Partnership Highlights for July 2026

Posted by on July 28, 2026

Partnership Highlights: July 2026

Summer in Marquette County brought heat, humidity, wildfire smoke, and a holiday weekend marking 250 years of American independence. Through it all, the Lake Superior Community Partnership (LSCP) team has been busy celebrating local business anniversaries and grand openings, supporting a vibrant local economy, and working to ensure the region’s voice is heard on the housing, energy, and health care issues shaping its future.

The Future of Housing: Ensuring Rural Input Is Considered

On June 18, the LSCP brought together leaders from the Housing Now Leadership Council to provide input on Michigan’s next statewide housing plan. The group met with ICF, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA)’s contractor on the project, tasked with gathering input from communities across the state.

During the listening session, ICF gathered input about Marquette County housing challenges, experiences with existing housing tools, unique considerations for rural communities, and ideas for solutions, all of which will help shape the next phase of the state’s housing efforts.

MSHDA is interested in hearing from the public and invites all residents to share input on the future of housing through its public survey.

Advocacy Updates

State Budget

After a nearly 24-hour marathon negotiation before the holiday weekend, the House and Senate agreed upon a $75.2 billion budget for FY27. Key budget areas impacting economic development include:

  • Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO): $1.6 billion, a 7.8% decrease from FY26.
  • Michigan Housing and Community Development Fund (MHCD): $50 million, same as FY26.
  • Michigan Small Business Support: $30 million, newly designated use this year.
  • Community Revitalization and Business Growth: $28.55 million, reduced from $59.4 million in FY26.
  • Entrepreneurship & Innovation: $9.68 million, reduced from $15.7 million in FY26.
  • Pure Michigan: $9 million, plus $2 million for promotion of special destination events; reduced from $17 million in FY26.
  • Office of Rural Prosperity: $2.3 million, same as FY26; the office will stay at LEO.
  • Rural Development Fund Grant Program: $4 million, an increase from $1.4 million in FY26.
  • Going Pro Talent Fund: $14.5 million in one-time allocation, a reduction of $22 million from FY26.
  • Tri-Share Child Care Program: $3.4 million, same as FY26.
  • Local Development and Support Initiatives (earmarks): Marquette County received two — $500,000 to 906 Adventure Team and $35,000 to United Way of Marquette County. Seven additional earmarks were awarded in the U.P.

Legislation Passed Before the Holiday

In addition to the budget, the Legislature passed 67 bills before the holiday for the Governor’s approval. Among them:

  • Transformational Brownfield Program (SB 723): Expands the program by modifying eligibility and financing provisions to support the redevelopment of large-scale, mixed-use projects that promote housing, economic development, and community revitalization.
  • State Low Income Housing Tax Credit (HB 5805–5807 and SB 966–968): Establishes a Michigan Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) to complement the federal LIHTC program. The proposal would provide $42 million annually in state tax credits to support the development and preservation of affordable rental housing, with 30% of credits reserved for projects in rural communities.

Bills Affecting Health Care Systems

Newly introduced bills (HB 6116–6119) seek to reduce health care costs by increasing oversight and regulation on hospital systems. While affordable health care is a well-intentioned goal, rural hospitals and clinics, such as those in the U.P., would be particularly vulnerable to these new regulations as written. With large geographic coverage areas, limited talent availability, and tight financials, their essential services could be at risk. LSCP has written a letter of opposition to these bills and has supported other opposition efforts by the Northern Michigan Chamber Alliance and InvestUP.

21st Century ROAD to Housing Act

At the federal level, the bipartisan housing bill passed on June 23 with a supermajority vote — two-thirds of the legislature in both the House and Senate — and has since become law. This historic legislation addresses housing supply shortages, development barriers, and affordability challenges of the growing housing crisis.

U.P. Energy Future

The Marquette County Ambassadors are seeking support from residents of the U.P. about how energy legislation could impact energy bills of homes and businesses, affecting communities across the Upper Peninsula. Learn more at UPEnergy906.com and in TV6 Investigates: What is the future of UP’s RICE generators?.

Other News

Partnership Highlights is our bi-weekly update for community leaders, local government partners, and key stakeholders, with highlights shared monthly on the LSCP blog to keep the broader community informed on the work shaping prosperous communities across Marquette County.

Content