As the crow — or in this case, seagull — flies, Mackinac Island is about 80 miles from Alpena.

By car and ferry, it’s around 100 miles.

But, right now, the island is closer to Alpena than ever. It’s not due to the earth’s current rotation or some mystery of the universe — or Mystery Spot phenomena. It’s because this time every year, Mackinac becomes the center of Michigan’s political universe when lawmakers, business leaders, media, and advocacy groups convene at the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Mackinac Policy Conference to discuss the issues facing our state.

And, while building an actual bridge from Alpena to Mackinac Island doesn’t make geographic or engineering sense, the Michigan League for Public Policy is doing what we can to make sure what’s happening on Mackinac right now is directly connected to the people of Alpena, Alcona, Montmorency and Presque Isle counties — and every other part of the state.

With that in mind, here are the biggest policy priorities the League is hoping to see action on following the Mackinac conference.

THE STATE BUDGET

The state’s annual budget affects every resident in the state and touches on nearly every area of public policy, from our schools to our lakes — great and Great — and our roads, and yes, bridges.

This year’s budget is going to be a little trickier, with a Democratic governor and a Republican-led Legislature, and it’s also entwined with the ongoing road funding discussion. The League supported much of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s budget proposal, including the gas tax increase, because of the overall increased revenue and related investment in our state. With auto insurance reform addressed, roads and the budget are the next big focus. You can follow the League’s running budget analyses, including our latest look at the departmental budget proposals, at mlpp.org/budget.

MICHIGAN EITC INCREASE

A big positive in Gov. Whitmer’s budget was the proposed doubling of the Michigan Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to 12% of the federal credit over two years. On both the state and federal level, the EITC promotes work, has widespread and bipartisan support, and is one of the best means to combat poverty. The state EITC is currently just 6% of the federal credit. It was drastically slashed from 20% in 2011 to pay for big business tax breaks.

The EITC also has a major impact on communities, as families usually spend the credit they receive on daily financial needs like groceries or car repairs. For the 2017 tax year, more than 748,500 Michigan households (15.6%) received the state EITC. At an average credit of $150, that pumped more than $112 million back into the state economy.

Looking at Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency and Presque Isle counties for tax year 2017, 4,950 households — 16.4% of filers — received the Michigan EITC at an average credit of $129, meaning around $640,000 went back to the area economies.

By doubling the credit, that amount of economic activity in the Alpena area would double to almost $1.3 million. In fact, a recent study by Michigan State University found that Gov. Whitmer’s proposed Michigan EITC increase would result in $95.2 million in added economic activity for an estimated 335,000 rural residents, with northern counties of the Lower Peninsula seeing the largest economic impact.

Restoring our state EITC would have a major impact on Alpena-area residents and businesses, and we hope local lawmakers will do their part to pass it. In addition to advocating for the increase, the League is also working to expand the state EITC to young workers not raising children.

RAISE THE AGE

The League and our partners have worked for years to raise the age of juvenile jurisdiction from 17 to 18 years old and, with the help of key lawmakers, we’re getting close to seeing Raise the Age become law. Separate bills have passed the state House and state Senate, and lawmakers are currently negotiating on the final bills. We’ve written about that issue in The Alpena News before, and have heard from area residents and parents about why they care about raising the age. This is the closest to passing the bills have ever been, and we encourage lawmakers to keep up that momentum and work quickly to finalize this important change.

BRIDGING POLICYMAKER DECISIONS WITH PEOPLE’S NEEDS

The League wants to bridge the needs of readers like you with the policy discussions happening on Mackinac. And, more importantly, the policy priorities legislators bring back to Lansing.

More information on those issues can be found at mlpp.org and I hope you’ll join us in speaking up for them.

Alex Rossman is communications director for the Michigan League for Public Policy.