Senate Bill 934: Preempt $10.10 minimum wage initiative; hike mandated minimum to $8.15
Introduced by Sen. Randy Richardville (R) on May 8, 2014, to repeal the current state minimum wage law that makes it unlawful to employ a worker for less than $7.40 an hour, and replace it with a new law increasing the mandated minimum to $8.15 an hour, and increasing the minimum amount the employer of a worker who receives tips must pay from $2.65 to $2.93 an hour. (A tipped-worker’s employer must pay the difference between this amount and the regular mandated minimum if tips come up short).
The bill is widely regarded as a gambit to stop an “initiated law” from being placed on the November 2014 ballot, which would increase the mandated minimums to $10.10 for both tipped and non-tipped employees, and index this to inflation. If the bill repeals the statute the initiative would amend, the initiative would become moot. The bill was introduced a few weeks before petitions being circulated by a group funded by unions and other labor interests must be submitted for their initiative to be on the 2014 general election ballot.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164309
House Bill 5566: Detroit bankruptcy settlement and grant package
Introduced by Rep. John Walsh (R) on May 8, 2014, to establish a Detroit fiscal management oversight commission consisting of the Governor and the Mayor of Detroit (or their appointees), two state department heads, one Detroit resident with relevant financial training and experience, and two candidates from lists submitted by the House Speaker and Senate Majority Leader. Among the commission’s powers would be final approval of city budgets, borrowing, union contracts, police and firefighters contracts imposed by binding arbitration, and more. The commission could waive any of these powers if the city adopts deficit-free budgets for three consecutive years and meets other specified conditions, but could resume its powers in the event of subsequent backsliding. This is part of a legislative package consisting of House Bills 5566 to 5575 that are related to the Detroit bankruptcy and a proposed state grant to the city of $195 million.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164297
House Bill 5567: Detroit bankruptcy settlement and grant package
Introduced by Rep. John Kivela (D) on May 8, 2014, to require a Detroit chief financial officer to be appointed by the mayor, subject to the approval of the state oversight commission proposed by House Bill 5566, who would supervise the city’s financial and budget activities. Also, to require Detroit to adopt certain specified budget processes and generally accepted accounting practices intended to avoid overspending, and to institute twice yearly revenue estimating conferences involving state officials and university economists. This is part of a legislative package consisting of House Bills 5566 to 5575 that are related to the Detroit bankruptcy and a proposed state grant to the city of $195 million.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164298
House Bill 5568: Detroit bankruptcy settlement and grant package
Introduced by Rep. Gail Haines (R) on May 8, 2014, to no longer offer “defined benefit” pension and post-retirement health insurance benefits to new Detroit city employees hired starting in 2015 (subject to existing union contracts), and instead provide 401(k)-type contributions limited to 4 percent of the employee’s base pay, and retirement health savings account contributions limited to 2 percent. Subject to current union contracts, the bill would also ban supplemental “13th check” payments to current retirees based on pension fund investment performance, and ban pension “spiking” schemes that use include overtime, accrued sick or vacation pay, bonuses, fringe benefits and lump sum payments in the formula used to calculate pensions (abuses which contributed to Detroit’s bankruptcy). This is part of a legislative package consisting of House Bills 5566 to 5575 that are related to the Detroit bankruptcy and a proposed state grant to the city of $195 million.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164299
House Bill 5569: Detroit bankruptcy settlement and grant package
Introduced by Rep. Andrea LaFontaine (R) on May 8, 2014, to prohibit Detroit from providing employee health insurance benefits whose premiums cost more than $5,500 for a single person, $12,250 for a couple and $15,000 for a family plan (indexed to the “medical price index”), or alternatively, require city employees to contribute at least 20 percent toward the cost of their health insurance. A 2011 law mandated this for public school employees but allowed municipalities to exempt themselves with a 2/3 vote of their governing body; the bill would exclude Detroit from that exception. This is part of a legislative package consisting of House Bills 5566 to 5575 that are related to the Detroit bankruptcy and a proposed state grant to the city of $195 million.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164300
House Bill 5570: Detroit bankruptcy settlement and grant package
Introduced by Rep. Ken Yonker (R) on May 8, 2014, to establish a Detroit pension investment committee to oversee management of the city’s defined benefit pension system. The system would still be run by the existing pension board, but a process would be instituted by which the chief financial officer for the city proposed by House Bill 5567 would have final authority in the event the committee and the pension board disagreed on investment management decisions. The bill would also impose additional restrictions and disclosure requirements on reimbursed travel by pension fund board members, officials or employees. This is part of a legislative package consisting of House Bills 5566 to 5575 that are related to the Detroit bankruptcy and a proposed state grant to the city of $195 million.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164301
House Bill 5571: Detroit bankruptcy settlement and grant package
Introduced by Rep. Ken Goike (R) on May 8, 2014, to prohibit any extension of a Detroit regional arts tax authorized by a 2010 law and approved for 10 years in a 2012 election by voters in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. This property tax imposes 0.2 mills that goes to the Detroit Institute of the Arts. This is part of a legislative package consisting of House Bills 5566 to 5575 that are related to the Detroit bankruptcy and a proposed state grant to the city of $195 million, which among other things is intended to avoid the city art museum having to sell any paintings.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164302
House Bill 5572: Detroit bankruptcy settlement and grant package
Introduced by Rep. John Olumba (D) on May 8, 2014, to authorize withdrawing money from the state rainy day fund (“budget stabilization fund”) for “any purpose” the legislature may provide, which in the current context means a state grant (“bailout”) of $195 million for Detroit. House Bill 5574 would appropriate the money. This is part of a legislative package consisting of House Bills 5566 to 5575 that are related to the Detroit bankruptcy and the proposed state grant.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164303
House Bill 5573: Detroit bankruptcy settlement and grant package
Introduced by Rep. Alberta Tinsley Talabi (D) on May 8, 2014, to revise the law that authorized borrowing $400 million against future tobacco lawsuit settlement revenue for the “21st Century Jobs Fund” business subsidy program, and borrowing another $415 million against this revenue to cover deficit spending in the 2007 state budget, to borrow $350 million over 20 years for a proposed state grant (“bailout”) to Detroit. Alternatively, under House Bill 5572 the state would be authorized to give Detroit $195 million up front. This is part of a legislative package consisting of House Bills 5566 to 5575 that are related to the Detroit bankruptcy and the proposed state grant.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164304
House Bill 5574: Detroit bankruptcy settlement and grant package
Introduced by Rep. Thomas Stallworth, III (D) on May 8, 2014, to appropriate $194.8 million for a proposed Detroit bankruptcy settlement. This is part of a legislative package consisting of House Bills 5566 to 5575 that are related to the Detroit bankruptcy and this proposed state grant (considered by some to be a partial “bailout”).
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164305
House Bill 5575: Detroit bankruptcy settlement and grant package
Introduced by Rep. Fred Durhal, Jr. (D) on May 8, 2014, to create a “Michigan settlement administration authority” to manage the $194.8 million state grant (“bailout”) proposed by House Bill 5574 that would go toward a Detroit bankruptcy settlement. This is part of a legislative package consisting of House Bills 5566 to 5575 that are related to the Detroit bankruptcy and state grant.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164306
Senate Bill 926: Ban using a drone to interfere with hunters
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) on May 6, 2014, to prohibit using an aerial drone to interfere with or harass a person who is hunting. This would expand an existing law that bans interfering with or harassing hunters.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164234
Senate Bill 927: Ban hunting with a drone
Introduced by Sen. Phil Pavlov (R) on May 6, 2014, to prohibit using an aerial drone to take game.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164235
Senate Bill 928: Revise hospitalized student instruction detail
Introduced by Sen. Dave Hildenbrand (R) on May 6, 2014, to revise the details of a law that requires a school district to provide “instructional services to a pupil placed in a hospital, treatment center, or other treatment facility” within three days if the district is notified. The bill would allow the parents of a child in this situation to petition the Department of Education to get instruction from another provider if a district is notified and does not act within that three day window.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164236
Senate Bill 929: Revise nonprofit corporation law detail
Introduced by Sen. Steve Bieda (D) on May 7, 2014, to revise the state law governing mergers and conversions of corporations and other limited liability business entities to include nonprofit corporations.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164240
Senate Bill 930: Repeal (qualified) ban on local anti-mining zones
Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) on May 7, 2014, to repeal a state preemption of local zoning ordinances that restrict mining for “valuable natural resources” except where specified “very serious consequences” would result. In general, current law aims to consolidate the regulation of such activities at the state level.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164241
Senate Bill 931: Revise electronic arrest warrant detail
Introduced by Sen. Rick Jones (R) on May 7, 2014, to clarify a law allowing a judge or district court magistrate to issue a written search warrant by any electronic of means of communication, so as to specify that this may be done from any location within this state.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164242
Senate Bill 932: Revise district court magistrate detail
Introduced by Sen. Rick Jones (R) on May 7, 2014, to allow district court magistrates to decide motions and requests to withdraw an admission or set aside a default judgment in civil infraction cases under certain circumstances specified in the bill.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164243
Senate Bill 933: Clarify preemption of Consumer Protection Act lawsuits against insurers
Introduced by Sen. Rick Jones (R) on May 8, 2014, to clarify that a prohibition of lawsuits against insurance companies under the state Consumer Protection Act applies regardless of when the cause of action occurred. Under current law, industries like insurance that are already subject to a comprehensive state regulatory regime are not covered by the Consumer Protection Act.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164308
House Bill 5517: Ban insurance rate hike for crash damage
Introduced by Rep. Brain Banks (D) on May 6, 2014, to prohibit auto insurers from increasing a person’s rates due to damage caused by a crash if the customer was not “substantially at fault” for the accident.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164244
House Bill 5518: Authorize sanctions on insurance companies
Introduced by Rep. Marcia Hovey-Wright (D) on May 6, 2014, to authorize a $1 million fine on an insurance company that does not deal “fairly and in good faith” on a customer claim as defined by House Bill 5519.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164245
House Bill 5519: Expand grounds for suing insurance companies
Introduced by Rep. Winnie Brinks (D) on May 6, 2014, to allow a person who believes that an insurance provider has not dealt fairly and in good faith to sue for compensatory, consequential, and exemplary (punitive) damages proximately caused by the breach, notwithstanding the prohibition on punitive damages in other areas of Michigan tort law.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164246
House Bill 5520: Expand grounds for suing insurance companies
Introduced by Rep. Theresa Abed (D) on May 6, 2014, to allow a person who believes that an auto insurance provider has not dealt fairly and in good faith on a personal injury claim to sue for compensatory, consequential, and exemplary (punitive) damages proximately caused by the breach, notwithstanding the prohibition on punitive damages in other areas of Michigan tort law.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164247
House Bill 5521: Expand grounds for suing insurance companies
Introduced by Rep. Jeff Irwin (D) on May 6, 2014, to authorize consumer lawsuits against an insurance company that violates an existing law authorizing administrative sanctions for violating a long list of specific “unfair and prohibited trade practices”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164248
House Bill 5522: Expand insurance company sanctions
Introduced by Rep. Jeff Irwin (D) on May 6, 2014, to authorize penalties of $10,000 plus three times the amount of any benefits withheld and attorney costs for a insurer that fails to pay a claims in a timely manner due to a variety of specified unfair practices. This is part of a Democratic insurance regulation and penalty package comprised of House Bill 5517 to 5528.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164249
House Bill 5523: Expand grounds for suing insurance companies
Introduced by Rep. Ellen Lipton (D) on May 6, 2014, to establish a legal presumption that an insurance company has acted in bad faith if it violates a long list of specific “unfair and prohibited trade practices” in an existing law, meaning the burden of proof would be on the insurer to prove otherwise in a lawsuit authorized by House Bill 5021.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164250
House Bill 5524: Reduce limits on state’s power to impose insurance price controls
Introduced by Rep. Scott Dianda (D) on May 6, 2014, to repeal a provision of the insurance code that limits the state insurance bureau to determine that there not is a “reasonable degree” of competition for the particular type of insurance before it can declare a company’s rates “excessive”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164251
House Bill 5525: Expand insurance companies sanctions
Introduced by Rep. Tom Cochran (D) on May 6, 2014, to require that if an insurance company fails to act in good faith and pay benefits in a timely manner, and this leads to an insured receiving a bad credit report, the insurer must contact the large credit rating agencies and tell them that it was the company’s fault.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164252
House Bill 5526: Expand insurance companies sanctions
Introduced by Rep. Kate Segal (D) on May 6, 2014, to prohibit insurance companies from sanctioning employees who report “unfair” or deceptive actions by the company, and authorize giving such employees rewards from the government “insurance whistleblower fund” proposed by House Bill 5527.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164253
House Bill 5527: Expand insurance companies sanctions
Introduced by Rep. Kate Segal (D) on May 6, 2014, to create an “insurance whistleblower fund,” with half the money (after up to 10 percent is taken for administrative expenses) going to pay the rewards to insurance company employee “whistleblowers” proposed by House Bill 5526, and half spent for government information campaigns on insurance practices and consumer rights.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164254
House Bill 5528: Mandate minimum aggregate auto insurance claim payouts
Introduced by Rep. Thomas Stallworth, III (D) on May 6, 2014, to mandate that auto insurers pay out at least 80 percent of their annual premium revenue in claims, and if they don’t then give customers a pro-rated refund for the balance.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164255
House Bill 5529: Revise sanctions and procedures for veterans who break laws
Introduced by Rep. Nancy Jenkins (R) on May 6, 2014, to revise the requirements for participating in a “veteran’s treatment” specialty court program authorized by a 2012 law for veterans charged with certain crimes involving drug or alcohol abuse. The bill would require the person to meet with a veterans organization or counselor to discuss veterans benefit programs for which the individual may qualify.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164256
House Bill 5530: Revise sanctions and procedures for veterans who break laws
Introduced by Rep. Earl Poleski (R) on May 6, 2014, to revise criminal sentencing procedures by requiring a notice to be sent to the state veterans agency if an offender is a veteran. This is part of a package amending various laws related to different treatment options for veterans accused of drug, alcohol or other offenses.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164257
House Bill 5531: Revise sanctions and procedures for veterans who break laws
Introduced by Rep. Kenneth Kurtz (R) on May 6, 2014, to require a veteran participating in a “sobriety court” sentencing diversion program to meet with a veteran service organization or county veteran counselor as part of the program, to discuss veterans benefit programs for which the individual may qualify.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164258
House Bill 5532: Revise sanctions and procedures for veterans who break laws
Introduced by Rep. Joseph Graves (R) on May 6, 2014, to require a prisoner who is a veteran to meet with a veteran service organization or county veteran counselor as a condition of parole, to discuss veterans benefit programs for which the individual may qualify.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164259
House Bill 5533: Revise sanctions and procedures for veterans who break laws
Introduced by Rep. Wayne Schmidt (R) on May 6, 2014, to require a prisoner who is a veteran to meet with a veteran service organization or county veteran counselor as a condition of probation, to discuss veterans benefit programs for which the individual may qualify.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164260
House Bill 5534: Revise veterans welfare benefit detail
Introduced by Rep. Mike Shirkey (R) on May 6, 2014, to require that when a veteran applies for various state welfare benefits a notice must be sent to the state veterans agency.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164261
House Bill 5535: Revise veterans welfare benefit detail
Introduced by Rep. Paul Muxlow (R) on May 6, 2014, to require that when a veteran applies for food stamps a notice must be sent to the state veterans agency.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164262
House Bill 5536: End cash welfare benefits
Introduced by Rep. Tom McMillin (R) on May 6, 2014, to end cash welfare payments, and instead have the state make direct payments to a welfare recipient’s landlord, utilities, child care providers and grocery store.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164263
House Bill 5537: Authorize penalty for false “community service” claim
Introduced by Rep. Douglas Geiss (D) on May 6, 2014, to authorize up 90 days in jail and a $500 fine for an offender sentenced to “community service” who knowingly provides false information that he or she has performed the service.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164264
House Bill 5538: Create new online “stalking” offender registry
Introduced by Rep. Fred Durhal, Jr. (D) on May 6, 2014, to establish sentencing guidelines for the penalties proposed by House Bill 5539 for a person convicted of a “stalking” offense who fails to register his current address in the online “stalking” crime registry that bill would create.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164265
House Bill 5539: Create new online “stalking” offender registry
Introduced by Rep. Fred Durhal, Jr. (D) on May 6, 2014, to create an online public registry of individuals convicted of “stalking” crimes, similar to the existing sex offenders registry. The bill prescribes registration requirements, procedures, fees, penalties and more.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164266
House Bill 5540: Authorize sanctions for vandalizing road signs, lights, etc
Introduced by Rep. Fred Durhal, Jr. (D) on May 6, 2014, to authorize penalties of up one year in prison and a $500 fine for vandalizing or removing a traffic control device, light post, sign, etc. on a road or highway.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164267
House Bill 5541: Grant exception to gas station liquor license requirement
Introduced by Rep. Scott Dianda (D) on May 6, 2014, to exempt gas stations that have liquor licenses in a particular township from a mandate to maintain a certain amount of inventory.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164268
House Bill 5542: Ban MDOT employees using state airplanes
Introduced by Rep. Scott Dianda (D) on May 6, 2014, to prohibit state Department of Transportation employees from using state-owned aircraft to travel for personal or official state business, and instead require them to use video conferencing whenever practical.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164269
House Bill 5543: Redesignate a road
Introduced by Rep. Rick Outman (R) on May 6, 2014, to designate a portion of highway M-57 in Montcalm county as the “Joseph Prentler Memorial Highway”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164270
House Bill 5544: Mandate Holocaust lessons in public schools
Introduced by Rep. Ellen Lipton (D) on May 6, 2014, to mandate that public schools include information about the Holocaust in their curriculum, and require the Department of Education to develop a model curriculum.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164271
House Bill 5545: Revise criminal record expungement rules
Introduced by Rep. Tom Leonard (R) on May 6, 2014, to revise the grounds for seeking to have a criminal record expunged from a person’s record. The bill would allow a person convicted of only one felony offense and not more than two misdemeanors to apply to have the felony “set aside,” or expunged from the person’s public record. A person convicted of not more than two misdemeanors could apply to have one or both of them expunged. This would not apply to convictions for criminal sexual conduct, domestic violence, or crimes punishable by life imprisonment.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164272
House Bill 5546: Authorize embedded shrapnel drivers license designation
Introduced by Rep. David Knezek (D) on May 6, 2014, to require the Secretary of State to provide for drivers license designation for military veterans who have has shrapnel or other types of metal in their bodies as a result of combat or other active duty service and who request this.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164273
House Bill 5547: Revise principle residence form detail
Introduced by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D) on May 7, 2014, to require the affidavit form for claiming a principle residence property tax exemption to also have a form for rescinding the exemption.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164274
House Bill 5548: Grant exception to liquor license transfer
Introduced by Rep. Klint Kesto (R) on May 7, 2014, to create an exception for a particular merchant to restrictions on transferring a “specially designated distributor” liquor license (which permits sales of packaged liquor for off-premises consumption).
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164275
House Bill 5549: Mandate pregnant women be informed of stem cell options
Introduced by Rep. Jim Townsend (D) on May 7, 2014, to require a health care provider for a woman in the second trimester of pregnancy to inform her of the various storage or donation options for cord blood stem cells.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164276
House Bill 5550: Require schools to honor twins requests
Introduced by Rep. Jim Townsend (D) on May 7, 2014, to require a public school to honor a request from the parent of multiple birth siblings (twins, triplets, etc.) to place the children in the same classroom or in different classrooms (assuming there is more than one classroom for a grade).
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164277
House Bill 5551: Grant in-state hunting license fee to military
Introduced by Rep. Joseph Graves (R) on May 7, 2014, to only charge in-state hunting license fees for active duty military personnel who live in another state.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164278