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Tribal advocates keep up legal pressure for fair political maps; 12-member jury sworn in for Trump's historic criminal trial; Healthcare decision planning important for CT residents; Debt dilemma poll: Hoosiers wrestle with college costs.

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Civil Rights activists say a court ruling could end the right to protest in three southern states, a federal judge lets January 6th lawsuits proceed against former President Trump and police arrest dozens at a Columbia University Gaza protest.

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Rural Wyoming needs more vocational teachers to sustain its workforce pipeline, Ohio environmental advocates fear harm from a proposal to open 40-thousand forest acres to fracking and rural communities build bike trail systems to promote nature, boost the economy.

Stimulus Or Hindrance?

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Tuesday, June 3, 2008   

Lansing, MI - Michigan taxpayers have a choice of saving or spending their federal economic stimulus checks, but state budget writers may have to choose whether to cut spending, raise taxes, or both. This is an unexpected consequence of the economic stimulus package, which may cost the state millions in lost tax revenue. Michigan is facing a budget loss of more than a half-billion dollars over the next two years, and $127 million of that is the result of a tax rule in the stimulus package, which effects business depreciation.

Sharon Parks, the interim president and CEO of the Michigan League for Human Services, believes that, if the choice is budget cuts, then everything including revenue sharing may be on the block.

"Through revenue sharing we provide public services at the local level. It's going to effect schools. So any areas of our lives that are affected by the state budget will feel an impact."

The Michigan League for Human Services is hoping that the legislature blocks the business depreciation rule in the stimulus package that could create the loss of revenues. Parks says that would help prevent serious budget cuts in the coming fiscal year.

"Part of the reason we had a tax increase last year is because we're really down to muscle and bone. The cuts that have to be made at this point in Michigan's budget are just too hard to make because they cause real pain."

The state legislature has the option of eliminating the revenue impact from the stimulus package, but so far has not moved in that direction. 28 other states have eliminated that tax issue.



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