Posted on 12/09/2012 5:00:49 AM PST by cripplecreek
Make Michigan a "right-to-work" state: Passed 58 to 52 in the House To prohibit employers from enforcing a union contract provision that compels employees to join or financially support a union as a condition of employment. The bill also includes a $1 million appropriation to make it "referendum-proof." All Democrats voted "no" and all Republicans voted "yes" except for Reps. Forlini, Goike, Horn, McBroom, Somerville and Zorn.
, Make Michigan a "right-to-work" state: Passed 22 to 16 in the Senate The Senate vote on the same "right-to-work" measure described above. All Democrats voted "no" and all Republicans voted "yes" except for Sens. Casperson, Green, Nofs and Rocca.
, Extend "right-to-work" to government and school employees: Passed 22 to 4 in the Senate To prohibit Michigan governments and schools from enforcing a union contract provision that compels employees to join or financially support a union as a condition of employment.
, Subsidize new Red Wings Stadium: Passed 27 to 11 in the Senate To allow property tax revenue "captured" by the Detroit "Downtown Development Authority" to pay the debt on money borrowed to provide taxpayer subsidies for a particular developer's new sports stadium and associated projects (Mike Ilitch). The bill would also exempt DDAs from property and other taxes, and revise details of public officials' appointments to DDA boards.
, Create Detroit streetlight authority: Passed 25 to 13 in the Senate To authorize a Detroit streetlight authority with the power to borrow money to restore the city's streetlights, 70 percent of which are reportedly out. The bill requires passage of House Bill 5705, which would let Detroit earmark current utility tax revenue to pay off the new debt, and Senate Bill 970, which would suspend a required city income tax reduction until the new debt is paid off. It also allows Detroit's city unions to bargain for the unionization of the authority's employees.
, Create Detroit regional mass transit authority: Passed 57 to 50 in the House To create a new Detroit area regional transportation authority covering Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties, and potentially others. Among other powers, the authority could levy property taxes (special assessments) and higher local vehicle registration taxes if approved by a majority of voters in the region, meaning a particular community could not “opt out” of the tax increase. The authority would be specifically authorized to create “rolling rapid transit” corridors along some streets and highways, potentially with dedicated lanes that other motorists could not use. It would be run by a board appointed by the counties and the City of Detroit.
, Authorize Detroit regional transit vehicle registration tax: Passed 57 to 50 in the House To give the regional transit authority proposed by Senate Bill 909 (above) the power to impose a higher vehicle registration tax in the region to pay for buses and other public transportation. A vote of the people would be required, but if approved region-wide the tax would still be imposed on individual communities that vote against it (no local "opt-out").
, Ban abortion coverage from "Obamacare“ exchange: Passed 27 to 11 in the Senate To prohibit health insurance acquired (and subsidized) through an “exchange” created under the federal health care law from including coverage for elective abortion.
, Give county officials power to halt recall as "non-factual": Passed 65 to 43 in the House To require county election commissions to determine whether the reasons for a recall petition are stated both "factually and clearly." Under current law, they must simply determine whether the recall language is clear. Note: This may violate Article 8, Section 8 of Michigan's constitution, which asserts that recallers don't have to justify their reasons, but only make them clear.
, Require parental permission to place student with "ineffective" teacher: Passed 60 to 49 in the House To require a public school district to get the written consent of a parent or guardian before placing a child in a classroom with a teacher who is rated “ineffective” under a new state rating system.
Authorize “essential services” tax on industrial plants: Passed 57 to 52 in the House To give local governments the power to impose targeted property taxes on industrial and commercial property deemed by the bill to be “especially benefited” by fire, police and ambulance services. This would replace some of the revenue from proposed reductions in the property tax imposed on business tools and equipment ("personal property tax").
, Repeal BCBS tax exemption, regulate like other insurers: Passed 61 to 49 in the House To convert Blue Cross Blue Shield into a “nonprofit mutual insurance company” (technically "owned" by the policy holders), make it subject to the same regulations as regular health insurers, and no longer exempt BCBS from state and local taxes.
, Give special treatment to firms submitting to “environmental leader” process: Passed 65 to 43 in the House To give certain businesses special treatment in awarding state contracts, eligibility for government subsidies, environmental permit and inspection mandates, and more, if the firm submits itself to a government “environmental leader” designation process. This would require a company to demonstrate that it has no outstanding permit violations or serious past ones, adopt certain practices not required by law, submit to certain additional reporting mandates, participate in “workshops,” etc.
Senate Bill 673: Designate road after fallen police officer
Introduced by Sen. Mark Jansen (R) on November 12, 2013, to designate a section of I-96 in Ottawa County as the “Officer Trevor Slot Memorial Highway”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161341
Senate Bill 674: Establish statutory right to breastfeed in public
Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) on November 12, 2013, to establish in law that a woman has a right to breastfeed a baby in a “place of public accommodation” or public facility. A woman would be entitled to “the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations” in this places, and if denied them could sue for actual damages or up to $200 in “presumed” damages.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161342
Senate Bill 675: Revise crime of knowingly telling lies about a political candidate
Introduced by Sen. John Pappageorge (R) on November 12, 2013, to revise a law which makes it a crime to disseminate statements about a politician who running for office, if one knows the statements are “false, deceptive, scurrilous, or malicious,” and if this is done without disclosing who is circulating the assertions. The bill would revise this to make it a crime to recklessly and intentionally “participate in the preparation, dissemination, or broadcast of paid political advertising or campaign material,” or a letter to the editor, about the “political or personal character or acts” of a politician running for office, or about a ballot question, if one knows its statements are false, and if it is “designed or tends to elect, injure, promote, or defeat a candidate or a ballot question”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161343
Senate Bill 676: Impose drug information subscription service mandate on insurers
Introduced by Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D) on November 12, 2013, to mandate that health insurance companies or administrators of plans that cover prescription drugs or devices, must establish a free subscription service to notify beneficiaries about the cost and availability of drugs and medical devices.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161344
Senate Bill 677: Create exception to municipal liability for sewer backups
Introduced by Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R) on November 12, 2013, to create an exception for an “extreme weather event” (more than 1.4 inches of rain in an hour or 2.9 inches in a day) in a 2001 law that gives local governments immunity from civil liability for noneconomic damages caused by sewer backups, as long as they are not “substantially” at fault. Also, to allow local governments to create an administrative hearings process to adjudicate these claims.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161345
Senate Bill 678: Revise tobacco tax revenue earmarks
Introduced by Sen. Roger Kahn (R) on November 12, 2013, to earmark $3 million of annual state tobacco tax revenue to the state Capitol upkeep fund proposed by Senate Bill 665; earmark $10.0 million to a state trauma system; and redirect some tobacco tax revenue from Wayne County indigent health care spending and into state Medicaid spending.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161346
Senate Bill 679: Establish scrap metal theft legal presumption
Introduced by Sen. Virgil Smith, Jr. (D) on November 13, 2013, to establish a “rebuttable presumption” that a person caught stripping more than $100 or 100 pounds of metal from a building or structure does not have the permission of the owner, and so is committing larceny as defined in a 2008 scrap metal theft law.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161355
Senate Bill 680: Exclude county road commissions as waterfront road end decision maker
Introduced by Sen. Mike Kowall (R) on November 13, 2013, to establish that county road commissions may not exercise the local government authority to permit and regulate seasonal public docks or wharf at road ends, as specified by a 2012 law.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161356
Senate Bill 681: Ban charter school managers from also leasing property to school
Introduced by Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D) on November 13, 2013, to prohibit charter schools from leasing property from a management company contracted to operate the school, or from a holding company affiliated with the management company.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161357
Senate Bill 682: Impose additional charter school restrictions, mandates and taxes
Introduced by Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D) on November 13, 2013, to impose property taxes on charter schools; prohibit for-profit firms from managing charter schools; prohibit charter school authorizing bodies from authorizing any new schools unless students in the ones they have already chartered outperform conventional schools in the same school district by at least 20 percent; prohibit one charter school authorizer from delegating its monitoring functions to another authorizer; require charter schools to post their management contracts online; and more.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161358
Senate Bill 683: Ban credit card fraud “skimming” devices
Introduced by Sen. John Pappageorge (R) on November 13, 2013, to revise a 2012 law banning the possession, manufacture or sale of an automated sales suppression device for falsifying electronic cash register records (also called a “zapper” or “phantom-ware”), so that it also bans “skimming” devices intended to covertly obtain information allowing access to an individual’s financial accounts.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161359
Senate Bill 684: Ban credit card fraud “skimming” devices
Introduced by Sen. John Pappageorge (R) on November 13, 2013, to establish sentencing guidelines for the credit card fraud “skimming” device penalties proposed by Senate Bill 683.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161360
Senate Bill 685: Revise weights and measures law detail
Introduced by Sen. Darwin Booher (R) on November 14, 2013, to update a date reference in the state’s uniform weights and measures law.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161369
Senate Bill 686: Exempt employers of work visa aliens from unemployment payroll tax
Introduced by Sen. Howard Walker (R) on November 14, 2013, to exempt employers of legal aliens who have work visas from having to pay unemployment benefit payroll taxes (“assessments”) if certain conditions specified in the bill apply.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161370
Senate Bill 687: Prohibit government utility terminations
Introduced by Sen. Darwin Booher (R) on November 14, 2013, to prohibit a local government that provides water, sewer or electric service under contract to other communities or residents of the region from terminating the service or refusing to renew the contract, subject to certain conditions.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161371
Senate Bill 688: Authorize “patient centered” Medicaid alternative
Introduced by Sen. John Pappageorge (R) on November 14, 2013, to require the state Department of Community Health to seek permission (“waivers”) from the federal government allowing it to provide the “patient centered” alternative to the Medicaid medical welfare program proposed by Senate Bill 689.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161372
Senate Bill 689: Authorize “patient centered” Medicaid alternative
Introduced by Sen. Bruce Caswell (R) on November 14, 2013, to create a “patient centered” alternative to the Medicaid medical welfare program that would include low-cost “direct primary care” contracts between individuals and a physician for routine and preventative health care services, high-deductible type insurance plans, “health savings accounts” and more. The bill would also require the state to seek permission from the federal government to allow employers subject to the federal health care law (Obamacare) “employer mandate” to provide high-deductible insurance policies to workers as an alternative to paying the mandate’s penalties.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161373
Senate Bill 690: Revise physical therapist scope-of-practice
Introduced by Sen. John Moolenaar (R) on November 14, 2013, to repeal a ban on licensed physical therapists providing therapy unless it has been prescribed by a physician.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161374
Senate Bill 691: Revise physical therapist scope-of-practice
Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) on November 14, 2013, to allow Blue Cross Blue Shield to not reimburse services provided by a licensed physical therapist unless the service has been prescribed by a physician. Senate Bill 690 would repeal a prohibition on physical therapists providing service that has not been prescribed, while Senate Bills 691 through 694 would establish that insurers can still require prescriptions if they choose.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161375
Senate Bill 692: Revise physical therapist scope-of-practice
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) on November 14, 2013, to allow “prudent purchaser” type health care coverage plans to not reimburse services provided by a licensed physical therapist unless the service has been prescribed by a physician. Senate Bill 690 would repeal a prohibition on physical therapists providing service that has not been prescribed, while Senate Bills 691 through 694 would establish that insurers can still require prescriptions if they choose.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161376
Senate Bill 693: Revise physical therapist scope-of-practice
Introduced by Sen. Dave Hildenbrand (R) on November 14, 2013, to allow workers compensation insurance plans to not reimburse services provided by a licensed physical therapist unless the service has been prescribed by a physician. Senate Bill 690 would repeal a prohibition on physical therapists providing service that has not been prescribed, while Senate Bills 691 through 694 would establish that insurers can still require prescriptions if they choose.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161377
Senate Bill 694: Revise physical therapist scope-of-practice
Introduced by Sen. Michael Green (R) on November 14, 2013, to allow health insurance companies to not reimburse services provided by a licensed physical therapist unless the service has been prescribed by a physician. Senate Bill 690 would repeal a prohibition on physical therapists providing service that has not been prescribed, while Senate Bills 691 through 694 would establish that insurers can still require prescriptions if they choose.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161378
Senate Bill 695: Revise subsidized Detroit Woodward streetcar detail
Introduced by Sen. Randy Richardville (R) on November 14, 2013, to broaden the definition of “nonprofit street railway” operators authorized by a legislative package enacted in 2008 to create a Detroit “light rail” line (namely, a Woodward Avenue streetcar) that would be subsidized through Tax Increment Financing, public debt, state road tax money, etc.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161379
Senate Bill 696: Exempt Detroit Woodward streetcar from “legacy cost” liability
Introduced by Sen. Virgil Smith, Jr. (D) on November 14, 2013, to revise a Detroit “light rail” line legislative package enacted in 2008 to create a Woodward Avenue streetcar, so as to establish that the operator would not be liable for any “legacy costs” incurred by the Detroit Transportation Department (presumably including unfunded employee pension liabilities).
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161380
Senate Bill 697: Exempt Detroit Woodward streetcar from property tax
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) on November 14, 2013, to exempt the operator of a Detroit “light rail” line authorized by a legislative package enacted in 2008 from property taxes.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161381
House Bill 5141: Transfer state property to Kent county
Introduced by Rep. Peter MacGregor (R) on November 12, 2013, to transfer the state owned “Rogue River Streambank Access” property in Kent county to the county.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161351
House Bill 5142: Revise driver record commercial “look-up” service
Introduced by Rep. Michael McCready (R) on November 12, 2013, to allow the Secretary of State to contract-out operation of a commercial “look-up” service that (mostly) provides individual driver license records requested by insurance companies, and to charge an additional “web portal development fee” for this service in addition to fees already authorized by statute.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161352
House Bill 5143: Reduce allowable truck weights
Introduced by Rep. Marilyn Lane (D) on November 12, 2013, to reduce the maximum weight of trucks allowed on Michigan roads from 164,000 to 80,000 pounds. This would not necessarily reduce the maximum weight per axle, but would require more trucks and trailers to carry the same amount as currently on Michigan highways.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161353
House Bill 5144: Require more third grade reading interventions
Introduced by Rep. Thomas Stallworth, III (D) on November 12, 2013, to require the state Department of Education to develop and phase-in programs to achieve more student proficiency on the third grade state reading assessment test. The programs would have to include “diagnostic evaluation,” early intervention, tutoring, mentoring and more.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161354
House Bill 5145: Revise professional employer organizations regulation detail
Introduced by Rep. Anthony Forlini (R) on November 12, 2013, to delay for one year certain provisions of a 2012 law that revised details of unemployment insurance premium assessments on professional employer organizations (PEOs) and their client firms. PEOs are companies that “lease” employees to other firms on a long term basis but remain the employer of record.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161362
House Bill 5146: Revise life insurance regulation detail
Introduced by Rep. Kate Segal (D) on November 12, 2013, to revise provisions of a law governing group life insurance policies provided by employers, so that it conforms with a national model.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161363
House Bill 5147: Revise life insurance regulation detail
Introduced by Rep. Ken Goike (R) on November 12, 2013, to establish that a variable life insurance or annuity product approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is by definition compliant with Michigan’s state law governing these products.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161364
House Bill 5148: Allow insurance reserve Canadian stock and bond investments
Introduced by Rep. Marcia Hovey-Wright (D) on November 12, 2013, to revise the law governing the amount and type of assets insurance companies are required to maintain as reserves against future claims, so as to explicitly allow Canadian securities, stocks and governmental bonds.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161365
House Bill 5149: Revise life insurance regulation detail
Introduced in the House on November 12, 2013, to clarify that long-term care insurance benefits are not subject to state regulations on “accelerated benefits,” which are benefits that may be provided under life insurance policies in anticipation of a beneficiary’s death from specified life-threatening conditions.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161366
House Bill 5150: Revise life insurance regulation detail
Introduced by Rep. Ben Glardon (R) on November 12, 2013, to revise state life insurance regulations to permit electronic applications, and revise details of regulations on variable annuity contract refunds.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161367
House Bill 5151: Revise insurance claim payment regulation detail
Introduced by Rep. Tom Leonard (R) on November 12, 2013, to clarify details of a law that mandates insurance benefits be paid within a certain period of time after a claim is filed, and which imposes a statutory interest rate charge on late payments.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161368
House Bill 5152: Exempt voter registration-related Social Security numbers from FOIA
Introduced by Rep. Lisa Lyons (R) on November 14, 2013, to specifically include Social Security numbers among certain voter registration information that is exempt from disclosure under the state Freedom of Information Act, and establish that candidate nominating petition signatures are not valid if they do not contain the date and the signer’s street address in addition to the signature.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161385
House Bill 5153: Raise and index judges’ compensation
Introduced by Rep. John Walsh (R) on November 14, 2013, to increase judges’ salaries, and index them going forward to increases in the salaries paid to state “civil service” employees.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161386
House Bill 5154: Revise criminal prosecution preliminary procedures
Introduced by Rep. Tom Leonard (R) on November 14, 2013, to authorize and establish procedures for “probable cause” conferences in advance of the criminal prosecution “preliminary examinations” required under current law. The subject matter would include possible plea bargains, bail, procedural aspects of a case and more. These conferences could be waived if both sides agree. This and House Bill 5155 would also revise “preliminary examination” procedures, and timetables for both types of proceeding.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161387
House Bill 5155: Revise criminal prosecution preliminary procedures
Introduced by Rep. John Walsh (R) on November 14, 2013, to authorize and establish procedures for “probable cause” conferences in advance of the “preliminary examinations” authorized under current law for criminal prosecutions. The subject matter would include possible plea bargains, bail, procedural aspects of the case, and more. These conferences could be waived if both sides agree. This and House Bill 5154 would also revise “preliminary examination” procedures, and timetables for both types of proceeding.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161388
House Bill 5156: Court of claims change “cleanup” bill
Introduced by Rep. Mike Shirkey (R) on November 14, 2013, to establish that a person who has the right to a jury trial in a claim against the state can file the claim in their local circuit court. This is meant to clarify changes made in a new law enacted two weeks before this bills introduction, which changed the state’s “court of claims” from the Ingham County circuit court, instead making it the state Court of Appeals.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161389
House Bill 5157: Clarify “aggravated physical abuse” sentencing guidelines
Introduced in the House on November 14, 2013, to clarify “offense variables” included in the state sentencing guidelines for the crime of “aggravated physical abuse”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161390
House Bill 5158: Create state “human trafficking commission”
Introduced by Rep. Kurt Heise (R) on November 14, 2013, to create a government “human trafficking commission” to seek grants, fund research and training for criminal justice and social service personnel, recommend changes to current law and more.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161391
House Bill 5159: Expand commercial smoking ban exceptions
Introduced by Rep. Tom McMillin (R) on November 14, 2013, to revise the 2009 law that prohibits a restaurant or business owner from choosing whether to allow smoking in his or her establishment, so as to permit them to allow smoking in an area that is “less than 50 percent enclosed”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161392
House Bill 5160: Allow local governments to transfer tax functions to county
Introduced by Rep. Amanda Price (R) on November 14, 2013, to allow cities, townships and villages to enter agreements with counties to administer functions related to property tax collections.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161393
House Bill 5161: Let township supervisors officiate marriages
Introduced in the House on November 14, 2013, to allow township supervisors to perform (“solemnize”) marriages.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161394
House Bill 5162: Allow funeral arrangements in wills and advance directives
Introduced by Rep. Kate Segal (D) on November 14, 2013, to allow an individual to designate in a will or other “advance directive” a person to serve as a “funeral representative,” and include directions for the funeral arrangements to be provided after his or her death, and the disposition of his or her remains.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161395
House Joint Resolution X: Revise legislative vacancy filling process
Introduced by Rep. Sean McCann (D) on September 4, 2013, to place before voters in the next general election a Constitutional amendment to give the legislature discretion in to how state senator or representative vacancies are to be filled when they occur before the general November general election.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160723
House Joint Resolution V: Repeal ban on same-sex marriage
Introduced by Rep. Sam Singh (D) on July 18, 2013, to place before voters in the next general election a Constitutional amendment that would eliminate the state ban on same-sex marriage added by a 2004 ballot initiative.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160400
Senate Joint Resolution P: Revise property tax assessment provisions
Introduced by Sen. John Pappageorge (R) on September 25, 2008, to place before voters in the next general election a Constitutional amendment to revise the Proposal A cap on property tax increases, which limits increases in a property’s “taxable value” to the lesser of 5 percent or the inflation rate for the preceding year. The resolution would change this to prohibit the taxable value from going up by more than the percentage increase in the property’s state equalized value (which is based on market value), and to require taxable value to go down if SEV goes down. See also House Bill 5647 and HJR MM, which revise the way property taxes are calculated and levied to reflect an environment in which property values are falling rather than increasing.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=68406
Initiated Legislation 1: Ban abortion coverage through federal health care law “Obamacare“ exchange
Introduced in the House on December 3, 2013, to prohibit health insurance policies sold in Michigan through the federal health care law’s “exchange” from including abortion coverage. Individuals could use their own money to purchase a policy “rider” for this outside the exchange if they choose, but no federal subsidy would cover the cost. The initiated legislation was placed before the legislature through a petition drive organized by Right to Life of Michigan, after Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed a pair of 2012 insurance bills that contained the same provision. The legislature has 40 days to pass initiated legislation (with no approval from the Governor required), or else it automatically goes on the Nov. 2014 ballot for the people to decide.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161407
House Bill 4242: Raise burden of proof to justify new government regulations
Passed 26 to 11 in the Senate on December 3, 2013, to require government agencies to demonstrate that a rule they want to impose is “necessary and suitable to achieve its purpose in proportion to the burdens it places on individuals”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675615
House Bill 5002: Designate road after fallen police officer
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 3, 2013, to designate a section of I-96 in Ottawa County as the “Officer Trevor Slot Memorial Highway”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675616
Senate Bill 373: Require pharmacy best practices pilot programs
Passed 106 to 3 in the House on December 4, 2013, to allow the Michigan Board of Pharmacy to establish a process for the approval of up to 10 pilot projects designed to provide better pharmacy products or more efficient pharmacy services.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675703
Senate Bill 509: Authorize new state Senate office building
Passed 22 to 14 in the Senate on December 4, 2013, to authorize the sale of the Farnum Senate office building in Lansing and construction of a new building for Senators’ offices.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675740
Senate Bill 516: Convert certain bank tax breaks to cash subsidies
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on December 4, 2013, to revise details of the “franchise tax” imposed on financial institutions, including the “apportionment” of the tax to earnings generated in other states, and the application of the tax given different ownership structures.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675738
Senate Bill 642: Revise unclaimed property law (“escheats”) detail
Passed 35 to 0 in the Senate on December 4, 2013, to revise details of the disposition of funds taken under an ”escheats law” that lets the state government take possession of unclaimed property if the owner does not claim it within three years. Specifically, the bill amends references in this law to a “senior care respite fund” to reflect the 2013 law authorizing conversion of Blue Cross to non-profit “regular” insurance company.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675730
Senate Bill 656: Require certain drug price limits in medical welfare programs
Passed 34 to 2 in the Senate on December 4, 2013, to revise the formula and procedures prescribed for a “maximum allowable cost” scheme used by the state’s medical welfare programs to determine how much they will reimburse pharmacies for prescription drugs dispensed to beneficiaries.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675744
Senate Bill 671: Waive some licensure fees for veterans
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on December 4, 2013, to waive fees charged for state-imposed occupational licensure mandates if the applicant is an honorably discharged military veteran.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675734
Senate Bill 672: Waive some licensure fees for veterans
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on December 4, 2013, to waive fees charged for a state-imposed security guard or security system contractor licensure mandates if the applicant is an honorably discharged military veteran.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675736
House Bill 4021: Include child pornography in “kidnapping” law
Passed 109 to 0 in the House on December 4, 2013, to define as “kidnapping” the holding of a child for purposes of producing child pornography.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675706
House Bill 4867: Revise financial exploitation of vulnerable adult sentencing
Passed 107 to 2 in the House on December 4, 2013, to establish that “predatory conduct” committed before a “financial exploitation of a vulnerable person” offense may be considered in the sentencing guidelines for this crime, even if the conduct was directed at a law enforcement official posing as a potential victim.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675707
House Bill 4895: Increase concealing stolen car penalties
Passed 101 to 8 in the House on December 4, 2013, to increase the penalty for second and subsequent convictions for concealing a stolen vehicle.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675700
House Bill 4896: Increase concealing stolen car penalties
Passed 100 to 9 in the House on December 4, 2013, to establish sentencing guidelines for the increased penalties proposed by House Bill 4895 for second and subsequent convictions for concealing a stolen vehicle.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675702
House Bill 5012: “Human trafficking” criminal law package
Passed 109 to 0 in the House on December 4, 2013, to create a legal presumption that a minor who is engaged in prostitution is being coerced.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675699
House Bill 5026: Expand grounds for court supervision of juveniles
Passed 109 to 0 in the House on December 4, 2013, to expand the grounds under which a court may order the removal of a child from a home and into foster care to individuals age 18 (that is, who are not a “minor”), if there is a “danger of substantial physical or psychological harm” because the young person is not living with a parent or legally responsible adult, or has repeatedly run away and is considered “beyond the control of a parent,” or has committed “commercial sexual activity” that is the result of “force, fraud, coercion, or manipulation by a parent or other adult”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675701
House Bill 5138: Authorize breast cancer “awareness” specialty license plate
Passed 109 to 0 in the House on December 4, 2013, to authorize a specialty license plate for “breast cancer awareness,” and give the net revenue from its sale to a state government breast and cervical cancer control program.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675705
House Bill 5156: Court of claims change “cleanup” bill
Passed 110 to 0 in the House on December 4, 2013, to establish that a person who has the right to a jury trial in a claim against the state can file the claim in their local circuit court. This is meant to clarify changes made in a new law enacted two weeks before this bill’s introduction, which changed the state’s “court of claims” from the Ingham County circuit court, instead making it the state Court of Appeals.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675709
enate Bill 404: Revise landfill performance bond detail
Passed 110 to 0 in the House on December 5, 2013, to revise details of the financial instruments that may used by a landfill operator to satisfy the performance bond-like “perpetual care fund” requirements related to the future upkeep of closed landfills.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675913
Senate Bill 434: Require financial institutions help enforce welfare benefit restrictions
Passed 101 to 9 in the House on December 5, 2013, to require a credit union that operates automatic teller machines in a casino, liquor store, or “adult entertainment establishment” to ensure it does not allow a person to use a welfare benefits “bridge card” to withdraw cash from those ATMs.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675911
Senate Bill 556: Ban welfare “bridge card” ATM cash at liquor or “adult” store
Passed 100 to 10 in the House on December 5, 2013, to require state agencies to “work with” ATM cash machine suppliers to establish a way to stop a welfare recipient’s “bridge card” from being used to withdraw cash in a liquor store or “adult entertainment establishment.” “Bridge cards” are debit cards that have replaced food stamps and cash welfare.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675912
Senate Bill 636: Facilitate “land line” phone service transition to cell phones
Passed 31 to 4 in the Senate on December 5, 2013, to streamline regulations on “landline” telephone service providers so as to facilitate transitioning customers to a wireless (cell phone or VOIP) system, and allow phone companies to discontinue landline service after 2016. The bill authorizes appeal procedures for individual customers for whom the replacement service does not work well.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675896
Senate Bill 679: Establish scrap metal theft legal presumption
Passed 36 to 1 in the Senate on December 5, 2013, to establish a “rebuttable presumption” that a person caught stripping more than $100 or 100 pounds of metal from a building or structure does not have the permission of the owner, and so is committing larceny as defined in a 2008 scrap metal theft law.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675871
House Bill 4064: Authorize all-electronic court records
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on December 5, 2013, to allow court papers and records to be filed and kept electronically. The bill replaces a number of statutory record keeping requirements, in some cases specifying instead that these must be in accordance with rules established by the state Supreme Court. It also requires the court system to develop a records retention and disposal schedule and procedures.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675864
House Bill 4467: Don’t impose “insurance” regulations on extended service contracts
Passed 108 to 2 in the House on December 5, 2013, to establish that service contracts covering the future maintenance, repair or replacement of vehicles, building or other property are not “insurance” subject to the licensure mandates and regulations imposed by the state insurance code.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675920
House Bill 4532: Establish digital court records
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on December 5, 2013, to require all courts in the state to keep writs, processes, proceedings and records in a manner and medium to be determined by the state Supreme Court, which would include electronic records and signatures.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675865
House Bill 4571: Increase aviation gas tax
Passed 84 to 26 in the House on December 5, 2013, to increase the tax imposed on aviation and jet fuel from 3 cents per gallon to 2 percent of the wholesale price (which would mean around 10 cents per gallon at current prices for avgas and jet fuel). House Bill 4572 would exempt aviation fuel from sales tax; at current prices the two bills combined represent a slight net tax increase, but at higher fuel prices the increase could be substantially more.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675929
House Bill 4572: Stop imposing sales tax on aviation fuel
Passed 85 to 25 in the House on December 5, 2013, to no longer impose the 6 percent sales tax on aviation fuel sales. See also House Bill 4571, which would increase the aviation fuel excise tax.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675930
House Bill 4677: Earmark some sales tax on gasoline to public transportation subsidies
Passed 106 to 3 in the House on December 5, 2013, to earmark an additional $17 million of sales tax revenue to school funding.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675931
House Bill 4729: Formalize statewide “intrastate Michigan emergency management assistance agreement”
Passed 109 to 1 in the House on December 5, 2013, to automatically enter all local governments into a statewide “intrastate Michigan emergency management assistance agreement,” unless a community’s governing body passes a resolution against participating. The agreement would formalize mutual aid procedures and obligations (and limitations on obligations) for locally declared emergencies, serious threats to public health and safety, etc.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675919
House Bill 4858: Require financial institutions help enforce welfare benefit restrictions
Passed 35 to 2 in the Senate on December 5, 2013, to require a bank that operates automatic teller machines in a casino, liquor store, or “adult entertainment establishment” to ensure it does not allow a person to use a welfare benefits “bridge card” to withdraw cash from those ATMs.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675867
House Bill 4859: Require financial institutions help enforce welfare benefit restrictions
Passed 35 to 2 in the Senate on December 5, 2013, to require a savings bank that operates automatic teller machines in a casino, liquor store, or “adult entertainment establishment” to “work with” state agencies to find a way to stop a welfare recipient’s “bridge card” to withdraw cash from those ATMs.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675868
House Bill 5014: Ban welfare “bridge card” ATM cash at liquor stores
Passed 33 to 2 in the Senate on December 5, 2013, to require liquor stores to “work with” state agencies to find a way to stop a welfare recipient’s “bridge card” from being used to withdraw cash from an ATM on the premises. This would not apply to grocery stores that also sell liquor. “Bridge cards” are debit cards that have replaced food stamps and cash welfare.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675869
House Bill 5015: Ban welfare “bridge card” ATM cash at race track
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 5, 2013, to require state agencies to “work with” ATM cash machine suppliers to establish a way to stop a welfare recipient’s “bridge card” from being used to withdraw cash at a horse racing track. “Bridge cards” are debit cards that have replaced food stamps and cash welfare.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675870
House Bill 5017: Expand certain developer tax breaks
Passed 26 to 10 in the Senate on December 5, 2013, to expand a 2012 law that exempts land on which homes and apartments built “on spec” by residential real estate developers from school operations property tax for three years (or until the property is occupied, whichever occurs first). The bill would extend the exemption to new structures, not just the land.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675891
House Bill 5017: Expand certain developer tax breaks
Passed 86 to 24 in the House on November 13, 2013, to expand a 2012 law that exempts homes and apartments built “on spec” by residential real estate developers from school operations property tax for three years (or until the property is occupied, whichever occurs first). The bill would extend the exemption to the land, not just the new structures.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675220
House Bill 5121: Revise judgeships
Passed 104 to 6 in the House on December 5, 2013, to increase the number of judgeships in the 16th circuit court in Macomb County.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675914
House Bill 5122: Revise judgeships
Passed 102 to 8 in the House on December 5, 2013, to increase the number of judgeships in the sixth circuit court in Oakland County.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675915
House Bill 5123: Revise judgeships
Passed 102 to 8 in the House on December 5, 2013, to increase the number of judgeships in the 17th circuit court in Kent County.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675916
House Bill 5124: Revise judgeships
Passed 67 to 42 in the House on December 5, 2013, to reduce the number of district judgeships in Wayne County.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675917
House Bill 5125: Revise judgeships
The amendment passed by voice vote in the House on December 4, 2013, to add procedural obstacles to a provision consolidating judgeships in Genesee County.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161289
House Bill 5125: Revise judgeships
Passed 75 to 35 in the House on December 5, 2013, to consolidate and revise the number of judgeships in several district courts around the state.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675918
Senate Bill 698: Un-do county canvasser transfer
Introduced by Sen. Virgil Smith, Jr. (D) on December 3, 2013, to reverse the provisions of House Bill 4171, now Public Act 51 of 2013, which provides for the replacement of city and township “boards of canvassers” with county-level boards. The primary function of these boards is to tabulate votes in elections.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161408
Senate Bill 699: Establish scrap metal theft presumption
Introduced by Sen. Jim Ananich (D) on December 3, 2013, to establish a “rebuttable presumption” that a person caught stripping more than $100 or 100 pounds of metal from a building or structure does not have the permission of the owner, and so is committing larceny as defined in a 2008 scrap metal theft law.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161409
Senate Bill 700: Specify catalytic converter regulation in auto recycler law
Introduced by Sen. Morris Hood, III (D) on December 3, 2013, to include catalytic converters in the definition of major recyclable vehicle components in the state vehicle law, which among other things regulates automotive recyclers. This is one of a number of bills targeting “scrap metal” theft; its introduction comes after news reports of catalytic converter thefts from vehicles in state “park-and-ride” lots.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161410
Senate Bill 701: Encourage teaching America’s founding documents
Introduced by Sen. Patrick Colbeck (R) on December 3, 2013, to require public school boards to encourage teachers to read aloud or post in classrooms writings, documents, and records that reflect the founding and history of the United States, including but not limited to the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Federalist Papers, the Anti-Federalist Papers, the Bill of Rights and more.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161411
Senate Bill 702: Revise state competitive bidding criteria
Introduced by Sen. Patrick Colbeck (R) on December 3, 2013, to require state agency procurement contracts for goods or services worth$100,000 or more to use a “bid scorecard system” that assesses bids based on technical and critical performance requirements, cost evaluation and labor evaluation, with specified weightings for each factor.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161412
Senate Bill 703: Revise community rehabilitation state purchase detail
Introduced by Sen. Patrick Colbeck (R) on December 3, 2013, to add a seventh member, who must be a veteran, to a government “committee on the purchase of goods and services from community rehabilitation organizations,” which is tasked with helping “establish and review fair market prices for goods and services to be purchased by the state from community rehabilitation organizations”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161413
Senate Bill 704: Require “pharmacist in charge” at pharmacies
Introduced by Sen. Joe Hune (R) on December 3, 2013, to require all pharmacies, manufacturers, and wholesale distributors to designate a pharmacist in charge, and provide penalties. This relates to a recent “drug compounding” scandal in New England that led to contaminated drugs causing meningitis in several people.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161414
Senate Bill 705: Revise court records detail
Introduced by Sen. Rick Jones (R) on December 4, 2013, to revise a law that requires audio recordings of court hearings involving a minor to be a “permanent record.” The bill would specify that how long these recordings need be retained would be set in rules determined by the state Supreme Court.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161416
Senate Bill 706: Restore ban on nude entertainment in liquor license law
Introduced by Sen. Rick Jones (R) on December 4, 2013, to ban fully nude performers at “topless” bars, or the display of explicit pornography at bars. This relates to a 2007 federal appeals court ruling that struck down Michigan’s previous law banning fully nude performers in bars, holding it was a violation of the First Amendment.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161417
Senate Bill 707: Expand scrap metal regulatory regime
Introduced by Sen. Virgil Smith, Jr. (D) on December 4, 2013, to impose a full licensure mandate on scrap metal dealers, in addition to an extensive regulatory regime that is already in place (and would be expanded by a number of other proposed new laws.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161418
Senate Bill 708: Revise second hand and junk dealer licensure
Introduced by Sen. Virgil Smith, Jr. (D) on December 4, 2013, to revise a law mandating local licensure of second hand and junk dealers, so as to eliminate this mandate if a dealer is operating with the state scrap metal dealer license that is proposed by Senate Bill 707.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161419
Senate Bill 709: Restrict no fault auto insurance gamesmanship
Introduced by Sen. Roger Kahn (R) on December 4, 2013, to require Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA) auto insurance premium surcharges to be paid up front for the entire period of a policy, rather than pro-rated by installment payment, and prohibit an MCCA refund if the person cancels his or her insurance. This is intended to prevent individuals from purchasing a personal injury policy (required under Michigan’s no-fault insurance law in order to register a vehicle) and then cancelling the coverage after he or she gets the license plate or tab. MCCA is a reinsurance provider established by the no-fault law that covers unlimited vehicle accident medical claims above $500,000.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161420
Senate Bill 710: Restrict no fault auto insurance gamesmanship
Introduced by Sen. Roger Kahn (R) on December 4, 2013, to prohibit an auto insurer from issuing an auto insurance policy for a term less than one month. This is intended to prevent individuals from purchasing a personal injury policy (required under Michigan’s no-fault insurance law in order to register a vehicle) and then cancelling the coverage after he or she gets the license plate or tab.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161421
Senate Bill 711: Extend Cobo sales tax exemption
Introduced by Sen. Jim Marleau (R) on December 4, 2013, to extend until 2016 a current 2014 sunset on a 2008 law that exempted from sales tax material which is used in repairs or improvements to a regional convention facility, including Cobo Hall in Detroit.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161422
Senate Bill 712: Extend remonumentation of Michigan-Indiana state line authorization
Introduced by Sen. Howard Walker (R) on December 4, 2013, to extend until 2018 a current 2015 sunset on a 2010 law that authorized the remonumentation of the Michigan-Indiana state line.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161423
Senate Bill 713: Revise mental health services law
Introduced by Sen. Darwin Booher (R) on December 4, 2013, to accommodate rehab to expand the powers of governing board of a community mental health services authority, explicitly authorizing “partnering with entities that provide health care and rehabilitative services” directly related to community mental health programs.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161424
Senate Bill 714: Adopt “collaborative law” law
Introduced by Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R) on December 5, 2013, to adopt a “uniform collaborative law act” similar to a national uniform state law commission model bill, which would establish a statutory framework for an “amicable, non-adversarial dispute resolution” process similar to mediation.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161467
Senate Bill 715: Adopt “universal certificates of insurance act”
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) on December 5, 2013, to adopt a “universal certificates of insurance model act” based on a National Conference of Insurance Legislatorsmodel bill.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161468
House Bill 5163: Revise large carnivore ban detail
Introduced by Rep. Rob VerHeulen (R) on December 4, 2013, to create exceptions to a 2000 law that bans possession of large carnivores. The bill would allow possession by a “approved science-based breeding program” undertaken for “conservation purposes,” but not for commercial purposes.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161425
House Bill 5164: Mandate posting names of “issue ad” contributors
Introduced by Rep. Andy Schor (D) on December 4, 2013, to mandate that an individual or organization who buys a political “issue ad” that references a candidate or ballot question (but does not necessarily engage in campaign-related “express advocacy”) within 60 days of an election must file a report with the Secretary of State within seven days containing the full name and street address of each person who contributed for the ad. The Secretary of State would then have to post this information on the internet within 24 hours.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161426
House Bill 5165: Repeal transportation-related business subsidy program
Introduced by Rep. Wayne Schmidt (R) on December 4, 2013, to repeal the state “Transportation Economic Development Fund,” which is essentially a form of corporate subsidy in which the state pays for transportation infrastructure projects related to a particular investor’s or developer’s new plant or project.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161427
House Bill 5166: Repeal transportation-related business subsidy program
Introduced by Rep. Wayne Schmidt (R) on December 4, 2013, to end transportation tax earmarks to the state “Transportation Economic Development Fund,” which is essentially a form of corporate subsidy in which the state pays for transportation infrastructure projects related to a particular investor’s or developer’s new plant or project. The earmarks would continue until money borrowed for past TEDF projects has been repaid.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161428
House Bill 5167: Require competitive bidding on some road maintenance
Introduced by Rep. Wayne Schmidt (R) on December 4, 2013, to allow the Department of Transportation to borrow unused state road tax money previously distributed to a local road agency, for the purposes of meeting state matching-fund requirements associated with federal transportation funding. Also, to require the department to seek bids and contract out administration and road maintenance in one of its seven state transportation regions, and require local road agencies that receive at least $20 million in state road tax dollars to also seek bids and contract out at least 20 percent of its road maintenance functions.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161429
House Bill 5168: Facilitate federal money for Woodward streetcar
Introduced by Rep. John Walsh (R) on December 4, 2013, to authorize the Detroit area regional transportation authority authorized by a 2012 law to enter agreements with the entity that was authorized by 2008 law to create a Woodward Avenue streetcar in Detroit, for purposes of securing federal funding for that project.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161430
House Bill 5169: Facilitate federal money for Woodward streetcar
Introduced by Rep. Wayne Schmidt (R) on December 4, 2013, to revise details of the 2012 law that created a Detroit area regional transportation authority, so as to facilitate the proposal in House Bill 5168 to help secure federal funding for the Woodward Avenue streetcar project authorized by a 2008 law.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161431
House Bill 5170: Mandate claw back (penalty) in “economic development” business subsidies
Introduced by Rep. Jon Switalski (D) on December 4, 2013, to require that state “economic development” agreements granting tax breaks, loans or cash subsidies to particular corporations or developers must include a “clawback” provision, requiring the recipient firm to repay the benefits if it does not meet the job or investment promises specified in the agreement.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161432
House Bill 5171: Revise environmental law details
Introduced by Rep. Jeff Irwin (D) on December 4, 2013, to extend for another year a number of rules promulgated by the Department of Environmental Quality related to environmental contamination response activities, and to PCBs, which under a 2012 law were supposed to be rescinded at the end of 2013. The bill would also modify other technical details of the law governing environmental cleanup criteria.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161433
House Bill 5172: Ban assessors entering property without written permission
Introduced by Rep. Robert Genetski (R) on December 4, 2013, to prohibit government property tax assessors from entering a private dwelling or structure without the written permission of the owner, and prohibit assessors from increasing assessments based on an assumption that unobserved improvements may exist.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161434
House Bill 5173: Ban assessors entering property without written permission
Introduced by Rep. Mike Shirkey (R) on December 4, 2013, to require the state property tax assessors manual to explain that a property owner is not required to grant permission for an assessor (or an assessor’s “agent”) to enter the property; and that assessors are prohibited from entering without the owner’s written permission. The bill also establishes a process for assessors to formally request entry in writing, bans assessors from taking pictures of the inside, and specifies that an owner who refuses entry shall not have his or her assessment increased because of this, or be penalized in any other way. See also House Bill 5172.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161435
House Bill 5174: Require retail refund policy on receipt
Introduced by Rep. David Nathan (D) on December 4, 2013, to require retail businesses to print a written notification of their return policy on each customer receipt.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161436
House Bill 5175: Permit non-husband-and-wife state income tax joint filing
Introduced by Rep. Sam Singh (D) on December 4, 2013, to establish that individuals who file a joint federal income tax return may also file a joint state income tax return, even if they are not husband and wife.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161437
House Bill 5176: Ban investigating health professional based on “reality” TV show
Introduced by Rep. Kevin Cotter (R) on December 4, 2013, to prohibit state authorities from investigating a report or allegation of misconduct by a licensed health care professional if it is based on information seen on a reality television show.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161438
House Bill 5177: Mandate employer give notice of discipline record
Introduced by Rep. George T. Darany (D) on December 5, 2013, to require an employer who retains a record of an employee’s disciplinary report, letter of reprimand, or other record of disciplinary action for more than 30 days to provide notice of the record to the employee.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161470
House Bill 5178: Expand property owner recreation liability waiver
Introduced by Rep. Peter Pettalia (R) on December 5, 2013, to expand a property owner liability exemption that currently applies to someone fishing, hunting, trapping, camping, hiking, sightseeing, motorcycling, or snowmobiling on a person’s land, so that it also applies to operating non-commercial aircraft (“aviation activities”). In other words, someone can’t sue a landowner for injuries sustained doing any of these things, as long as the individual hasn’t paid for the privilege.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161471
House Bill 5179: Transfer western Wayne correctional
Introduced by Rep. Kurt Heise (R) on December 5, 2013, to land bank to transfer the former western Wayne correctional facility property to a government “land bank” authority, which in turn would be required to sell it in a manner and on terms that the authority “in its discretion” calculates will “realize the greatest benefit to this state”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161472
House Bill 5180: Revise animal feed regulatory regime
Introduced by Rep. Joel Johnson (R) on December 5, 2013, to revise and update details of a law that imposes regulations (including some licensure mandates) on commercial animal feed manufacturers and sellers, and which among other things specifies what may or may not be included in animal feed.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161473
House Bill 5181: Allow more school retiree “double dipping”
Introduced by Rep. Patrick Somerville (R) on December 5, 2013, to extend for another two years a July 2014 sunset on a law that allows a former school employee to work as a teacher and still collect a pension in addition to the current pay, subject to specified limitations and qualifications.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161474
Senate Bill 94: Prohibit Michigan National Guard executing federal “indefinite detention”
Passed 109 to 0 in the House on December 10, 2013, to prohibit members of the Michigan National Guard or other state and local government employees from participating in the investigation, prosecution, or detention of any person under a recent federal law giving the current or a future President the power to order the indefinite detention of persons arrested on U.S. soil, without charge or trial (“Section 1021 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Year 2012”).
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676379
Senate Bill 373: Require pharmacy best practices pilot programs
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 10, 2013, to concur with the House-passed version of the bill.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676291
House Bill 4064: Authorize all-electronic court records
Passed 109 to 0 in the House on December 10, 2013, to concur with the Senate-passed version of the bill.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676340
Initiated Legislation 1: Ban abortion coverage through federal health care law “Obamacare“ exchange
Passed 62 to 47 in the House on December 11, 2013, to prohibit health insurance policies sold in Michigan through the federal health care law’s “exchange” from including abortion coverage. Individuals could use their own money to purchase a policy “rider” for this outside the exchange if they choose, but no federal subsidy would cover the cost. The initiated legislation was placed before the legislature through a petition drive organized by Right to Life of Michigan, after Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed a pair of 2012 insurance bills that contained the same provision. No approval from the Governor is required for initiated legislation to go into effect.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676609
Initiated Legislation 1: Ban abortion coverage through federal health care law “Obamacare“ exchange
Passed 27 to 11 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to prohibit health insurance policies sold in Michigan through the federal health care law’s “exchange” from including abortion coverage. Individuals could use their own money to purchase a policy “rider” for this outside the exchange if they choose, but no federal subsidy would cover the cost. The initiated legislation was placed before the legislature through a petition drive organized by Right to Life of Michigan, after Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed a pair of 2012 insurance bills that contained the same provision. No approval from the Governor is required for initiated legislation to go into effect.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676608
Senate Bill 68: Create new ORV regulation category
Passed 108 to 0 in the House on December 11, 2013, to create a new category of off-road vehicle in the statute authorizing ORV regulations, to be called an “ROV,” defined as “a vehicle with four or more wheels that is designed for off-road use, has nonhighway tires, is more than 50 inches but not more than 65 inches in width, and is powered by a 50cc to 1,000cc gasoline engine, an engine of comparable size using other fuels, or an electric motor of comparable power.” Current law bans travel on designated forest pathways by vehicles wider than 50 inches.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676477
Senate Bill 90: Vehicle trade-in “use tax on the difference” only
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to concur with the House-passed version of the bill, which extended the tax break to vehicles purchased from a used care dealer.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676595
Senate Bill 90: Vehicle trade-in “use tax on the difference” only
Passed 102 to 7 in the House on December 11, 2013, to exempt from sales tax the value of a trade-in when buying a motor vehicle, titled watercraft or recreational vehicle, but phase this tax break in over 24 years. The phase-in would be suspended if the federal health care law’s (”Obamacare”) Medicaid expansion (authorized by House Bill 4714) is rescinded, but legal experts are divided over whether this would be allowed. See also Senate Bill 89.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676459
Senate Bill 94: Prohibit Michigan National Guard executing federal “indefinite detention”
Passed 35 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to concur with the House-passed version of the bill.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676539
Senate Bill 120: Authorize public school “American heritage” instruction without religious censorship
Passed 27 to 9 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to require school districts to “permit” grade-level instruction and reading of “America’s founding documents” including those related to the country’s “representative form of limited government, the Bill of Rights, our free-market economic system, and patriotism.” School districts would be prohibited from censoring or restraining reading that includes “religious references in original source documents, writings, speeches, proclamations, or records”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676553
Senate Bill 321: Exempt legal process servers from trespassing laws
Passed 57 to 27 in the House on December 11, 2013, to exempt legal action process servers from the state law against trespassing.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676478
Senate Bill 374: Create statewide school violence “hotline”
Passed 108 to 1 in the House on December 11, 2013, to require the Department of Technology, Management, and Budget to seek bids, including one from the State Police, to create and operate a “hotline” manned 24 hours a day all year long to collect anonymous reports regarding concerns of potential harm, self-harm, or criminal acts against students, school employees, or school property, which reports could include cell phone camera and video images.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676470
Senate Bill 397: Expand a corporate/developer subsidy regime
Passed 87 to 22 in the House on December 11, 2013, to authorize creation of a sixth “Next Michigan Development Corporation,” which is a government agency that gives tax breaks and subsidies to particular corporations or developers selected by political appointees on the entity’s board for projects meeting extremely broad “multi-modal commerce” criteria (basically, any form of goods-related commerce). The new entity would be in the Upper Peninsula.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676458
Senate Bill 423: Require schools teach American foundational principles
Passed 27 to 10 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to encourage public schools to provide instruction that focuses on the core principles of the Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution, and State Constitution, and require the state Board of Education to update curriculum and testing standards to cover these subjects.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676557
Senate Bill 437: Revise “interlocal agreement” procedural detail
Passed 35 to 1 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to require “interlocal agreements” (which formalize a joint exercise of power, privilege or authority between two or more government entities) to create a “separate legal entity” to collect and spend money to carry out the purpose of the agreement, rather than just a separate administrative body.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676564
Senate Bill 440: Revise local electronic campaign finance disclosure threshold
Passed 106 to 2 in the House on December 11, 2013, to reduce from $20,000 to $5,000 the amount a candidate or other type of election campaign committee can raise or spend before being required to file mandated campaign finance reports by electronic means rather than on paper.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676513
Senate Bill 441: Let counties create electronic campaign finance disclosure systems
Passed 108 to 0 in the House on December 11, 2013, to allow counties to establish electronic versions of the local government campaign finance reporting requirements they are required to operate, and to require election campaigns that raise or spend an amount over either $1,500 or $5,000 (the county may choose one of these) to file mandated campaign finance reports by electronic means rather than on paper.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676514
Senate Bill 536: Expand real estate development tax breaks
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to authorize property tax exemptions of five to seven years for property owned by a nonprofit organization whose purpose is real estate development, if the local government agrees, and if the organization is approved by the political appointees on the board of the state agency responsible for granting and overseeing selective tax breaks and subsidies to particular corporations or developers (the “Michigan Economic Development Corporation,” an arm of the “Michigan Strategic Fund”).
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676551
Senate Bill 541: Revise government employee health benefit detail
Passed 108 to 1 in the House on December 11, 2013, to clarify that the 2011 law requiring government employees to contribute a certain amount toward the cost of their health care benefits does not apply to contributions to a post-retirement Health Savings Account system.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676471
Senate Bill 542: Permit more generous government employee health benefits
The substitute passed by voice vote in the House on December 10, 2013, to adopt a version of the bill that increases the cap on spending by a smaller amount.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160873
Senate Bill 542: Permit more generous government employee health benefits
Passed 108 to 1 in the House on December 11, 2013, to increase from $11,000 to $12,250 the “hard cap” on the amount that a local government or school district can spend for an “individual-plus-spouse” employee health care policy under a 2011 law limiting such benefits.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676472
Senate Bill 543: Revise government employee health benefit detail
Passed 108 to 1 in the House on December 11, 2013, to revise details of the procedures used by a local government or school district to select either an annual dollar-amount cap or percentage cap on the amount it can spend on employee health benefits under a 2011 law. Also, to include elected officials in the base used to establish a local government’s “average” cost per employee, exclude payments to employees who take cash instead of insurance benefits, and revise some other details in the formula.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676473
Senate Bill 544: Revise government employee health benefit detail
Passed 107 to 1 in the House on December 11, 2013, to retroactively move back the effective date of a 2011 law that capped the amount that a local government or school district could spend on government employee health benefits. As passed, the caps apply to union labor contracts signed on or after Sept. 15, 2011. The bill moves this back to Sept. 27, 2011, meaning contracts offering more generous benefits that were entered before that date would remain valid.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676474
Senate Bill 545: Revise government employee health benefit detail
Passed 108 to 1 in the House on December 11, 2013, to clarify the annual deadline by which a local government’s governing body may exempt its employees from the 2011 law that capped the amount they could spend on employee health benefits. Under that law, local governments (but not school districts) can exempt themselves from the cap for one year at a time with a 2/3 vote of their governing body.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676475
Senate Bill 557: Revise mental health criminal diversion details
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to allow state money to be used to pay for mental health services provided to jail inmates under a community mental health program’s agreement with a county or county sheriff. This relates to a 2009 Attorney General opinion that jails were required to cover all of these costs in their own budgets.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676558
Senate Bill 558: Revise mental health criminal diversion details
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to revise details of a law that requires counties to enter a written agreement to divert individuals with serious mental illness from the criminal justice system and into treatment. The bill specifies certain provisions these agreements must contain. See also Senate Bill 557.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676559
Senate Bill 574: Revise county tax foreclosure detail
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to allow a particular county that elected to have the state foreclose tax delinquent property in the county to rescind that decision for one year.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676565
Senate Bill 642: Revise unclaimed property law (“escheats”) detail
Passed 108 to 1 in the House on December 11, 2013, to revise details of the disposition of funds taken under an ”escheats law” that lets the state government take possession of unclaimed property if the owner does not claim it within three years. Specifically, the bill amends references in this law to a “senior care respite fund” to reflect the 2013 law authorizing conversion of Blue Cross to non-profit “regular” insurance company.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676476
Senate Bill 661: Increase political contributions limits
Passed 56 to 52 in the House on December 11, 2013, to double the maximum campaign contributions allowed by state election law, index these to inflation, and require additional finance reports from candidates. The bill would also establish that organizations that run third party “issue ads” which do not “expressly advocate” for or against a candidate or ballot issue need not disclose the names and addresses of who paid for the ad (but do have to disclose the sponsoring organization), and require political “robocalls” that do not engage in “express advocacy” to include who paid for the calls.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676512
Senate Bill 665: Transfer state Capitol upkeep to new commission
Passed 109 to 0 in the House on December 11, 2013, to create a commission to employ a manager and staff who would take over the functions of maintaining, restoring and improving the state Capitol building, grounds and parking as a “historic site.” The bill would also create a statutory “fund” (account) to hold money for these purposes, but does not itself appropriate or earmark any specific revenue. Currently, these functions are generally performed by an existing staff using annual appropriations that are not mandated by statute.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676456
Senate Bill 666: Transfer state Capitol upkeep to new commission
Passed 109 to 0 in the House on December 11, 2013, to revise the current “legislative council” law to reflect the proposal in Senate Bill 665 to create a “Michigan Capitol State Commission” to take over management of the facility.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676457
House Bill 4369: Codify “education achievement authority” for failed schools
Passed 20 to 18 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to codify in statute the powers and structure of a state “education achievement authority” (already created by means of an administrative “interlocal agreement”), which is an office in the Department of Education tasked with managing, overseeing or contracting-out the operations of public schools deemed to have failed academically.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676620
House Bill 4393: Revise school ballot proposal filing deadline
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to require a school board that wishes to submit a ballot question to the voters to adopt the resolution calling for this at least 12 weeks before the election, moving the current deadline back two weeks. Also, to require the same deadline for “metropolitan district officer” candidacy filings. Under current law the deadlines for these is 70 days.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676578
House Bill 4394: Revise township annual meeting reestablishment procedures
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to revise the procedures for a township to reestablish an annual meeting of voters, by moving the deadline for submitting a petition for this to at least 15 weeks before the next primary or general election. This is two weeks earlier than the current deadline.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676579
House Bill 4395: Move back deadline to place local tax and bond issues on ballot
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to revise a community swimming pool authority to place a 1 mill public swimming pool tax on the ballot at least 12 weeks before the election, moving the current deadline back two weeks. Under current law the deadline is 70 days before the vote.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676580
House Bill 4396: Move back deadline to place local tax and bond issues on ballot
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to require a local government to place an increased building authority debt request (“bond issue”) on the ballot at least 12 weeks before the election, moving the current deadline back two weeks. Under current law the deadline is 70 days before the vote.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676581
House Bill 4397: Move back deadline to place local tax and bond issues on ballot
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to require a “metropolitan authority council” to place a property tax increase request on the ballot at least 12 weeks before the election, moving the current deadline back two weeks. Under current law the deadline is 70 days before the vote.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676582
House Bill 4546: Increase marketing “assessments” imposed on potato growers
Passed 36 to 1 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to increase the maximum “assessment” that can be levied on growers under a government potato marketing scheme, with exceptions for smaller growers, and revise the constituents represented on the board of political appointees authorized to determine the level of assessments.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676566
House Bill 4593: Expand scrap metal regulatory regime
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to expand a scrap metal dealer regulatory regime authorized by a 2008 law that imposed new regulations and record keeping requirements on sales of nonferrous scrap metal, so that it also applies to sales of scrap iron (ferrous metals). The bill would require the scrap metal industry to create a real time database of each purchase by a scrap metal dealer of “scrapped” catalytic converters, air conditioners and stripped copper wire; until it did so the bill would impose a three-day delay on payments to individuals who sell these things. It would also require dealers to check sellers against this database, keep photographs of the purchased scrap metal, and more.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676621
House Bill 4695: Authorize “mental health courts”
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to authorize a type of alternative judicial proceeding for mentally disturbed or disabled individuals who commit minor crimes, similar to the state “drug courts” for minor drug use crimes. These “mental health” courts would allow dismissal of charges if the individual agrees to and abides by a prescribed mental health treatment program.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676544
House Bill 4696: Authorize “mental health courts”
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to authorize a type of alternative judicial proceeding for mentally disturbed or disabled individuals who commit minor crimes, similar to the state “drug courts” for minor drug use crimes. These “mental health” courts would allow dismissal of charges if the individual agrees to and abides by a prescribed mental health treatment program. This bill establishes procedures and duties for both the defendant and the court, including making available and accepting related mental health services; it is part of a package comprised of House Bills 4694 to 4697.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676548
House Bill 4697: Authorize “mental health courts”
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to authorize a type of alternative judicial proceeding for mentally disturbed or disabled individuals who commit minor crimes, similar to the state “drug courts” for minor drug use crimes. These “mental health” courts would allow dismissal of charges if the individual agrees to and abides by a prescribed mental health treatment program. This bill would require the state court administrative office to establish standards for such courts, and reporting requirements for the courts themselves; it is part of a package comprised of House Bills 4694 to 4697.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676550
House Bill 4782: Expand another corporate/developer subsidy regime
Passed 31 to 6 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to authorize creation of a sixth “Next Michigan Development Corporation,” which is a government agency that gives tax breaks and subsidies to particular corporations or developers selected by political appointees on the entity’s board for projects meeting extremely broad “multi-modal commerce” criteria (basically, any form of goods-related commerce). The new entity would be in the Upper Peninsula.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676563
House Bill 4865: Authorize mobile dental facilities
Passed 105 to 3 in the House on December 11, 2013, to allow dental services to be provided in a mobile dental facility if the state grants a permit, subject to an extensive set of regulations and restrictions specified in the bill.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676502
House Bill 4889: Increase drug trafficking penalties
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to authorize more rigorous sentencing guidelines for illegal drug convictions involving travel from another state with the intent to deliver.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676560
House Bill 5074: Revise delinquent property tax interest detail
Passed 108 to 0 in the House on December 11, 2013, to give counties discretion over whether to impose an interest rate that is lower than the 1 percent per month currently imposed on amounts due to county delinquent tax revolving funds.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676503
House Bill 5134: Transfer state Capitol upkeep to new commission
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to revise a “Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Act” to reflect the proposal in Senate Bill 665 to create a “Michigan Capitol State Commission” to maintain, restore and improve the Michigan state Capitol building, grounds and parking as a “historic site”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676576
House Bill 5135: Transfer state Capitol upkeep to new commission
Passed 110 to 0 in the House on November 15, 2013, to revise the law that establishes the duties of the state Department of Management and Budget to reflect the proposal in Senate Bill 665 to create a “Michigan Capitol State Commission” to take over the functions of maintaining, restoring and improving the Michigan state Capitol building, grounds and parking as a “historic site”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675466
House Bill 5138: Authorize breast cancer “awareness” specialty license plate
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to authorize a specialty license plate for “breast cancer awareness,” and give the net revenue from its sale to a state government breast and cervical cancer control program.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676561
Senate Bill 64: Revise business tax liability detail
Passed 109 to 0 in the House on December 12, 2013, to place certain limits on the personal liability of a business owner or manager for taxes the firm collects from another person and fails to pay the collected amount to the state.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676791
Senate Bill 101: Authorize “breast cancer awareness” specialty license plate
Passed 109 to 0 in the House on December 12, 2013, to authorize a specialty license plate for “breast cancer awareness,” and give the net revenue from its sale to a state government breast and cervical cancer control program.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676669
Senate Bill 101: Authorize “breast cancer awareness” specialty license plate
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 5, 2013, to authorize a specialty license plate for “breast cancer awareness,” and give the net revenue from its sale to a state government breast and cervical cancer control program.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675866
Senate Bill 121: Declare Michigan “celebrate freedom week”
Passed 27 to 10 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to encourage public schools to designate one week each school year as “Patriot Week,” during which instruction would be offered on the sacrifices of military veterans, and on America’s founding documents and core principles.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676555
Senate Bill 169: Allow driverless car testing
Passed 107 to 1 in the House on December 12, 2013, to allow the operation on highways of an automated “driverless” vehicle for testing purposes, subject to a range of regulations and conditions specified in the bill. A human operator would have to to be present to monitor performance and intervene if necessary. Gov. Rick Snyder called for this in his 2013 State of the State address.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676664
Senate Bill 308
Passed 95 to 14 in the House on December 12, 2013, to revise the criteria in the law that authorizes tax breaks for the rehabilitation and reuse of “obsolete structures” in a way that will allow granting these tax breaks to a particular business in Charlotte, and another in Wayne County.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676671
Senate Bill 312: Revise college scholarship “promise zone” criteria
Passed 96 to 13 in the House on December 12, 2013, to revise a 2008 law authorizing “promise zone” tax increment financing authorities (TIFA) to subsidize college tuition for students in low educational attainment areas, by allowing these subsidies for vocational education or training; allowing an authority to also pay for books and supplies; and giving authorities more latitude in setting academic performance standards for aid, including excluding students who score belolw a certain grade point average. The bill would also expand the power of an authority to reset the “base year” for determining its future tax increment “capture” amounts.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676672
Senate Bill 367: Revise business profits tax detail
Passed 108 to 1 in the House on December 12, 2013, to revise details of the state tax on business profits to clarify when related companies are considered an “affiliated group” for tax purposes.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676670
Senate Bill 442: End automatic tax increases to pay union contract lawsuit judgments
Passed 76 to 32 in the House on December 12, 2013, to revise a provision that requires school property taxes be raised to pay off lawsuit-related judgments against a school district, by establishing that this does not apply if the lawsuit was to enforce a school employee union contract or other contract that specifically relates to school operations.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676665
Senate Bill 443: End automatic tax increases to pay union contract lawsuit judgments
Passed 33 to 5 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to revise a provision that requires school property taxes be raised to pay off lawsuit-related judgments against a school district, by establishing that this does not apply if the lawsuit was to enforce a school employee union contract or other contract that specifically relates to school operations. The House added a number of exceptions, including for certain schools under the receivership of an Emergency Manager, for certain disputes between a school district and an Intermediate School District or the school employee pension system, and more.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676846
Senate Bill 443: End automatic tax increases to pay union contract lawsuit judgments
Passed 76 to 33 in the House on December 12, 2013, to revise a provision that requires school property taxes be raised to pay off lawsuit-related judgments against a school district, by establishing that this does not apply if the lawsuit was to enforce a school employee union contract or other contract that specifically relates to school operations. The House added a number of exceptions, including for certain schools under the receivership of an Emergency Manager, for certain disputes between a school district and an Intermediate School District or the school employee pension system, and more.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676666
Senate Bill 660: Authorize and regulate “pharmaceutical-grade cannabis”
Passed 87 to 22 in the House on December 12, 2013, to establish a comprehensive regulatory regime for production and sale by pharmacies of “pharmaceutical-grade cannabis” to individuals with a debilitating medical condition, contingent on the federal government reclassifying marijuana from an illegal drug to a prescription drug. Michigan’s voter-initiated medical marijuana law, Initiated Law 1 of 2008, establishes a regulatory framework for patients or authorized caregivers growing their own; companies seeking “commercialized” distribution lobbied for this bill.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676688
Senate Bill 663: Waive automaker liability for “automated vehicle” modifications
Passed 107 to 0 in the House on December 12, 2013, to waive the liability of a vehicle or parts manufacturer for damages resulting from a person trying to retrofit a vehicle into an automated vehicle (“driverless car”). See also Senate Bill 169.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676657
House Bill 4044: Ban mandating all health insurance go through “Obamacare“ exchange
Passed 72 to 37 in the House on December 12, 2013, to prohibit a state “exchange” created under the federal health care law from mandating that insurance companies must sell all health insurance policies through the exchange. The Michigan legislature elected to let the federal government create an exchange here rather than create a state-run version, so the measure would only have effect if that choice is later reversed.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676685
House Bill 4816: Require insurers disclose “Obamacare” price hikes in bills
Passed 67 to 42 in the House on December 12, 2013, to require bills sent to customers for health insurance policies or HMO plans to include an estimate of the amount that any price increase was caused by mandates and regulations imposed by the federal health care law (“Obamacare”).
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676684
House Bill 5104: Authorize medical “marijuana infused products”
Passed 100 to 9 in the House on December 12, 2013, to authorize the use of “marijuana infused products” under the state’s medical marijuana law, Initiated Law 1 of 2008 . This is defined to include any “topical formulation, tincture, beverage, edible substance, or similar product intended for human consumption in a manner other than smoking”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676681
Senate Bill 275: Require drug testing of welfare applicants
Passed 26 to 12 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to require that welfare benefit recipients or applicants who test positive on the drug tests authorized by House Bill 4418 must be referred to a state-authorized regional substance abuse agency, and cut benefits if the individual refused to enter a drug treatment program. This would begin as a one-year pilot program in three counties.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676868
Senate Bill 584: Eliminate statute of limitations on child sex trafficking
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to eliminate the statute of limitations for prosecution of child sex trafficking or commercial sexual exploitation of children offenses.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676797
Senate Bill 588: Human trafficking crime package
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to establish as an “affirmative defense” for a person being prosecuted for a prostitution-related offense that the individual did it only because of his or her status as a victim of a human trafficking crime.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676798
Senate Bill 591: Human trafficking crime package
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to establish that an individual could have prostitution or other criminal convictions cleared from his or her record if the offense was due to being a victim of a human trafficking crime.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676799
Senate Bill 661: Increase political contributions limits
The motion passed 26 to 11 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to reject as out-of-order an amendment proposed by Sen. Bieda to make enactment of this bill conditional on passage of Senate Bill 168, which would mandate extensive candidate disclosures of their personal finances.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676732
Senate Bill 674: Establish statutory right to breastfeed in public
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to establish in law that a woman has a right to breastfeed a baby in a “place of public accommodation” or public facility. A woman would be entitled to “the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations” in these places, and if denied them could sue for actual damages or up to $200 in “presumed” damages.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676832
House Bill 4125: Repeal osteopath school “advisory board”
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to eliminate an advisory board created as part of a 1969 law authorizing a state-supported school of osteopathic medicine.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676746
House Bill 4204: Rename highway in Shiawassee County
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to rename a portion of M-71 in the village of Vernon in Shiawassee County as the “Graham Barlow Jr. WWII Memorial Highway Memorial Highway”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676750
House Bill 4271: Authorize and regulate medical marijuana dispensaries
Passed 95 to 14 in the House on December 12, 2013, to authorize and establish a comprehensive regulatory regime for medical marijuana dispensaries, including municipal licensure or prohibition, with civil and criminal penalties for violations. The provisions of the state’s voter-authorized medical marijuana law, Initiated Law 1 of 2008, were ambiguous, and the state Supreme Court banned them early in 2013.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676668
House Bill 4327: Allow “tax increment finance” scheme reset to make up for property value declines
Passed 33 to 5 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to allow “corridor improvement authorities” to “reset” their tax increment financing schemes (TIF) to reflect declining property assessments, which undermine their ability to divert property tax revenue from local governments and other taxing units to pay for the authority’s debt-funded spending projects and subsidies. A TIF “captures” the extra local property tax revenue that supposedly will result from these projects; this revenue is then used to repay money borrowed to fund that spending. The bill allows these authorities to change the base year from which future tax revenue increases (”increments”) are measured.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676748
House Bill 4353: Mandate schools have “epi-pens”
Passed 27 to 11 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to mandate that public schools must have at least two staffers who are trained in the administration of an epinephrine auto injector, and at least two of these “epi-pens” on site. This is a syringe prefilled with epinephrine which is used to treat anaphylactic reactions. This bill and House Bill 4352 extend legal immunity to school districts, boards, officials, staff and pharmacists for harm arising from use of the devices, except for gross negligence.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676838
House Bill 4576: Regulate federal health care law “navigators”
Passed 102 to 7 in the House on December 12, 2013, to impose regulation and a “certification” requirement on the “navigators” authorized by the federal health care law (“Obamacare”) to assist persons applying for government-subsidized health insurance benefits through agency this law creates (the “exchange”). The bill authorizes background checks, testing and training requirements, and more. Among other things it would prohibit an individual, firm or other entity licensed as a “navigator” from steering a person toward any particular insurance policy, as opposed to just providing information on the policies.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676682
House Bill 4622: Revise drain code district procedures
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to revise details of the procedures for changing drainage district boundaries (and imposing the cost of new or repaired drains on particular property owners), including notice requirements and procedures for challenging proposed changes, plus details of the drainage district’s interaction with the state transportation and agriculture departments.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676817
House Bill 4629: Authorize fees and regulations on electronic billboards
Passed 36 to 2 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to amend the state billboard law to authorize regulations and extra fees for digital signs, and revise a wide range of other details of this law, in part so as to conform with federal billboard laws and regulations. Among other changes the bill places new conditions and restrictions on removing vegetation from in front of signs, “grandfathering” provisions for existing signs, and more. The Senate added a provision requiring billboard owners to surrender three existing permits for regular signs in or order to get one digital billboard permit, with certain exceptions and additional restrictions.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676874
House Bill 4770: Ban vehicle accident-related commercial solicitations (“ambulance chasing”)
Passed 35 to 3 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to restrict public access to vehicle accident reports for 30 days after the crash by requiring outside parties who want the report to file a statement that they will not use it for commercial solicitation (”ambulance chasing”). Violations would be subject to a $15,000 fine, and subsequent violations with up to one year in jail.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676790
House Bill 4793: Update eminent domain provisions
Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to repeal eminent domain property condemnation provisions in the state Drain Code and replace them with the provisions of a 1980 “Uniform Condemnation Procedures Act.” This would codify in statute what is already the current practice.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676818
House Bill 4810: Revise lower homestead tax for assisted living residents
Passed 109 to 0 in the House on December 12, 2013, to revise a 2012 law that allows an individual who moves into an assisted living facility to retain the principal residence property tax exemption on his or her own residence, by removing a condition that the home must not be for sale.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676691
House Bill 4821: Revise motor carrier safety law detail
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to revise details of how a state “motor carrier safety” law applies to certain categories of buses.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676833
House Bill 4831: Clarify prescription drug sales tax exemption
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to exempt over-the-counter drugs from sales tax if they are obtained under a prescription.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676803
House Bill 4966: Expand prisons’ access to the state’s criminal information database
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to give the Department of Corrections access to non-public information in the state’s LEIN criminal information database for use “in the performance of their duties” rather than just for employee screening purposes.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676736
House Bill 4967: Expand prisons’ access to the state’s criminal information database
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to give the Department of Corrections access to non-public information in the state’s LEIN criminal information database for use “in the performance of their duties” rather than just for employee screening purposes.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676737
House Bill 4968: Expand prisons’ access to the state’s criminal information database
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to give the Department of Corrections access to non-public information in the state’s LEIN criminal information database for use “in the performance of their duties” rather than just for employee screening purposes.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676738
House Bill 4993: Use some increased hunting and fishing fee money for PR campaign
The amendment failed 14 to 24 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to prohibit money in the proposed government account (”fund”) from meing used to support or oppose citizen-initiated referendums on new laws enacted by the legislature.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676753
House Bill 4993: Use some increased hunting and fishing fee money for PR campaign
Passed 25 to 13 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to use $1 of the increased hunting and fishing license fees authorized by a 2013 law for ads promoting hunting and fishing. The bill would create a state “wildlife council” and “wildlife management public education fund” with political appointees on the council board representing various interests deciding what advertising agency to hire and helping to design the public relations campaign.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676755
House Bill 4996: Exempt some small stock offerings from state registration
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to exempt certain small company stock offerings from state registration requirements if they meet various conditions specified in the bill.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676771
House Bill 5020: Eliminate sunset on “sobriety court interlock project”
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to make permanent the “sobriety court interlock project” pilot program authorized by a 2010 law intended to “reduce recidivism among alcohol offenders”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676758
House Bill 5021: Eliminate sunset on “sobriety court interlock project”
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to make permanent the “sobriety court interlock project” pilot program authorized by a 2010 intended to “reduce recidivism among alcohol offenders”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676761
House Bill 5041: Revise business tax detail
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to clarify details of the application of state business tax breaks authorized under the repealed Michigan Business Tax to a “flow-through entity” and “unitary business group”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676807
House Bill 5046: Allow customer’s wine in restaurants
Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to allow a customer to bring his or her own bottle of wine to a restaurant that has a liquor license, and let the restaurant set and charge a fee for this.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676830
House Bill 5048: Revise drunk or stoned doctor penalties
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to slightly expand access to non-public records of first offenses of a health care professional practicing while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, where the sentence was deferred if, if the offender meets conditions and terms imposed by the court.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676743
House Bill 5049: Revise “veteran’s court” detail
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to establish that if a defendant in a “veteran’s treatment” specialty court authorized by a 2012 does not meet the conditions and terms imposed by the court then the record of the proceedings would become a public record. These courts adjudicate offenses related to alcohol and drug use, which can include traffic and other violations.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676744
House Bill 5050: Ban credit card fraud “skimming” devices
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to authorize criminal penalties of up to five years in prison and a $100,000 fine for the possession or use of a “skimmer” device designed to gain access to a person’s financial accounts (for example, when a person is using an ATM machine).
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676769
House Bill 5051: Clarify identity theft penalties
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to increase the penalties provided in the state criminal code for identity theft so they match those called for in a 2004 identity theft law.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676762
House Bill 5073: Revise local “angle parking” restrictions
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to allow local governments to permit angle parking on a state “trunkline highway” if the state Department of Transportation allows it.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676774
House Bill 5086: Revise homestead income tax credit
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to establish that a person who is blind is considered equivalent to “disabled” for purposes of eligibility for an income tax credit against property taxes imposed on a person’s primary residence.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676811
House Bill 5102: Replace paper tax rolls with electronic
Passed 109 to 0 in the House on December 12, 2013, to eliminate a requirement that local governments keep a hard (paper) copy of tax rolls if the information is maintained on computerized database.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676689
House Bill 5103: Stagger snowmobile council member terms
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to stagger the ending dates of political appointees on a state “snowmobile and trails advisory council”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676745
House Bill 5107: Revise seawall repair permit mandate
Passed 109 to 0 in the House on December 12, 2013, to authorize less restrictive permit requirements for the repair or replacement of a failed seawall than the requirements which apply to erecting a new seawall.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676690
House Bill 5140: Revise package liquor store quotas
Passed 102 to 7 in the House on December 12, 2013, to concur with the Senate-passed version of the bill.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676776
House Bill 5140: Revise package liquor store quotas
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to gradually phase-in a modest relaxation of package liquor store quota rules, so as to facilitate a store moving from one community to another community in the same county. Also, to slightly increase the “quota” on the number of these liquor stores allowed in certain communities over 50,000, where they are “designed to accommodate tourists and visitors to a resort area”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676834
Senate Bill 716: Ban schools from practicing religious discrimination
Introduced by Sen. Mark Jansen (R) on December 10, 2013, to prohibit public schools and state universities from discriminating against a student or parent on the basis of religious views, or restricting the expression of those views on any otherwise permissible subject, in a manner that does not apply to the expression of non-religious views. This would apply to coursework and homework assignments in addition to classroom speech. Also, to require schools to give religious groups the same access to facilities as non-religious groups.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161525
Senate Bill 717: Ban property owner association group child care home bans
Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) on December 10, 2013, to prohibit property owners associations from adopting rules prohibiting a person using his or her property as a family child care home or a group child care home.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161526
Senate Bill 718: Revise environmental law details
Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) on December 10, 2013, to extend for another year a number of rules promulgated by the Department of Environmental Quality related to environmental contamination response activities, and to PCBs, which under a 2012 law were supposed to be rescinded at the end of 2013. The bill would also modify other technical details of the law governing environmental cleanup criteria.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161527
Senate Bill 719: Allow renegotiation of state environmental cleanup and recreation loans
Introduced by Sen. Darwin Booher (R) on December 10, 2013, to allow the state to renegotiate the duration, interest rate and payment terms of loans it has made to local governments and others with money the state itself has borrowed under the 1998 “Clean Michigan Initiative” ballot proposal that authorized $675 million of new government debt (“bond sales”) for environmental cleanup and recreation projects.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161528
Senate Bill 720: Increase unemployment benefits
Introduced by Sen. Tupac Hunter (D) on December 12, 2013, to repeal the 2011 law that reduced from 26 weeks to 20 weeks the maximum period a person is eligible for state unemployment benefits. That law was part of a package responding to a $3.8 billion debt this state had had incurred due to borrowing from the federal government to pay-out benefits boosted by higher unemployment and a 2002 law that boosted benefit levels.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161586
Senate Bill 721: Extend liability immunity to drug overdose treatment
Introduced by Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R) on December 12, 2013, to expand an existing “good Samaritan” law by extending its liability exemptions to an individual who in good faith administers Naloxone to someone he or she believes is suffering the immediate effects of a heroin or other opioid overdose.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161587
Senate Bill 722: Give new school employees 401(k), not pensions
Introduced by Sen. Arlan Meekhof (R) on December 12, 2013, to revise details of the school employee pension law to accommodate the proposal in Senate Bill 727 to close the current “defined benefit” pension system to new school employees hired starting July 1, 2014, and instead provide 401(k) contributions.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161588
Senate Bill 723: Give new school employees 401(k), not pensions
Introduced by Sen. Phil Pavlov (R) on December 12, 2013, to revise details of the school employee pension law to accommodate the proposal in Senate Bill 727 to close the current “defined benefit” pension system to new school employees hired starting July 1, 2014, and instead provide 401(k) accounts. See Senate Bill 727.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161589
Senate Bill 724: Give new school employees 401(k), not pensions
Introduced by Sen. Joe Hune (R) on December 12, 2013, to prohibit school employees from increasing their defined benefit pension benefits by purchasing “service credits” that artificially boost the years-on-the-job component of the formula used to calculate post-retirement benefit levels. This is part of a legislative package comprised of Senate Bills 722 to 728, which would close the current “defined benefit” pension system to new school employees hired starting July 1, 2014.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161590
Senate Bill 725: Give new school employees 401(k), not pensions
Introduced by Sen. Mark Jansen (R) on December 12, 2013, to revise details of a disability early retirement allowance provision the school employee pension law to accommodate the proposal in Senate Bill 727 to close the current “defined benefit” pension system to new school employees hired starting July 1, 2014, and instead provide 401(k) accounts. See Senate Bill 727.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161591
Senate Bill 726: Give new school employees 401(k), not pensions
Introduced by Sen. Bruce Caswell (R) on December 12, 2013, to grant public school retirees with income less than 133 percent of federal poverty level health insurance benefits in which the state will pay 90 percent of the cost of “coverage in the plan authorized by the retirement board.” This is part of a legislative package comprised of Senate Bills 722 to 728, which would close the current “defined benefit” pension system to new school employees hired starting July 1, 2014.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161592
Senate Bill 727: Give new school employees 401(k), not pensions
Introduced by Sen. Mark Jansen (R) on December 12, 2013, to close the current “defined benefit” pension system to new school employees hired starting July 1, 2014, and instead provide 401(k) benefits. Employees could contribute up to 5 percent of salary to their account, and the local school district would have to contribute an amount equal to 80 percent of this. This is part of a legislative package comprised of Senate Bills 722 to 728.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161593
Senate Bill 728: Give new school employees 401(k), not pensions
Introduced by Sen. Patrick Colbeck (R) on December 12, 2013, to revise details of the school employee pension law to accommodate the proposal in Senate Bill 727 to close the current “defined benefit” pension system to new school employees hired starting July 1, 2014, and instead provide 401(k) accounts. This is part of a legislative package comprised of Senate Bills 722 to 728.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161594
Senate Bill 729: Impose prosecution cost reimbursement on retail fraudsters
Introduced by Sen. Goeff Hansen (R) on December 12, 2013, to expand a law that requires individuals convicted of certain offenses to reimburse state or local governments for emergency response and prosecution costs, so that it also applies to retail fraud cases.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161595
Senate Bill 730: Mandate restaurant manager food allergy training
Introduced by Sen. Judy Emmons (R) on December 12, 2013, to mandate that restaurants employ at least one manager who has received training or viewed an approved video on food allergies.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161596
Senate Bill 731: Make enforceable funeral arrangements in wills and advance directives
Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) on December 12, 2013, to allow an individual to designate in a will or other advance directive a person to serve as a “funeral representative” to execute the decedent’s funeral arrangement directions, including the disposition of his or her remains.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161597
House Bill 5187: Expand tool and die tax breaks
Introduced by Rep. Jon Switalski (D) on December 11, 2013, to require the state agency responsible for granting and overseeing selective tax breaks and subsidies to particular corporations or developers (the “Michigan Strategic Fund”) to “aggressively work with cities, villages, and townships and with tool and die businesses to maximize” the number of these businesses granted an extensive array of tax breaks authorized by a 2004 law, and subsequent expansions of that law.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161566
House Bill 5188: Ban TIFA tax “captures” without local government permission
Introduced by Rep. Douglas Geiss (D) on December 11, 2013, to prohibit tax increment finance authorities from extending or expanding current projects, or authorizing new ones, that are funded by property tax revenue “captured” from local governments or other local taxing bodies, unless these entities have approved these potential reductions of their own tax revenue. These TIF schemes use the “increment” of extra property tax revenue that supposedly will result from economic growth generated by an authority’s projects or subsidies to repay the debts incurred to fund the projects or subsidies.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161567
House Bill 5189: Mandate late-night convenience store security provisions
Introduced by Rep. Collene Lamonte (D) on December 11, 2013, to mandate that gas stations and convenience stores which are open between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. must either have a security camera system operating continuously at all times, or have at least two employees on the job.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161568
House Bill 5190: Revise “habitual offender” criteria
Introduced by Rep. Dan Lauwers (R) on December 11, 2013, to allow certain serious juvenile criminal offense violations to be considered when determining whether an adult offender is deemed a “habitual offender” subject to an enhanced sentence.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161569
House Bill 5191: Establish ORV helmet exceptions
Introduced by Rep. Bruce Rendon (R) on December 11, 2013, to provide an exception to the law that requires operators and riders of ORVs to wear a helmet, which would apply as long as the vehicle is being operated on private land, or at less than 10 m.p.h. in a licensed game bird hunting preserve, or if the vehicle has a roof that meets specified safety standards and the user wears a seatbelt.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161570
House Bill 5192: Revise life insurance regulation detail
Introduced by Rep. Andrea LaFontaine (R) on December 11, 2013, to allow life insurance companies to use “preferred class structure mortality tables” to determine future-claim reserve levels, subject to specified limitations and restrictions.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161571
House Bill 5193: Restrict closed-door local government lawsuit meetings
Introduced in the House on December 11, 2013, to prohibit government legislative bodies from holding closed-door sessions to discuss trial or settlement strategies, unless the matter being discussed is already being litigated.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161572
House Bill 5194: Increase Open Meeting Act rigor
Introduced by Rep. Tom McMillin (R) on December 11, 2013, to establish that if a public body takes an action while in violation of the state Open Meetings Act, and then later re-enacts the decision while in compliance with the OMA, this does not exempt public officials from the misdemeanor and civil fine penalties the OMA authorizes for knowingly holding a meeting that violates its public notice and open-door requirements.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161573
House Bill 5195: Allow multiple-customer deer sausage processing
Introduced in the House on December 12, 2013, to allow a butcher to produce wild game sausage using game caught by multiple customers if the butcher provides notice to these customers. This refers to hunters who pay to have game processed for their own private consumption and not for sale to the public.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161574
House Bill 5196: Mandate school physical education hours
Introduced by Rep. Matt Lori (R) on December 12, 2013, to mandate that public schools provide at least 30 minutes of physical education twice a week, and an additional 60 minutes of physical activity per week, to children in grades K-5; and 45 minutes of physical education daily for one semester annually in grades 6-8.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161575
House Bill 5197: Expand scrap metal regulatory regime
Introduced by Rep. Klint Kesto (R) on December 12, 2013, to authorize sentencing guidelines for violations of new scrap metal dealer regulations and requirements proposed by House Bill 4593.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161576
House Bill 5198: Revise child services worker discipline procedure
Introduced by Rep. Michael McCready (R) on December 12, 2013, to allow access to confidential records contained in a state database of serious child abuse incidents to a state employee undergoing a disciplinary action, to his or her union representative, or to an arbitrator or official conducting a hearing involving the employee’s dereliction or malfeasance. This access would be for use of records solely in connection with that action or hearing.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161577
House Bill 5199: Establish rental unit bedbug procedures
Introduced by Rep. Andy Schor (D) on December 12, 2013, to establish the duties of both landlords and tenants related to a rental unit that is infested with bedbugs. A landlord would be prohibited from renting a unit that he or she knows is infested with bedbugs; required to have the premises treated by pest control professional; required to notify subsequent rental applicants that the unit was treated, and more. Tenants would be required to grant reasonable access to pest control personnel and comply with the control protocols established by the landlord. The bill authorizes penalties and legal remedies. See also Senate Bill 657.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161578
House Bill 5200: Establish rental unit bedbug procedures
Introduced by Rep. Mike Callton (R) on December 12, 2013, to include pest infestations as a reason the state or a local health department may issue an order to a building owner to correct the condition, or correct it themselves and charge the owner for the costs for refusing to comply with the order. See also House Bill 5199 and Senate Bill 657.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161579
House Bill 5201: Establish rental unit bedbug procedures
Introduced by Rep. George T. Darany (D) on December 12, 2013, to require the Department of Community Health to develop a model policy regarding bedbug infestations for use by local governments and health departments. See also House Bill 5199 and Senate Bill 657.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161580
House Bill 5202: Revise special assessment property tax detail
Introduced by Rep. Michael McCready (R) on December 12, 2013, to revise a detail of a law authorizing special assessment (property tax) payment installment plans by a township.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161581
House Bill 5203: Move back teacher rating process deadlines
Introduced by Rep. Martin Howrylak (R) on December 12, 2013, to move back by one year the deadlines imposed by a 2011 law establishing a process for determining whether teachers are “effective” or not, and basing school employment decisions on these ratings.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161582
House Bill 5204: Require state give locals chance to buy surplus snow equipment
Introduced by Rep. Scott Dianda (D) on December 12, 2013, to require the state Department of Transportation to give local governments the right of first refusal when it chooses to sell or dispose of surplus snow removal equipment.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161583
House Bill 5205: Facilitate “advanced waste energy recovery”
Introduced by Rep. Aric Nesbitt (R) on December 12, 2013, to streamline state regulations so as to facilitate the use of “advanced waste energy recovery” methods.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161584
Senate Bill 732: Ban employers asking about employee contraceptive use
Introduced by Sen. Jim Ananich (D) on January 8, 2014, to prohibit employers from asking employees or job applicants about their use or nonuse of contraceptives.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161914
Senate Bill 733: Increase government legal immunity to roadway defect claims
Introduced by Sen. Mike Kowall (R) on January 8, 2014, to exempt governments from liability for property damage, injury or death of a pedestrian or “other person not traveling in a motor vehicle” on a highway, unless the plaintiff proves that at least 30 days before the event the governmental agency knew or should have known of the existence of a roadway defect as defined in the bill.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161915
Senate Bill 734: Establish utility worker safety day
Introduced by Sen. Bruce Caswell (R) on January 8, 2014, to establish that henceforth, December 6 shall be designated “Utility Workers Safety Awareness Day” in the state of Michigan.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161916
House Bill 5182: Give tax break to nonprofit housing organizations
Introduced by Rep. Dale W. Zorn (R) on December 10, 2013, to exempt dwellings owned by a charitable nonprofit housing organization from property tax for five years, or until the property is transferred to a low income person. Under current law, local governments may grant this tax break but are not required to.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161948
House Bill 5183: Expand homeowner income tax credit
Introduced by Rep. Martin Howrylak (R) on December 10, 2013, to increase and index to inflation certain income and home value caps that limit the principle residence property tax credit that homeowners can claim on their state income tax.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161949
House Bill 5184: Repeal limit on electric utility competition
Introduced by Rep. Mike Shirkey (R) on December 10, 2013, to essentially repeal the core provisions of the 2008 law that limited electric utility competition to 10 percent of the commercial customers in large utilities’ service areas, and revise regulated utility rate-setting rules to accommodate this expansion of consumer choice.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161950
House Bill 5185: Authorize and regulate “pharmaceutical-grade cannabis”
Introduced by Rep. Thomas Stallworth, III (D) on December 10, 2013, to establish a comprehensive regulatory regime for production and sale by pharmacies of “pharmaceutical-grade cannabis” to individuals with a debilitating medical condition, contingent on the federal government reclassifying marijuana from an illegal drug to a prescription drug. Michigan’s voter-initiated medical marijuana law, Initiated Law 1 of 2008, establishes a regulatory framework for patients or authorized caregivers growing their own; companies seeking “commercialized” distribution lobbied for this bill and the identical Senate Bill 660.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161951
House Bill 5186
Introduced by Rep. Andy Schor (D) on December 10, 2013, Revise charitable “millionaire party” gambling regulations to revise the law governing charitable “millionaire party” gambling events that include casino games, in a manner that facilitates charitable organizations essentially contracting out the operation of these events to certain facilities, subject to various restrictions, and with a requirement that an organization have at least two members working at the events.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161952
House Bill 5206: Establish “Blue Star Mothers” recognition day
Introduced by Rep. Terry Brown (D) on January 8, 2014, to declare that February 2 of each year be known in Michigan as “Blue Star Mothers Day”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161919
House Bill 5207: Ban prosecution of overdose victim or friend who seeks treatment
Introduced by Rep. Sam Singh (D) on January 8, 2014, to prohibit prosecutors from prosecuting an illegal drug case against an individual if the person was seeking medical attention for an overdose or bad reaction, either for him or herself, or for another person.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161920
House Bill 5208: Suspend truants’ drivers licenses
Introduced by Rep. Andy Schor (D) on January 8, 2014, to require courts to notify the Secretary of State of minors prosecuted for truancy, so the Secretary of State can suspend or withhold their drivers license for six months as proposed by House Bill 5209.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161921
House Bill 5209: Suspend truants’ drivers licenses
Introduced by Rep. Andy Schor (D) on January 8, 2014, to suspend for six months the drivers license of a minor who is prosecuted for “willful and repeated” school absence (or withhold a license from a minor who doesn’t have one yet).
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161922
House Bill 5210: Repeal state land ownership cap
Introduced by Rep. Wayne Schmidt (R) on January 8, 2014, to repeal a cap on the amount of state-owned Department of Natural Resources land that was imposed by a 2012 law, and approve a “strategic plan” this law required the DNR to produce as a condition of removing the cap on state-owned land.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161923
House Bill 5211: Extend no-fault “mini-tort” exemption
Introduced by Rep. Bill LaVoy (D) on January 8, 2014, to motorcycles to extend to motorcycles a $1,000 “mini-tort” exception to the prohibition on vehicle crash lawsuits under the state no fault insurance law.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161924
House Bill 5212: Require conviction for drug defendant property forfeiture
Introduced by Rep. Jeff Irwin (D) on January 8, 2014, to establish that property seized from a defendant in an illegal drug prosecution is not subject to forfeiture unless the individual is actually convicted.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161925
House Bill 5213: Ban using juveniles as police informants without parent’s permission
Introduced by Rep. Jeff Irwin (D) on January 8, 2014, to prohibit law enforcement agencies from using a juvenile as an enforcement-action participant or informant without first obtaining written consent from the child’s parent or legal guardian.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161927
House Bill 5214: Prohibit working seven days a week for an employer
Introduced by Rep. Sean McCann (D) on January 8, 2014, to mandate that employers must give employees “at least 24 consecutive hours of rest in every calendar week,” with some exceptions. The bill would also impose a related record-keeping mandate on employers.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161928
House Bill 5215: Reimburse locals for disabled veteran’s tax exemption
Introduced by Rep. Wayne Schmidt (R) on January 8, 2014, to require the state to reimburse local governments and school districts for the foregone revenue generated by the expansion of a principal residence property tax exemption for disabled veterans that was mandated by a new state law enacted two months before this bill’s introduction.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161929
House Bill 5216: Authorize goverrnment “certificate of employability” for ex-cons
Introduced by Rep. Klint Kesto (R) on January 9, 2014, to authorize the Department of Corrections to issue (at its discretion) a “certificate of employability” to prisoners being released who have behaved well in prison, got counseling, earned a GED, and met other criteria (some of which are undefined and subjective).
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161953
House Bill 5217: Authorize goverrnment “certificate of employability” for ex-cons
Introduced by Rep. John Walsh (R) on January 9, 2014, to give employers limited liability in personal injury, property damage and wrongful death lawsuits arising from the actions of an employee who is an ex-convict hired after the individual was granted a “certificate of employability” by the state Department of Corrections, as proposed by House Bill 5216.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161954
House Bill 5218: Authorize goverrnment “certificate of employability” for ex-cons
Introduced by Rep. Harvey Santana (D) on January 9, 2014, to revise details of the “good moral character” prerequisite in occupational licensure mandates to conform with the ex-convict “certificate of employability” proposed by House Bill 5216. Specifically, the bill would allow but not require licensure boards to consider criminal prosecutions or lawsuit judgments as evidence of an individual not having “good moral character,” but require that they take notice of whether an ex-convict was granted the state “certificate of employability” proposed by House Bill 5216.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161955
Senate Bill 337: Revise certain tax collection procedures and deadlines
Passed 108 to 0 in the House on January 15, 2014, to require the Department of Treasury to release a business’s known tax liability to a purchaser of the business within 60 days if the owner waives confidentiality. If the department fails to do so, the buyer would not be liable for the firm’s unpaid taxes. Also, to establish notification requirements if the department initiates an examination of a taxpayer’s records, and establish deadlines for completing this. Finally, to establish that if a claim for tax overpayment refund is not approved within one year, it can be treated as denied, and the taxpayer can appeal to the state tax tribunal or court of claims.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=678714
House Bill 4288: Restrict use of “indirect” tax audits
Passed 107 to 0 in the House on January 15, 2014, to prohibit the Department of Treasury from levying a delinquent sales tax assessment on a person or business based on an “indirect audit,” if a taxpayer has filed all the required returns and has maintained and preserved adequate records as required. The bill also establishes minimum standards for such “indirect audits”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=678710
House Bill 4292: Restrict use of “indirect” tax audits
Passed 107 to 0 in the House on January 15, 2014, to prohibit the Department of Treasury from levying a delinquent use tax assessment on a person or business based on an “indirect audit,” if a taxpayer has filed all the required returns and has maintained and preserved adequate records as required. The bill also establishes minimum standards for such “indirect audits”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=678711
House Bill 4629: Authorize fees and regulations on electronic billboards
Passed 101 to 6 in the House on January 15, 2014, to authorize regulations for digital highway billboards, including a requirement that sign owners surrender three existing regular-sign permits to get one digital billboard permit, subject to certain exceptions and restrictions. The bill would also revise a wide range of other details of state billboard regulations, including conditions and restrictions on removing vegetation from in front of signs, increased fees and fines, and more..
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=678709
House Bill 4866: Authorize new bicycle rider hand signals
Passed 36 to 1 in the Senate on January 15, 2014, to establish new signals for bicycle riders. Left turns would be indicated by extending the left arm straight out; right turns by either extending the right arm, or the left arm with forearm raised (which is the current standard), and slowing or stopping by “extending the left hand and arm downward”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=678698
Senate Bill 735: Extend Cobo use tax exemption
Introduced by Sen. Jim Marleau (R) on January 14, 2014, to extend for another two years the 2014 sunset on a law that exempts from use tax material used to fix or renovate Cobo Hall in Detroit.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162098
Senate Bill 736: Expand court authority over medical marijuana patients’ children
Introduced by Sen. Rick Jones (R) on January 15, 2014, to expand the authority of a court to order actions that potentially could result in a medical marijuana patient losing his or her parental rights. Specifically, the bill would authorize the court to order an independent medical examination to determine that medical marijuana is indicated for the parent’s condition, order the parent to stop using it if the independent exam does not support this prescription, or impose “any other order” within the court’s authority that it considers “in the best interests of the child”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162310
Senate Bill 737: Expand “lemon law” to include RV chassis
Introduced by Sen. Bruce Caswell (R) on January 16, 2014, to extend the state “lemon law” for cars to cover the chassis of recreational vehicles.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162455
House Bill 5219: Exempt certain pension income from state income tax
Introduced by Rep. Scott Dianda (D) on January 14, 2014, to reverse the provision of the 2011 income and business tax overhaul that partially eliminated some state income tax exemptions for pension income.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162120
House Bill 5220: Revise accounting firm licensure details
Introduced by Rep. Tim Kelly (R) on January 14, 2014, to revise details of the licensure mandate imposed on certain officers of public accounting firms.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162123
House Bill 5221: Mandate school employees report student harm
Introduced by Rep. Kurt Heise (R) on January 15, 2014, to mandate that if a public school official or employee witnesses or receives information regarding the maltreatment or injury of a child at school, either intentional or accidental, then he or she must inform the child’s parent or legal guardian of the details, in writing, as soon as practicable.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162311
House Bill 5222: Revise political speech regulation detail
Introduced by Rep. Anthony Forlini (R) on January 15, 2014, to revise the application of a regulation that requires sponsors of “issue ads” or flyers that reference a candidate or ballot initiative to disclose their sponsor if posted within 30 days of a primary election or 60 days of a general election. The bill would impose the 60 day mandate in both kinds of election.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162312
House Bill 5223: Reduce “student growth” portion of teacher rating criteria
Introduced by Rep. Margaret O’Brien (R) on January 15, 2014, to delay and change many details in the teacher evaluation criteria specified in a 2011 legislative package overhauling the “teacher tenure” and ratings system, which unless amended goes into effect in the fall of 2015. Among other changes the bill would reduce the amount of a teacher’s performance rating based on empirical student growth data collected by the state from at least 50 percent to 20 percent, with 30 percent based on “locally” selected growth assessments whose details and rigor may vary. Also, the requirement that a teacher who is rated “ineffective” three years in a row must be dismissed would not apply if any changes were made to the rating system during that period. The bill is cosponsored by Republicans Bill Rogers and Lisa Posthumus Lyons, and Democrat Adam Zemke.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162313
House Bill 5224: Revise school administrator rating criteria
Introduced by Rep. Adam Zemke (D) on January 15, 2014, to delay until the 2017-2018 school year a public school administrator rating system that under a 2011 law overhauling the “teacher tenure” and ratings system that without change goes into effect in the fall of 2015. Along with House Bill 5223, the bill would reduce the portion of these ratings that is based on empirical student growth data collected by the state.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162314
Senate Bill 337: Revise business tax collection procedures and deadlines
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on January 21, 2014, to place specified limits on the personal liability of a business owner or manager for taxes the firm collects from another person but then fails to pay to the state. Also, to require the Department of Treasury to release a business’s known tax liability to a purchaser of the business within 60 days if the owner requests this, and limit the buyer’s liability for the firm’s unpaid taxes subject to various circumstances. Also, to establish that if the department initiates a tax audit it must be completed and the taxpayer “cleared” within specified time limits. Finally, to establish that if a claim for tax overpayment refund is not approved within one year, it can be treated as denied, and the taxpayer can appeal to the state tax tribunal or court of claims. Note: After Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed Senate Bill 64 following objections by the Department of Treasury to details in certain provisions, that bill’s other provisions were folded into this one. The measures respond to complaints from the business community that the department is being overly and unreasonably aggressive in enforcing various business-related tax provisions.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=679792
House Bill 4209: Increase solicitation of sex from minor penalties
Passed 109 to 1 in the House on January 22, 2014, to make it a felony punishable by up to five years in prison to solicit a 16-year-old or 17-year-old for prostitution or other “lewd or immoral” acts.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=680049
House Bill 4210: Increase solicitation of sex from minor penalties
Passed 109 to 1 in the House on January 22, 2014, to revise the sentencing guidelines for the penalty increase proposed by House Bill 4209 for the crime of soliciting a minor 16 or 17 years of age or older to commit prostitution.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=680050
House Bill 5158: Create state “human trafficking commission”
Passed 109 to 1 in the House on January 22, 2014, to create a government “human trafficking commission” to seek grants, fund research and training for criminal justice and social service personnel, recommend changes to current law and more.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=680047
Senate Bill 705: Revise court records detail
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on January 23, 2014, to revise a law that requires audio recordings of court hearings involving a minor to be a “permanent record.” The bill would specify that how long these recordings need be retained would be set in rules determined by the state Supreme Court.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=680276
Senate Bill 738: Require auto insurers give potential Medicaid info to state
Introduced by Sen. Bruce Caswell (R) on January 21, 2014, to extend for another four years the sunset on a 2011 law that requires auto insurers to provide the Secretary of State with all vehicle owners’ insurance policy and identification information, which it then forwards to the Department of Community Health for purposes of claiming from insurers money for services already reimbursed by government health care welfare programs.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162798
Senate Bill 739: Revise local “economic development authority” board detail
Introduced by Sen. Virgil Smith, Jr. (D) on January 21, 2014, to allow “local development financing” tax increment finance authority board members to be an elected or appointed government official, with their board membership ending at the same time their term or official position ends.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162799
Senate Bill 740
Introduced by Sen. Virgil Smith, Jr. (D) on January 21, 2014, Revise local “corridor improvement authority” board detail to allow “corridor improvement” tax increment finance authority board members to be an elected or appointed government official, with their board membership ending at the same time their term or official position ends.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162800
Senate Bill 741: Give temporary health care professional occupational license to military spouse
Introduced by Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R) on January 22, 2014, to grant a temporary Michigan health care specialty license to the spouse of a member of the military from another state if the person has an equivalent license from that state. The license would expire in one year unless the individual meets the background check and other Michigan requirements in that time.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162884
Senate Bill 742: Give temporary occupational license to military spouse
Introduced by Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R) on January 22, 2014, to grant a temporary occupational license mandated by Michigan law to earn a living in certain professions to the spouse of a member of the military from another state if the person has an equivalent license from that state. The license would expire in one year unless the individual meets the background check and other Michigan requirements in that time.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162885
Senate Bill 743: Repeal mandate that lawyers belong to certain private organization
Introduced by Sen. Arlan Meekhof (R) on January 23, 2014, to repeal the law that an individual who has attained a Michigan attorney license must also belong to and pay annual dues to the Michigan Bar Association, a private organization for lawyers, as a condition of being able to practice law in Michigan. The bill has been dubbed “right to work” for lawyers.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162976
House Bill 4003: Expand state Treasurer tax dispute deal making authority
Passed 107 to 0 in the House on January 23, 2014, to authorize the state treasurer to compromise disputed tax matters under certain conditions, and establish associated disclosures and record keeping requirements.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=680326
House Bill 4715: Ban felons having ammo
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on January 23, 2014, to expand current prohibitions on convicted felons having a gun for three to five years after all their fines are paid and sentences served, so that their possession of ammunition is also banned. The gun ban applies to individuals convicted of a crime punishable by four years or more.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=680277
House Bill 4716: Ban felons having ammo
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on January 23, 2014, to revise the state sentencing guidelines to reflect the prohibition proposed by House Bill 4715 on convicted felons possessing ammunition.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=680278
House Bill 4717: Ban felons having ammo
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on January 23, 2014, to revise a reference in the law allowing a convicted felon to petition for the restoration of his or her right to possess a gun, to reflect the proposal in House Bill 4715 to also prohibit convicted felons whose rights have been suspended from possessing ammunition.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=680279
House Bill 5146: Revise life insurance regulation detail
Passed 107 to 0 in the House on January 23, 2014, to revise provisions of a law governing group life insurance policies provided by employers, so that it conforms with a national model.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=680327
House Bill 5147: Revise life insurance regulation detail
Passed 107 to 0 in the House on January 23, 2014, to establish that a variable life insurance or annuity product approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is by definition compliant with Michigan’s state law governing these products.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=680328
House Bill 5148: Allow insurance reserve Canadian stock and bond investments
Passed 107 to 0 in the House on January 23, 2014, to revise the law governing the amount and type of assets insurance companies are required to maintain as reserves against future claims, so as to explicitly allow Canadian securities, stocks and governmental bonds.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=680329
House Bill 5149: Revise life insurance regulation detail
Passed 107 to 0 in the House on January 23, 2014, to clarify that long-term care insurance benefits are not subject to state regulations on “accelerated benefits,” which are benefits that may be provided under life insurance policies in anticipation of a beneficiary’s death from specified life-threatening conditions.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=680330
House Bill 5150: Revise life insurance regulation detail
Passed 107 to 0 in the House on January 23, 2014, to revise state life insurance regulations to permit electronic applications, and revise details of regulations on variable annuity contract refunds.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=680331
House Bill 5227: Increase income tax personal exemption
Introduced by Rep. Andy Schor (D) on January 21, 2014, to increase the state income tax personal exemption from $4,000 to $4,100.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162883
House Bill 5228: Waive patient confidentiality in certain child abuse investigations
Introduced by Rep. Kenneth Kurtz (R) on January 22, 2014, to require health care and mental health professionals including doctors, psychologists and others, to turn over records related to a patient’s “substance use disorder” records to the Department of Human Services, if this is requested due to a child abuse or child neglect investigation that has been initiated involving a patient. The usual patient confidentiality requirements privileges would be waived in these cases.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162890
House Bill 5229: Revise school expulsion-related procedural detail
Introduced by Rep. Collene Lamonte (D) on January 22, 2014, to allow a school board to delegate to a “designee” the duty to appoint a committee to review a petition for readmission from a student who has been expelled due to weapons or violent behavior violations.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162891
House Bill 5230: Authorize new human trafficking sanctions
Introduced by Rep. Phil Cavanagh (D) on January 22, 2014, to define property on which human trafficking crimes are committed conducted as a nuisance subject to being closed, which also allow moveable property found there to be seized and sold.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162892
House Bill 5231: Make prostitution law gender neutral
Introduced by Rep. Joseph Graves (R) on January 22, 2014, to eliminate gender references in state laws outlawing prostitution.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162893
House Bill 5232: Make prostitution law gender neutral
Introduced by Rep. Nancy Jenkins (R) on January 22, 2014, to revise the state sentencing guidelines to conform to the proposal in House Bill 5231 to eliminate gender references in state laws outlawing prostitution.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162894
House Bill 5233: Human trafficking crime package
Introduced by Rep. Klint Kesto (R) on January 22, 2014, to include human trafficking in the crimes covered by a state criminal forfeiture law, which allows property used in a crime or acquired with the proceeds of a crime to be seized and sold, and which authorizes turning over the sale proceeds (after liens, crime victim restitution amounts, etc. are paid off) distributed to the government entities that are “substantially involved in effecting the forfeiture”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162895
House Bill 5234: Human trafficking crime package
Introduced by Rep. Nancy Jenkins (R) on January 22, 2014, to revise and update definitions in the state criminal law that covers human trafficking.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162896
House Bill 5235: Human trafficking crime package
Introduced by Rep. Marcia Hovey-Wright (D) on January 22, 2014, to revise the state sentencing guidelines to conform to the proposal in House Bill 5234 to update definitions in the state criminal law that covers human trafficking.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162897
House Bill 5236: Human trafficking crime package
Introduced by Rep. Edward McBroom (R) on January 22, 2014, to revise the state criminal forfeiture law to conform to the proposal in House Bill 5234 to update definitions in the state criminal law that covers human trafficking.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162898
House Bill 5237: Human trafficking crime package
Introduced by Rep. Phil Cavanagh (D) on January 22, 2014, to include human trafficking crimes in the state’s victim restitution law.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162899
House Bill 5238: Human trafficking crime package
Introduced by Rep. Eileen Kowall (R) on January 22, 2014, to revise the law authorizing expunction of an individual’s criminal records, so as to allow prostitution offenses to be removed if they were due to an individual being the victim of a human trafficking crime. The bill would waive the time limits on filing a expunction request petition, establish procedural and burden of proof standards and more.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162900
House Bill 5239: Human trafficking crime package
Introduced by Rep. Kenneth Kurtz (R) on January 22, 2014, to require Department of Human Services employees to promptly report to law enforcement suspected child abuse or child neglect involving human trafficking crimes.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162901
House Bill 5240: Human trafficking crime package
Introduced by Rep. Brain Banks (D) on January 22, 2014, to lengthen the statute of limitations for prosecutions related to human trafficking, with no limitation for human trafficking crimes punishable by life in prison.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162902
House Bill 5241: Place soliciting a prostitute offenders on public sex offender registry
Introduced by Rep. John Kivela (D) on January 22, 2014, to require individuals convicted of soliciting a prostitute to be entered in the state’s public sex offender registry.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162903
House Bill 5242: Place soliciting a prostitute offenders on public sex offender registry
Introduced by Rep. Margaret O’Brien (R) on January 22, 2014, to require individuals convicted of soliciting a prostitute to be entered in the state’s public sex offender registry.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162904
House Bill 5243
Introduced by Rep. David Knezek (D) on January 22, 2014, Extend civil rights law workplace prohibitions to interns to specifically include individuals working as interns in the state civil rights law prohibitions on illegal workplace discrimination based on religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, or marital status.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162905
House Bill 5244: Increase income tax pension deduction
Introduced by Rep. Patrick Somerville (R) on January 22, 2014, to establish that for the 2014, 2015 and 2016 tax years, individuals born after 1952 may deduct pension income from state income tax, up to $7,500 for a single return and $15,000 for a joint return. Combined with House Bill 5249 the bill is designed to reduce an increased tax liability “cliff” effect of a tax reform and business tax cut law that partially eliminated some of the state income tax exemptions for pension income.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162906
House Bill 5245: Authorize a “Thin Blue Line” specialty license plate
Introduced by Rep. Bill Rogers (R) on January 23, 2014, to authorize a “Thin Blue Line” specialty license plate, with the net revenue going to the “Thin Blue Line” organization, to be used solely to assist and support the families of injured or deceased law enforcement officers within the state.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162988
House Bill 5246: Revise arrest warrant procedural details
Introduced by Rep. Bill Rogers (R) on January 23, 2014, to revise the procedures that currently authorize arrest warrant complaints to be phoned in or submitted by other electronic means of communications. The bill would explicitly include “electronic video” in these means, and allow judges to swear-in the plaintiff using electronic video (under current law this step must be done in person).
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162989
House Bill 5247: Exempt hospital pools from lifeguard mandate
Introduced by Rep. Aric Nesbitt (R) on January 23, 2014, to exempt small hospital-owned health and wellness center pools from a state law that mandates lifeguards at swimming pools that are open to the public (with various exceptions).
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162990
House Bill 5248: Waive some licensure fees for veterans
Introduced by Rep. Gail Haines (R) on January 23, 2014, to waive fees charged for state-imposed dental assistant and hygienist licensure mandates if the applicant is an honorably discharged veteran who performed these roles in the military.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162991
House Bill 5249: Increase income tax pension
Introduced by Rep. Greg MacMaster (R) on January 23, 2014, to increase the state income tax deduction for pension income for individuals born after 1952. Combined with House Bill 5244 the bill is designed to reduce an increased tax liability “cliff” effect of a tax reform and business tax cut law that partially eliminated some of the state income tax exemptions for pension income.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162992
Senate Bill 31: Revise regulation of trusts detail
Passed 108 to 0 in the House on January 28, 2014, to establish that a trustee of a trust has an “insurable interest” in the life of an individual insured under a life insurance policy owned by the trustee acting in a fiduciary capacity for the trust, given certain conditions specified in the bill.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=681000
Senate Bill 32: Revise regulation of trusts detail
Passed 108 to 0 in the House on January 28, 2014, to establish that a trustee of a trust has an “insurable interest” in the life of an individual insured under a life insurance policy owned by the trustee acting in a fiduciary capacity for the trust, given certain conditions specified in the bill.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=681001
Senate Bill 255: Clarify building code standards on fireworks sellers
Passed 108 to 0 in the House on January 28, 2014, to clarify that state building code standards, not a National Fire Protection Association standard, would apply to a permanent building or structure used to sell fireworks, notwithstanding provisions in a 2011 fireworks law that regulated rather than banned the sale of many “consumer fireworks” (including firecrackers, bottle rockets, Roman candles, etc.).
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=680999
Senate Bill 273: Impose licensure on “psychological associates”
The substitute passed by voice vote in the Senate on January 30, 2014, to replace the previous version of the bill with one that revises details but does not change the substance as previously described.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=157731
Senate Bill 273: Impose licensure on “psychological associates”
Passed 34 to 3 in the Senate on January 30, 2014, to impose licensure and regulation on “psychological associates,” with license fees, continuing education mandates, a mandate to have accumulated 6,000 hours of experience prior to being eligible for a license, and other requirements imposed on potential new entrants to this profession by a board of existing practitioners.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=681249
Senate Bill 711: Extend Cobo sales tax exemption
Passed 34 to 1 in the Senate on January 29, 2014, to extend for another two years the 2014 sunset on a law that exempts from sales tax the purchase of tools and equipment by a contractor if these are used to fix or renovate Cobo Hall in Detroit.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=681081
Senate Bill 735: Extend Cobo use tax exemption
Passed 35 to 2 in the Senate on January 30, 2014, to extend for another two years the 2014 sunset on a law that exempts from use tax the purchase of tools and equipment by a contractor if these are used to fix or renovate Cobo Hall in Detroit.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=681250
House Bill 4629: Authorize fees and regulations on electronic billboards
Passed 104 to 6 in the House on January 29, 2014, to concur with the Senate-passed version of the bill.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=681283
House Bill 4716: Ban felons having ammo
Passed 86 to 22 in the House on January 28, 2014, to concur with the Senate-passed version of the bill.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=680997
House Bill 4717: Ban felons having ammo
Passed 101 to 7 in the House on January 28, 2014, to concur with the Senate-passed version of the bill.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=680998
House Bill 5131: Revise “Brownfields” authority board detail
Passed 108 to 2 in the House on January 29, 2014, to allow “brownfield” authority board members to be an elected or appointed government official, with their board membership ending at the same time their term or official position ends. These authorities were originally created to facilitate redevelopment of polluted industrial sites, but the law has been gradually revised to let them deliver more conventional direct and indirect “economic development” subsidies to particular developers.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=681284
House Bill 5132: Revise local “economic development” authority board detail
Passed 108 to 2 in the House on January 29, 2014, to allow regional “economic development” agency board members to be an elected or appointed government official, with their board membership ending at the same time their term or official position ends. These agencies are essentially the local arms of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the state agency through which tax breaks and subsidies are delivered to particular companies and developers selected by political appointees on the MEDC board.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=681285
Senate Bill 744: Exempt hospital pools from lifeguard mandate
Introduced by Sen. John Proos, IV (R) on January 28, 2014, to exempt small hospital-owned health and wellness center pools from a state law that mandates lifeguards at swimming pools that are open to the public (with various exceptions).
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163164
Senate Bill 745: Authorize high school/college concurrent enrollment
Introduced by Sen. Darwin Booher (R) on January 29, 2014, to explicitly allow public school districts to let high school students take college-level concurrent enrollment courses at one or more postsecondary institutions that enter a partnership with the district, subject to various conditions and requirements specified in the bill. These allow a student to earn both high school and college credits. Tuition would be paid by the school district at a negotiated rate. Senate Bills 745 and 746 would establish as the “intent of the legislature” – but would not require – that tuition would be at a rate that covers the college or university’s marginal cost for the class and which does not exceed its in-state tuition rate.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163210
Senate Bill 746: Authorize high school/college concurrent enrollment
Introduced by Sen. Darwin Booher (R) on January 29, 2014, to explicitly allow community colleges to enter agreements with public school districts to let high school students take college-level concurrent enrollment courses, subject to various conditions and requirements specified in the bill. These courses allow a student to earn both high school and college credits. Tuition would be paid by out of the district’s per-pupil foundation allowance at a negotiated rate. The bill would establish as the “intent of the legislature” – but would not require – that tuition would be at a rate that covers the college’s marginal cost for the class and which does not exceed its in-state tuition rate. See also Senate Bill 745.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163211
Senate Bill 747: Authorize high school/college concurrent enrollment
Introduced by Sen. Goeff Hansen (R) on January 29, 2014, to explicitly allow state universities to enter agreements with public school districts to let high school students take college-level concurrent enrollment courses, subject to various conditions and requirements specified in the bill. These courses allow a student to earn both high school and college credits. Tuition would be paid by out of the district’s per-pupil foundation allowance at a negotiated rate. Tuition would be paid by the school district at a negotiated rate. The bill would establish as the “intent of the legislature” – but would not require – that tuition would be at a rate that covers the university’s marginal cost for the class and which does not exceed its in-state tuition rate. See also Senate Bill 745.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163212
Senate Bill 748: Revise limousine regulations and special Detroit powers
Introduced by Sen. Virgil Smith, Jr. (D) on January 30, 2014, to revise the population threshold in a law that authorizes Detroit to impose a protectionist city regulatory regime on “limousines” that pick up passengers in the city. Currently limousines are licensed by the state (with no limit on the number of licenses) and defined as a vehicle for hire capable carrying from seven to 15 people. The bill would change this to only include vehicles seating between 10 and 15 people (thereby excluding most of the vehicles commonly called “limos,” and largely limiting this category to vans). The bill is cosponsored by Oakland County Republican Mike Kowall.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163257
Senate Bill 749: Revise crime victim impact statement detail
Introduced by Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R) on January 30, 2014, to restrict a parent or guardian’s right to submit a “victim impact” statement authorized by a state victims rights law, by excluding a parent or guardian who is in jail or prison, or who is a defendant in the crime in which the minor was the victim.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163258
Senate Bill 750: Revise crime victim impact statement detail
Introduced by Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R) on January 30, 2014, to restrict a parent or guardian’s right to submit a “victim impact” statement authorized by a state victims rights law, by excluding a parent or guardian who is in jail or prison, or who is a defendant in the crime in which the minor was the victim.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163260
House Bill 5225: Revise NRC member details
Introduced by Rep. Martin Howrylak (R) on January 21, 2014, to specify additional qualifications for membership on the state Natural Resource commission, and update the duties of members.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162881
House Bill 5226: Expand crop damage deer shooting permit to bears
Introduced by Rep. Edward McBroom (R) on January 21, 2014, to expand a state law that authorizes special crop damage deer hunting permits so that this also allow these for bears that are causing damage to crops or feed.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162882
House Bill 5250: Mandate criminal asset forfeiture disclosures
Introduced by Rep. Tom McMillin (R) on January 23, 2014, to require law enforcement agencies to file monthly reports on number of criminal asset forfeiture proceedings concluded, pending or “negotiated.” The bill would also require the reports to disclose for each property seizure the alleged violation; the date the property was seized; whether any person was charged or convicted; a description of the property; its value; whether there was a plea or other agreement; the property’s final disposition; whether the seizure was based on arrangements with federal, state or local agencies (“adoptive” seizure); details of the costs and expenses associated with the seizure and more. The State Police would be required to analyze these disclosures and make recommendations on making the process less unfair. See also House Bill 5212, which would require an actual conviction for property forfeitures in drug cases.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162993
House Bill 5251: Mandate criminal asset forfeiture disclosures
Introduced by Rep. Rose Mary Robinson (D) on January 23, 2014, to amend the illegal drug law provisions of the Public Health Code to conform with the criminal asset forfeiture disclosures proposed by House Bill 5250.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162994
House Bill 5252: Mandate criminal asset forfeiture disclosures
Introduced by Rep. Mike Callton (R) on January 23, 2014, to amend the state law authorizing the abatement of nuisances (which includes things like drug houses) to conform with the criminal asset forfeiture disclosures proposed by House Bill 5250.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162995
House Bill 5253: Revise tax assessor certification detail
Introduced by Rep. Terry Brown (D) on January 23, 2014, to exempt directors of local property tax assessment bureaus who have held their position for at least two years from having to attain a more rigorous certification if the requirement to do so was triggered by the community’s total property value increasing to a level that requires the higher certification. Also, to allow a person with a lower certification to be hired for this position if no one with the higher level applies.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162996
House Bill 5254: Establish enhanced hydrocarbon recovery CO2 pipeline regulations
Introduced by Rep. Rick Outman (R) on January 23, 2014, to revise the state law imposing permit requirements on gas, oil and other pipelines, to include pipelines carrying carbon dioxide used to produce hydrocarbons in secondary or “enhanced recovery’ operations. Senate Bill 5255 and 5256 would apply property condemnation powers and the state preemption of local pipeline restrictions to these pipelines. See also House Bill 4885, which would cut the tax on oil and gas extracted using enhanced recovery.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162997
House Bill 5255: Establish enhanced hydrocarbon recovery CO2 pipeline regulations
Introduced by Rep. Thomas Stallworth, III (D) on January 23, 2014, to apply the state law authorizing private property condemnation by eminent domain for gas, oil and other pipelines, so it also includes pipelines carrying carbon dioxide used to produce hydrocarbons in secondary or “enhanced recovery” operations. See also House Bill 4885, which would cut the tax on oil and gas extracted using enhanced recovery.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=162998
House Bill 5256: Exempt certain pension income from state income tax
Introduced by Rep. Peter MacGregor (R) on January 28, 2014, to revise the provision of Gov. Rick Snyder’s tax reform and business tax cut that partially eliminated some income tax exemptions for pension income. The bill would expand the law’s age-based pension income exemptions by eliminating restrictions based on the year a person was born.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163182
House Bill 5257: Redesignate a highway
Introduced by Rep. Ray Franz (R) on January 28, 2014, to designate a portion of highway M-116 in Mason county the “Trooper Paul K. Butterfield, II Memorial Highway”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163183
House Bill 5258: Expand disabled veteran license plate eligibility
Introduced by Rep. Jim Townsend (D) on January 28, 2014, to allow partially disabled veterans to get a special license plate that is currently available only to totally disabled veterans.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163184
House Bill 5259: Give temporary teaching certificate to military spouse teachers
Introduced by Rep. Mike Shirkey (R) on January 29, 2014, to grant a temporary Michigan teaching certificate to the spouse of a member of the military from another state if the person has an equivalent license or certification from that state.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163248
House Bill 5260: Require disclosures in utility choice marketing calls
Introduced by Rep. Mike Shirkey (R) on January 29, 2014, to require telephone marketing solicitations from electric or natural gas service providers to disclose at the start of the call the full name of the company offering the service.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163249
House Bill 5261: Exempt vehicle sale to relatives from sales tax
Introduced by Rep. Kevin Cotter (R) on January 29, 2014, to exempt from sales tax the sale of a vehicle to a relative, including parents, children, grandparents and grandchildren, spouses, in-laws and more.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163250
House Bill 5262: Revise crime victim impact statement detail
Introduced by Rep. Wayne Schmidt (R) on January 29, 2014, to restrict a parent or guardian’s right to submit a “victim impact” statement authorized by a state victims rights law, by excluding a parent or guardian who is in jail or prison, or who is a defendant in the crime in which the minor was the victim.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163251
House Bill 5263: Revise crime victim impact statement detail
Introduced by Rep. Margaret O’Brien (R) on January 29, 2014, to restrict a parent or guardian’s right to submit a “victim impact” statement authorized by a state victims rights law, by excluding a parent or guardian who is in jail or prison, or who is a defendant in the crime in which the minor was the victim.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163252
House Bill 5264: Allow more school retiree “double dipping”
Introduced by Rep. Robert Genetski (R) on January 29, 2014, to extend for another two years a July 2014 sunset on a law that allows a former school employee to work as a teacher and still collect a pension in addition to the current pay, subject to specified limitations and qualifications.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163253
House Bill 5265: Cut state income tax rate
Introduced by Rep. Patrick Somerville (R) on January 29, 2014, to cut the state income tax from 4.25 percent to 4.15 percent on Oct. 1, 2014.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163254
House Bill 5266: Cut state income tax rate
Introduced by Rep. Tim Kelly (R) on January 29, 2014, to cut the state income tax to 4.05 percent starting in 2016. House Bill 5265 cuts the current 4.25 percent rate to 4.15 percent on Oct. 1. 2014. House Bill 5266 authorizes future cuts contingent on state revenue collections meeting specified annual targets.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163255
House Bill 5267: Cut state income tax rate
Introduced by Rep. Jeff Farrington (R) on January 29, 2014, to reduce the state income tax by 0.1 percent each year starting in 2017, but only if in the previous year the amount extracted by this tax grew by at least $300 million, and the increase exceeded the inflation rate. This would begin on Oct. 1, 2017. See also House Bills 5265 and 5266, which would cut the current 4.25 percent rate to 4.05 percent in 2016.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163256
House Bill 5268: Eliminate state takeovers of academically failed schools
Introduced by Rep. Ellen Lipton (D) on January 30, 2014, to replace an existing state “education achievement authority” in the Department of Education, which is tasked with managing, overseeing or contracting-out the operations of public schools deemed to have failed academically, with a new system of academic performance audits and “technical support.” State takeovers of failed schools would no longer be authorized, but a proposed “reform office” could impose an “implementation plan” if, following appeals of dismal audit findings, a failed school’s “stakeholders” did not agree on a program to address those findings. Failed schools whose management has already been taken over by the state would be returned to their previous governing body’s control.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163266
House Bill 5269: Require audit to determine “adequate funding” for public schools
Introduced by Rep. Brandon Dillon (D) on January 30, 2014, to require the state Department of Education to hire an auditor to determine how much money per student is needed for a public school to provide an “adequate” and “equitable” education that meets “established performance standards” and “assures academic success for all.” The bill is silent on whether the audit would also examine expenses at low cost, high performing non-public schools.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163267
House Bill 5270: Mandate recording of child abuse/neglect interviews
Introduced by Rep. Tom McMillin (R) on January 30, 2014, to require interviews of children by state officials in alleged or suspected neglect or abuse cases to be recorded on video.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163268
House Bill 5271: Revise child abuse/neglect interview details
Introduced by Rep. Robert Kosowski (D) on January 30, 2014, to allow the child interview video recordings mandated by House Bill 5270 to be considered by a hearing officer in an alleged or suspected neglect or abuse case.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163269
House Bill 5272: Revise child abuse/neglect interview details
Introduced by Rep. Thomas Hooker (R) on January 30, 2014, to allow the child interview video recordings mandated by House Bill 5270 to be used in a court proceeding on an alleged or suspected neglect or abuse case. The bill would also increase the penalty for a person who improperly and intentionally releases such a recording, authorizing up to one year in prison.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163270
House Bill 5273: Authorize, regulate Michigan stock exchange
Introduced by Rep. Nancy Jenkins (R) on January 30, 2014, to authorize and establish a comprehensive regulatory regime for local stock exchanges for transactions in Michigan securities (stocks). See also House Bill 4897, which is not related to this bill, but would require a state agency to “facilitate” creating a Detroit futures exchange.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163271
House Bill 5274: Establish enhanced hydrocarbon recovery CO2 pipeline regulations
Introduced by Rep. Peter Pettalia (R) on January 30, 2014, to give the state Public Service Commission authority to regulate pipelines carrying carbon dioxide used to produce hydrocarbons in secondary or “enhanced recovery” operations, under the same law that gives the PSC authority over the transportation of gas and oil. This is related to House Bill 4885, which would cut the tax on oil and gas extracted using enhanced recovery.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163272
Senate Bill 146: Extend enterprise zone tax breaks to a particular development
Passed 93 to 17 in the House on February 4, 2014, to revise a law that authorizes tax breaks for developers whose projects are in an area deemed a “neighborhood enterprise zone,” in a way that would allow the tax break for a particular developer’s project, notwithstanding this developer’s failure to request the tax break before getting a building permit, which the current law requires.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=681906
Senate Bill 319: Repeal mandatory life sentences for minors
Passed 62 to 48 in the House on February 4, 2014, to revise the sentencing guidelines related to Michigan’s mandatory life sentence with no chance of parole for certain very serious crimes committed by minors. Life without parole would no longer be automatic in these cases but prosecutors could request it. Otherwise, the minimum sentence would be 25 to 40 years, and the maximum at least 60 years. These provisions would only apply prospectively, to cases still open as of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Miller v Alabama decision in June, 2012. Language in the bill would apply the new standard retroactively to the approximately 350 current prisoners in this category if future court rulings require this.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=681915
Senate Bill 533: Revise “brownfield” reporting detail
Passed 98 to 12 in the House on February 4, 2014, to delay a 2013 deadline for a brownfield redevelopment authority to apply to receive revenue from the state school property tax, which is intended to replace property tax revenue the authority would have “captured” but for certain personal property tax exemptions enacted in 2007.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=681907
House Bill 4493: Expand scope of child abuse reporting mandate
Passed 109 to 1 in the House on February 4, 2014, to expand the law that requires health care professionals, social workers, teachers, clergy and other officials and to report suspected child abuse, so that it also requires reporting by all school employees. This would individuals who work for a firm under contract with the school, unless the employment is “incidental or temporary” and does not involve regular interaction with children.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=681905
House Bill 4570: Exempt college students from jury duty
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on February 4, 2014, to require the chief judge of a judicial circuit or district to postpone jury duty for a full time student in a college or other educational institution until the end of the current school term, if the student provides evidence the duty will interfere with his or her class schedule.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=681784
House Bill 5157: Clarify “aggravated physical abuse” sentencing guidelines
Passed 97 to 13 in the House on February 4, 2014, to clarify “offense variables” included in the state sentencing guidelines for the crime of “aggravated physical abuse”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=681908
Senate Bill 396: Restrict replacement-construction property tax hikes
Passed 82 to 27 in the House on February 11, 2014, to revise a provision restricting property tax assessment increases on construction that replaces parts of a structure damaged by accident or an Act of God. The bill would prohibit an assessment hike as long as the construction is of substantially the same materials and square footage. This restriction would also apply to improvements that do increase property value but are undertake to meet current health, sanitary, zoning, safety, fire, or buiding code requirements.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=682906
Senate Bill 581: Correct citation reference in jail law
Passed 109 to 0 in the House on February 11, 2014, to correct a citation reference in a statute requiring verification of school enrollment or employment of an individual released from jail for either of these.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=682907
House Bill 5198: Revise child services worker discipline procedure
Passed 108 to 1 in the House on February 11, 2014, to allow access to confidential records contained in a state database of serious child abuse incidents to a state employee undergoing a disciplinary action. Access would be limited only to the individual’s union representative, or the arbitrator or official conducting a hearing involving the employee’s dereliction or malfeasance. This access would be for use of records solely in connection with that action or hearing.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=682905
Senate Bill 446: Revise hospital “swing bed” regulations
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on February 12, 2014, to revise details in a state “Certificate of Need” medical facility rationing scheme related to hospitals with “swing beds” in short-term nursing care programs (meaning beds that can be used for either acute care or skilled nursing care).
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=683174
Senate Bill 719: Allow renegotiation of state environmental cleanup and recreation loans
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on February 12, 2014, to allow local governments with financial problems to negotiate more favorable terms on loans made to them by the state using money the state itself borrowed under the 1998 “Clean Michigan Initiative” ballot proposal, which authorized $675 million of new government debt (“bond sales”) for environmental cleanup and recreation projects.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=683172
Senate Bill 749: Revise crime victim impact statement detail
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on February 12, 2014, to restrict a parent or guardian’s right to to allow the parent or guardian of a crime victim who was less than 18 years when the crime was committed to make a “victim impact statement” at specified points of the trial and sentencing, even though the victim has reached the age of majority (turned 18) by that time. This would not apply if the parent or guardian is the defendant or is incarcerated. Under current law, only parents or guardians of minors can make this statement.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=683175
Senate Bill 750: Revise crime victim impact statement detail
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on February 12, 2014, to allow the parent or guardian of a crime victim who was less than 18 years when the crime was committed to make a “victim impact statement” at specified points of the trial and sentencing, even though the victim has reached the age of majority (turned 18) by that time. This would not apply if the parent or guardian is the defendant or is incarcerated. Under current law, only parents or guardians of minors can make this statement.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=683176
House Bill 4808: Revise first degree murder lifer law for minors
Passed 35 to 3 in the Senate on February 12, 2014, to revise Michigan’s mandatory life sentence with no chance of parole for certain very serious crimes committed by minors. The bill is linked to Senate Bill 319, which would make life without parole no longer be automatic in these cases, but prosecutors could request it. Otherwise, the minimum sentence would be 25 to 40 years, and the maximum at least 60 years. This and SB 319 respond to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Miller v Alabama decision. The bills would not apply the new standard retroactively to the approximately 350 current prisoners in this category, but include a provision authorizing parole hearings for them if a future ruling requires this.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=683173
House Bill 5025: “Human trafficking” criminal law package
Passed 109 to 0 in the House on February 12, 2014, to allow and facilitate the expungement of a prostitution offense from a person’s criminal record if the person was the victim of a “human trafficking” violation.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=683209
House Bill 5231: Make prostitution law gender neutral
Passed 109 to 0 in the House on February 12, 2014, to eliminate gender references in state laws outlawing prostitution. Also, to change the crimes of “pandering” and “accepting the earnings of a prostitute” from a Class G to a Class B felony, punishable by up to 20 years.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=683210
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