State Government News: Summit to Improve Student Literacy, Nessel Warns on Common Scams, and More

DETROIT – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and new State Superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko today called on a broad group of state leaders to collaborate to build upon ongoing efforts to improve student literacy in Michigan.

Nearly 300 leaders gathered for the first Michigan Literacy Summit at the Michigan Science Center in Detroit for an event highlighted by panel discussions to better understand both the challenges our state is facing and proven strategies for helping Michigan students learn to read better.

“Literacy is a cornerstone of any state’s success. It leads to better outcomes for kids, families, and communities,” said Gov. Whitmer. “I’m proud of the work we’ve done to help more kids read, from tripling literacy coaches to Science of Reading legislation requiring educators to use teaching methods that are proven to help students read better than they can today. But as a state, we have so much more to do to address this long-standing crisis. Going into my final year, literacy is my No. 1 education priority. Let’s get this done and help every child read.”

Maleyko, who became Michigan’s state superintendent of public instruction last week, emphasized the importance of collaboration.

“Literacy is my top priority,” Maleyko said. “You will hear me talk frequently about the need to put Students First in every discussion and in every decision we make. To do that, we must have unified leadership, which is what today’s summit is all about. To improve literacy, we need to all work as a team: the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and State Board of Education, the Governor’s Office, local educators, parents and families, legislators from both parties, education associations, teacher unions, higher education, librarians, and partners from businesses and philanthropic organizations.”

During panel discussions at today’s summit, participants reflected on why improving literacy is so critical for Michigan and its students, how other states are improving, what Michigan is already doing to improve outcomes, and what must be done to further improve outcomes.

AG Nessel Highlights This Week’s Holiday Consumer Protection Campaign Alerts

LANSING – As part of her holiday consumer protection campaign, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is highlighting five consumer alerts this week to help residents protect their wallets and personal information during the holiday season. This week, the campaign will use themes from popular holiday movies to cover the following topics:

• Payment Apps Scams: Double-check usernames and only send money through apps to people you trust.
• Online Shopping: Be cautious of online retailers that attempt to play on emotions and insecurities to pressure consumers into making a purchase.
• Grandparents Scam: Always verify before sending money to a ‘grandchild’ in trouble — call them directly first.
• Facebook Marketplace Scams: Meet sellers in public places, avoid prepayment, and trust your gut before buying.
• Drop Shipping Scams: Shop with trusted retailers with clear return policies.

Michigan Works! Southeast Observes Most New Job Postings Since May 2024

In October 2025, there were nearly 15,900 active unique job postings in the Michigan Works! Southeast area. Among these postings, the most advertised occupations were Registered nurses with just over 800. Retail salespersons (620 ads) was the only other occupation with more than 500 active unique job postings. Home health and personal care aides (370) and First-line supervisors of retail sales workers (330) both had more than 300 in October. These occupations tend to be among the most advertised across all regions in Michigan.

Roughly 46 percent (7,230) of all active unique job postings within the region were in Ann Arbor. Jackson (11.3 percent), Ypsilanti (8.8 percent), and Brighton (6.9 percent) all had more than 1,000 active unique job postings in October 2025.

There were 6,770 new unique job postings in the Michigan Works! Southeast area in October 2025, up from 6,100 in September. This was the largest number of new unique job postings since May 2024 when there were 6,850. Compared to October 2024, there were 3.6 percent more new unique job postings regionally.

AG Nessel Sues Over Trump Administration’s New $100K Fee for H-1B Visa

LANSING — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a coalition of 20 states in suing the Trump Administration over its unlawful policy imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitions (PDF). H-1B visas allow U.S. employers to hire highly skilled foreign national workers in roles that require specialized skills — including as physicians, researchers, nurses, and other vital workers — to alleviate nationwide labor shortages. The new fee would create a costly barrier for employers, especially public sector and government employers, trying to fill these positions. In the lawsuit, Attorney General Nessel and the coalition allege that the policy, which has been implemented by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is a clear violation of the law because it imposes a massive fee outside of the bounds of what Congress authorized, is contrary to Congress’s intent in establishing the H-1B program, bypasses required rulemaking procedures, and exceeds the authority granted to the executive branch under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).

“The H-1B visa program is meant to attract and retain highly skilled workers, and slapping a massive fee on the very people who help educate our students, keep our auto industry competitive, and provide critical medical care is not only unlawful but harmful to Michiganders,” Nessel said. “If allowed to stand, this unlawful policy would only undermine our economic stability and weaken the industries that families across our state rely on.”

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