, They’re Still Fudging The Numbers When It Comes to Teacher Retirement System Raid Proposal
May 29, 2024
EducationGovernment
Michigan’s state elected officials still have important work to do on the state budget; work they should discuss this week at the annual Mackinac Policy…
Spring Has Sprung, but Michigan’s Economy Feeling the Effects of a Late Frost
April 26, 2024
EconomyGovernment
Although it’s been said that April showers bring May flowers, not everything is coming up roses for Michigan’s economy. Our economic garden, if you will,…
WMPF ON
Transportation
‘D’ Grade For Michigan Roads Will Hurt Our Chances to Grow Jobs and Our Economy
June 7, 2023
Transportation
Although our elected leaders in Lansing eliminated the state’s A-F grading system for Michigan public schools, they thankfully cannot escape accountability from the American Society…
WMPF ON
Talent
The West Michigan Policy Forum was one of the first to report on the troubling trend of national companies that have decided to eliminate or…
Loud Population Trends in Michigan and Across the Country: Coincidence, Correlation, or Causation?
March 1, 2023
GovernmentTalent
Nearly 50,000 people have fled Michigan over the last three years, moving to states like Florida, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Arizona.…
As the legislative session winds down, investors and leaders of the West Michigan Policy Forum heard from Michigan Representative Matt Hall of Comstock Township about…
Caught between record-low unemployment and record-high inflation, it’s no secret that entrepreneurs are facing unprecedented challenges. It’s rare to enter a retail store or restaurant…
Beyond Fiscal Year 2023: Michigan has $7 Billion and We Need to Ensure it Gets in the Right Hands
September 7, 2022
GovernmentTalent
There’s $7 billion that remains available on Michigan’s balance sheet, half of which is leftover one-time federal stimulus dollars. Michigan’s fiscal year 2023 budget signed…
Do you know what one of the key elements to a thriving economy is? It’s often overlooked and underestimated, but it’s the foundation for a…
WMPF ON
Labor
How Tailored Solutions Can Help Michigan’s Small Businesses Navigate New Paid Sick Leave Laws
October 28, 2024
GovernmentLabor
Effective February 21, 2025, Michigan’s Earned Sick Time Act will replace the Paid Medical Leave Act, following the Michigan Supreme Court's July 2024 ruling. As…
For small businesses, few things matter more than a level playing field and a strong workforce. The West Michigan Policy Forum agrees with Gov. Gretchen…
Right-to-work Taught Us To Stand Up For What We Believe In and Make Our Voices Heard
June 14, 2023
EconomyGovernmentLabor
Michigan’s former Right-to-work law has always been about jobs. And at Southwest Michigan First, we believe the greatest force for change is a job. With…
Broken Promise on Right-to-work Further Erodes People’s Trust in Our Government
March 27, 2023
GovernmentLabor
With confidence in our politicians near an all-time low in the United States, it is essential for all elected officials, both Republican and Democrat, to…
How Right-to-work Helped Tennessee Become a Pro-business State, and How Michigan Can Follow Suit
February 22, 2023
GovernmentLabor
Last November, Tennessee joined eight other states in recognizing worker freedom as a fundamental right by constitutionalizing right-to-work - the law that protects workers from…
More than half of the United States agrees that workers should have the right to choose what’s best for them - with 28 states having…
WMPF ON
Healthcare
Never before in US history have dollars flowed from Washington to the states the way they currently are. The price tag: $350 billion for eligible…
Protecting Lives and Livelihoods through #OpenMiSafely
November 14, 2021
GovernmentHealthcare
The West Michigan Policy Forum took communicating messaging and actions very seriously from the early onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our goal first and foremost…