Site Features

Here are some of the powerful MIRSnews.com features at your disposal. Let's start with what's new:

Customize Your MIRSnews.com

MIRS' new web site allows you to determine how your MIRS will appear each time you enter the web site. Are the Senate and House Action Reports your top priority? Now you can move that information front and center by moving the report boxes to the top of the page.

Have trouble seeing small text, now you can chose between the default font size or a larger font size to make MIRS easier to read. All these settings you can adjust in the My Account feature of the web site.

Under My Account, you'll also be able to update your contact information should your office move, or should your e-mail address change.

MIRS' Forums

As a new feature, MIRS' subscribers can now pick their own forum name and make comments about any or all articles that appear in MIRS. Only individual subscribers will know their forum name. This is one way we wanted to make MIRS more interactive.

The following are old features, but we've given them a whole new look and in some cases, some new features:

Email Alerts

Each day you will receive from us an e-mail alert. This alert is not our complete report but a publication notice that includes a hyperlink to the full report and a list of all our headlines with hyperlinks directly to individual stories. The headlines are included as a customer service.

Statewide Headlines

MIRS staff scours the state's daily newspapers for you each morning before 9 a.m. Monday through Friday (often headlines are up much earlier). To look at on-line headlines from around the state of importance to Michigan government, visit our Statewide Headlines page. Don't miss out on key stories from the Associated Press, The Detroit News, the Detroit Free Press, and many more sources.

Pollster's Corner

At MIRS we're political junkies and we upload to our site all of the Michigan political survey questions and crosstabs we can get our hands on. MIRS does a fair amount of original polling as well. Our Pollster's Corner includes poll data going back to 2002. Great for issue research.

Legislative Directories

Our web site features House and Senate membership directories that are searchable. The list can also be sorted by district number, by name or by term. The directories include an e-mail link and a link to the lawmaker's official website, as well as biographical information for each legislator.

House and Senate Committee Rosters

These directories include Appropriations Subcommittee rosters as well.

Legislative Committee Meeting Schedule

Displayed in day and time order for both House and Senate, these guides are updated each day to reflect new and changed committee meetings. Look for the graphic for new or changed meetings.

Capitol Calendar

Updated each Monday, this is the Capitol's most exhaustive list of political fund-raisers. Scheduling an event? Be sure to check here to make sure you're choosing a good time with as few conflicts as possible.

Executive Branch Calendar

Compiled at the beginning of each month, this calendar lists key meetings of executive branch agencies and commissions.

Public Acts Reports

Need to see the most recent Public Acts list? These reports are listed in reverse chronological order with the most recent at the top.

Regulatory Report

Updated every two weeks, this report lists action in the area of administrative rules. The report, broken into categories, lists approved and pending administrative rules, pending hearings on proposed rules and other vital information for those who follow the administrative rules process.

Other Sites of Interest

We've put together web links to key Michigan government web sites, Michigan courts, political parties, media sources and much, much more. For rapid access to all the information you could want about public policy, politics and Michigan government, check out our comprehensive list of links.