Michigan Senate: Homeowners can fight high water without permit

A split Michigan Senate has voted to let homeowners and others with property along the Great Lakes temporarily install structures to combat erosion from record-high water levels without needing a state permit. The legislation cleared the Republican-led chamber on a party-line 22-16 vote Thursday. It was sent to the GOP-controlled House for future consideration. The sponsor, Republican Sen. Roger Victory, told a Senate committee last week that people should be able to save their homes "without red tape." The state began expediting permits last fall, but Victory says the process is too slow still.