In a packed auditorium on a cold day in December, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said literacy would be her top priority in her last year. Now, as…

We applaud Representative Brad Paquette and Speaker Matt Hall for their work to advance literacy based promotion to help students learn to read so that they can…

Ahead of next week's Mackinac Policy Conference, West Michigan Policy Forum President & CEO Jase Bolger joined Michael Patrick Shields to lay out why Michigan…

In a Detroit News op-ed, West Michigan Policy Forum President & CEO Jase Bolger warns that Michigan's house is on fire and lays out a…

The ballot measure campaign to place a surcharge on the income tax of Michigan’s wealthiest earners and put the money toward public schools is suspending…

Michigan is talking. Our May 11 forum on the state's economic outlook sparked media engagement from across the state, carrying the case for bold reform…

Organizers behind the so-called “Invest in MI Kids” ballot initiative have suspended their effort to place a graduated income tax proposal on Michigan’s 2026 ballot after…

Legislation that would change Michigan’s statewide primary election date from August to May was reported by a Senate committee on Wednesday, whose chair said he…

Detroit — The lanky west Michigan businessman looked a little out of place. Standing before a group of mostly educators, researchers and their industry’s advocates,…

House Speaker Matt HALL (R-Richland Township) said today that RX Kids, the direct cash payments given to pregnant women or mothers of infants, will be “just fine”…

There’s a frustrating truth that Michigan families already understand: Taxpayers are paying more for public education, but our children are getting less in return. Despite…

As a small-business owner in West Michigan, I know what it takes to keep a company alive in this state. Every dollar counts, every new…

As the Sept. 30 state budget deadline approaches, much of Lansing’s conversation is focused on averting a government shutdown. That is important because Michigan families…

As the Sept. 30 state budget deadline approaches, many people and organizations are calling on Michigan's legislators and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to work together to…

Jase Bolger, CEO of West Michigan Policy Forum and a former Republican Michigan House speaker, said in a statement that the amendment would hurt small…

Organizers have begun signature-collection efforts today for a ballot initiative – known informally as “Tax the Rich” – that add another 5 percent income tax…

A Michigan ballot drive is moving forward with collecting signatures despite facing a setback this week before a state elections board. The measure would add…

Last week the advocates who want to more than double the state income tax for Michigan's highest earners were exposed for trying to pull a…

The Detroit Regional Chamber, West Michigan Policy Forum, Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Businesses, Michigan Manufacturers Association, and the Homebuilders Association…

Jase Bolger, with the West Michigan Policy Forum and former Michigan House Speaker, also questioned the proposal’s effectiveness. Particularly, stating that state funding for education…

Michigan's leading business organizations, plus the West Michigan Policy Forum, Grand Rapids Chamber, many others, meet today to voice their Their concerns. opposition to the graduated income tax and tipped wage proposals. Tomorrow the Board of State canvassers will review the proposed ballot language that includes a graduated income tax constitutional amendment and the tipped wage referendum. Business leaders say they'll push back on what they say is misleading information that underscores the consequences on business and the broader economy. Listen Now...

In order for Michigan to get on track to grow, the state should be incentivizing economic success, not further taxing it, Jase Bolger, president and…

Lansing — A coalition of groups in Michigan want to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2026, asking voters to impose a 5% tax…

A coalition of education advocacy groups are looking to put a new option for school funding on the ballot in 2026: raising the state income…

What they're saying: Conservative Republicans have locked arms with progressive Democrats in the legislature - their plan is to quash Governor Gretchen Whitmer's incentive packages…

Mackinac Island — While members and guests of the Detroit Regional Chamber are here having cocktails and conversation at the Grand Hotel, a group of their…

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Business groups are sounding the alarm on two proposed ballot measures that would tax people earning more than $500,000 to raise…

The West Michigan Policy Forum will undertake a “renewed strategic direction” under new President and CEO Jase Bolger, the business advocacy group announced today. Bolger,…

Lansing — Michigan is one of the three states that have lost the most manufacturing jobs since Jan. 1, 2019, the day Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took…

Given Michigan ranks as the state with the second-highest unemployment rate in the country, trailing only Nevada, the West Michigan Policy Forum states anti-growth policies…

As President Donald Trump leans on Detroit's automakers to invest more in U.S. manufacturing instead of Canada or Mexico, Republican state lawmakers want to increase…

The West Michigan Policy Forum is a bastion of common sense policy recommendations, and hopefully will gain more influence in Lansing now that Republicans have…

We can all agree that Michigan’s roads are in rough shape. Potholes rattle our cars, bridges need serious repairs and highways seem to slow down…

LANSING — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants businesses to pay $1.7 billion more in taxes to help generate additional funding for road maintenance and repairs. Read…

Jase Bolger, policy consultant for the West Michigan Policy Forum, criticized the cost-efficiency of the program. “When you look at the dollar spent for a…