Military vets gain free entry to state parks
Gov. Rick Snyder has signed a pair of bills that offer free state park entry to military veterans who are eligible for 100 percent disability, to veterans who were prisoners of war, and those who have received the Medal of Honor.
Two bills, sponsored by state Rep. Frank Foster, waive the annual $11 state park Recreation Passport fee for vehicle license plates issued to those military veterans.
“Thousands of Michigan’s military veterans have sacrificed greatly for our way of life, and offering eligible veterans free entry to our state parks is a small gesture of our gratitude for their service,” Snyder said.
The Michigan Secretary of State indicated that, as of November 2012, there were about 8,070 specialty license plates eligible for the free recreation passport endorsement.
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Partnership to help immigrants announced
Gov. Rick Snyder has announced a partnership that will help skilled immigrants and refugees living in Michigan integrate into the state’s work force.
In conjunction with the nonprofit organization Upwardly Global, the state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs is issuing 10 online guides that explain professional licensing requirements for individuals who were educated or have work experience overseas.
The guidelines are designed for individuals who wish to become a professional in the fields of accounting, architecture, dentistry, engineering, physical therapy, law, nursing, pharmacy, medicine or teaching.
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Court: Hobby Lobby can challenge law
DENVER (AP) — An appeals court has ruled that Hobby Lobby and a sister company that sells Christian books and supplies can fight the nation’s new health care law on religious grounds.
The court ruled that the portion of the law that requires them to offer certain kinds of birth control to their employees is particularly onerous. The panel also suggested the companies shouldn’t have to pay millions of dollars in fines while their claims are considered.
The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver said the Oklahoma City-based arts and crafts chain, along with Mardel bookstores, not only can proceed with their lawsuit seeking to overturn a portion of the Affordable Care Act, but can probably win.
The judges sent the case back to a lower court in Oklahoma, which had rejected the companies’ request for an injunction to prevent full enforcement of the law.
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Court will review pilot, airline dispute
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will review a $1.24 million defamation judgment against a Wisconsin airline that reported one of its pilots as mentally unstable and caused him to be arrested.
The justices recently said they will hear an appeal from Air Wisconsin that claims it is shielded under federal law from the defamation claims of veteran pilot William Hoeper.
Hoeper’s job was in jeopardy after he failed for a fourth time to win airline approval to fly a new aircraft and had an angry exchange with another employee at a Virginia training facility.
He filed a defamation lawsuit after he was removed from a United Airlines flight to Denver, searched and questioned, but never charged.
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