The following is an informal synopsis of the hearing that took place on Tuesday, March 02, 2010.

 House Education Committee continues to take testimony on school funding. Is the message being heard?

 Last night, Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm delivered her 8^th and final State of the State address. Although the main focus of this speech was jobs and economic diversification, she did touch on the importance of education in the new Michigan economy.

The Jan. 11 issue of Headlines includes a Worth Repeating by MSU Economics Professor Charles Ballard on the subject of a graduated income tax. By nature, taxes tend to be a topic that people have strong feelings about.

 WE HAVE A DEAL...maybe. According to sources inside the Capitol a deal has been reached on Race to the Top. There's potential for votes in both chambers today, so we may have a holiday break after all. Negotiations continued long after the Capitol emptied out. Read on for the tentative details.

 It looks like we're in for a long night in Lansing as we prepare for negotiations on Race to the Top. Read on for details.

The Legislature will be in for its final week of scheduled session for the decade. Race to the Top will be the focus and no conversations about budget will happen. Read on for more details.

Gov. Granholm pauses the proration process and the Legislature passes a smoking ban. Race to the Top legislation to head to conference committees. Read on for details.

Although a lot happened today, it seems as if nothing was accomplished. The Senate moved to discharge HB 4787 and 4788 from the Senate Education Committee so they could be considered on the Senate floor. By doing this, they eliminated an opportunity for public input on these bills. Once the bills hit the Senate Floor, they were immediately substituted with language MASB has considered unacceptable for reform.

 If the Race to the Top is a relay, the baton was passed today. The House Education Committee moved HB 5623 to the House floor. During committee debate lawmakers made several changes to the legislation and the H-2 version varies quite a bit from the introduced bill.