Latest news with #SmallBusinessAct
CBS News
14-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Stevens introduces House bill to help mitigate expenses after lengthy power outages
A Michigan congresswoman is introducing a bill aiming to assist with out-of-pocket expenses that families and businesses face during extended power outages. U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, a Democrat from Michigan's District 11, announced the proposed update to the Small Business Act Monday under the title "Prolonged Power Outage Relief Act." The timing comes after massive power disruptions for thousands of Michigan residents; specifically an ice storm that hit March 28-30 in Northern Lower Michigan, overlapping with a March 30 tornado outbreak that produced 14 tornadoes in one day in Southern Lower Michigan. Even more than two weeks after the ice storm, there are still people without power because of the downed trees and power lines in that region. "At a time where prices are on the rise, families and small businesses shouldn't have to shoulder the cost of power outages alone," Stevens said in her press release. The State of Michigan does have a power outage credit rule that takes effect anywhere from 16 to 96 hours after a power outage, with eligibility depending on the reason for the outage. In the case of the ice storm, the 96 hour rule applies. Credits are automatically applied to a future bill. But the state credit law does not apply to electric cooperatives or municipal electric utilities such as Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op, according to the Michigan Public Service Commission. If Stevens' bill passes, other options beyond state-mandated credits could open up. The legislation would allow extended power outages as a reason to declare a federal disaster if more than 25 customers in close proximity are without power for more than 48 hours. Such declaration could allow affected families and businesses to seek low-interest loans to repair or replace equipment and appliances; or purchase alternative power sources to use on a temporary basis. "Prolonged power outages are not just inconveniences – they represent a significant threat to Michigan's, and the country's, economy," Brad Williams, Vice President of Government Relations for the Detroit Regional Chamber said in the press release. "Every hour of downtime for a manufacturing facility translates to lost production, lost wages, and lost tax revenue. By prioritizing grid modernization and emergency response plans, we can mitigate these risks and ensure that Michigan's economic engine continues to hum." Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer applied Friday for a federal emergency declaration in response to the ice storm; a decision has not yet been made. The above video aired April 11, 2025.
New York Times
01-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
I'm an Alum of Columbia and Paul, Weiss. There's an Uncomfortable Lesson in Trump's Tactics.
'Unhappy is the land that needs a hero,' wrote Bertolt Brecht in 'Life of Galileo.' I am a proud alumnus of both Columbia University and the Paul, Weiss law firm — I'm also a conservative, though an anti-Trump, Republican. Like many others, I am distressed to see both these great institutions submit unheroically to the coercion of a heavy-handed government. But the main lesson I take from their decisions to accommodate the Trump administration is that Brecht was right: Heroic resistance by large institutions to the demands of the United States government may be impossible and should be unnecessary. If there is a need for heroism, it reflects a deeper malady. The only real solution is to lessen the government's power to coerce. By now you probably know the story: In March, the Trump administration announced that it was canceling $400 million in federal grants to and contracts with Columbia. The school quickly agreed to make policy changes that the administration demanded, presumably to get the money back. President Trump also signed executive orders aimed at several law firms, including Paul, Weiss. In its case, Mr. Trump ordered measures to suspend security clearances for anyone at the firm and to terminate government contracts with it. The president agreed with Paul, Weiss to drop the executive order in exchange for $40 million in pro bono legal work for some of his favorite causes and other commitments. Whether Columbia and Paul, Weiss caved or prudently compromised has been the subject of much debate, but it's obvious both institutions took painful steps to get the government off their backs. I find the administration's actions offensive — in fact, oppressive — and I wish Columbia and Paul, Weiss hadn't yielded to them. But I'm not joining those who condemn the leaders of the university and the law firm, because I'm not convinced they could have done anything other than what they did. It's easier to encourage other people to defy the government than to do it yourself. We should remember that something similar happened before: In the late 1960s and the 1970s, the heroes of the civil rights movement — and they were heroes indeed — had largely achieved their original aim, the elimination of the Jim Crow regime in the South. But they, as heroes often do, looked for new worlds to conquer, and many of them and their successors went on to call for racial preferences in hiring, contracting and academic admissions, under the euphemism of affirmative action, to remedy the effects of past discrimination. Soon they had a sympathetic federal government on their side. Among other things, executive orders by Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon and federal laws like Section 8(a) of the Small Business Act served directly or indirectly to establish minority preferences. Taking race into account in university admissions was for decades common practice, until the Supreme Court banned it in 2023. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
