LANSING — State Sen. Joseph Bellino (R-Monroe) has introduced a bill that he said would allow local governments to respond to minor road issues more quickly.

Currently, local governments must go through a competitive bidding process for any project exceeding $100,000. That amount was set in 1951. Bellino’s proposal, Senate Bill 150, would raise the threshold, meaning that local governments would not have to go through a competitive bid process for any project of $250,000 or less.

“The current threshold has not been increased to keep up with inflation and has greatly reduced the ability of local road agencies to respond with timely solutions to minor issues,” Bellino said. “The quicker these kinds of road problems can be addressed, the better it is for both drivers and taxpayers.”

Bellino says proposal would help address teacher shortage: Another bill recently introduced by Bellino would create an alternative pathway to Michigan teacher licensing for some educators. Senate Bill 189 would instruct the state superintendent to issue a teaching certificate to a teacher without requiring passage of the state examination if the teacher has taught successfully in Michigan for at least three years.

“My bill would give our state and our schools more tools to bring experienced teachers into the classroom — by allowing years of teaching experience to replace a bureaucratic test,” Bellino said in a news release. “We already provide this testing exemption for teachers who taught in another state. This reform would allow for that same exemption for those who taught in Michigan.”

The bill was introduced on March 19 and referred to the Senate Committee on Education.

Miller condemns Veterans Administration cuts: State Rep. Reggie Miller (D-Van Buren Twp.) on March 3 issued a statement opposing firings at Veterans Administration facilities. Miller said the 2,400 job cuts include firings at the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit and the Ann Arbor VA Healthcare System.

“It is appalling that the Trump White House and our federal government would cut resources that help our veterans,” Miller said. “We have a responsibility as elected officials to make sure our veterans and those who care for them are supported — anything less is unacceptable.”

Miller blasts GOP representative’s call to reverse marriage equality: Miller also recently participated in a press conference in support of marriage equality, after a Republican colleague introduced a resolution calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling that made it possible for same-sex couples to marry throughout the U.S.

Although the Obergefell ruling made all state-level bans on same-sex marriage unenforceable, Michigan still has one on the books. Miller said she is supporting an effort by state Rep. Jason Morgan (D-Ann Arbor) to repeal that ban.

“Every person’s right to marriage equality was affirmed by the Supreme Court nearly 10 years ago,” she said. “This is not an issue state governments should concern themselves with when they can better spend their time addressing real issues that affect our communities. We need to be moving forward and working together as a Legislature to solve issues affecting Michiganders, not revisiting a nonissue that, if overturned, would create chaos and heartbreak for millions across the state. It is not up to elected officials to tell people who they can and cannot love, and I firmly stand against any attempts to overturn marriage equality.”