News From Lansing…
LANSING, Mich. – Gov. Rick Snyder today issued an executive order transferring the Governor’s Council on Educator Effectiveness from the Governor’s Office to the Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB). The group is renamed the Michigan Council for Educator Effectiveness.
Executive Order 2012-3 takes advantage of DTMB’s expertise in record-keeping, managing the expenditure of appropriated funds and assessing the potential cost of policy recommendations.
“Michigan students deserve the best education possible,” Snyder said. “Achieving that goal means having the most qualified, effective teachers and administrators in our schools. The critical nature of the council’s work will benefit from the resources and skills provided by DTMB.”
The Governor’s Council on Educator Effectiveness was created last year to make recommendations regarding a student growth and assessment tool, state evaluation tools for teachers and administrators, changes to the professional requirements for a teaching certificate, and a process for evaluating and approving local evaluation tools for teachers. The five-member council is tasked with making its recommendations by April 30.
Also in Lansing, Snyder today signed legislation to ensure funding for state retiree benefits.
Senate Bill 683, sponsored by state Sen. Roger Kahn, includes fiscal year 2012 supplemental appropriations to ensure other post-employment benefits for retirees from several state departments. The $306.3 million total includes health, dental and visual benefits as well as life insurance coverage. The bill now is Public Act 64.
S.B. 685, sponsored by state Sen. John Proos, protects Michigan farmers from substantial crop damage by allowing more shooters for each out-of-season deer kill permit. Up to 15 shooters will be allowed on one permit. The bill now is P.A. 65.
House Bill 4618, sponsored by state Rep. Margaret O’Brien, ensures that a Portage nonprofit home for the elderly and disabled benefits from simplified tax language. The home missed a 2010 property tax deadline to secure its deserved exemption as a nonprofit housing unit, and this legislation allows the housing unit’s owners to take advantage of filing language that has since been simplified. The bill now is P.A. 66.