[cripplecreek]

Senate Bill 171: Revise elderly or disabled housing provider tax break detail
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 10, 2015, to establish procedures and timetables for a law that authorizes property tax exemptions on residences owned by a government or nonprofit entity for use solely by elderly or disabled families.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719559

Senate Bill 177: Mandate insurance ownership divestment disclosures
Passed 106 to 0 in the House on December 10, 2015, to mandate that a person with a controlling ownership interest in a Michigan insurance company who plans to divest that interest must submit a statement of intent to the state insurance bureau at least 30 days before the divestment, along with a statement describing the “enterprise risk” of the transaction, defined in the bill as the chances it will have a “material adverse effect upon the financial condition or liquidity” of the insurer. The bill would also authorize public hearings and specify other procedures related to this.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719609

Senate Bill 200: Authorize state subsidies to brokers selling certain stock portfolios
Passed 33 to 5 in the Senate on December 10, 2015, to authorize state subsidies to investment brokers and dealers that market portfolios of companies “doing business in this state” in which at least 10 percent are firms that that employ 50 or fewer employees.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719563

Senate Bill 352: Authorize “designated caregivers” for hospital patients
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 10, 2015, to require hospitals to give a patient the opportunity to designate a friend or family member as the individual’s “designated caregiver.” Hospitals would have to notify this person when the patient is transferred or released, consult with them about the discharge plan, instruct them about the patient’s needs after discharge, etc.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719565

Senate Bill 472: Revise tobacco lawsuit assessment law
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 10, 2015, to revise details of the law that imposes assessments on tobacco companies that were not parties to 1998 tobacco lawsuit master settlement agreement (which compelled companies to pay hundreds of billions of dollars to states for decades into the future). Under this state law, tobacco companies that are not parties to the agreement must pay assessments to the state as if they were subject to the agreement’s terms.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719567

Senate Bill 473: Revise tobacco lawsuit assessment law
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 10, 2015, to require the Department of Treasury to share with the Attorney General information it obtains that is relevant to the enforcement of the law that imposes assessments on tobacco companies that were not parties to 1998 tobacco lawsuit master settlement agreement (which compelled companies to pay hundreds of billions of dollars to states for decades into the future).
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719568

Senate Bill 476: Cap cigar tax
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 10, 2015, to repeal the Oct. 1, 2016 sunset on a law that caps the tobacco tax imposed on cigars at 50 cents per cigar. In other words, if the bill becomes law the 50 cent cap would remain in effect.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719569

Senate Bill 500: Revise unemployment benefits employer assessment detail
Passed 60 to 46 in the House on December 10, 2015, to authorize a change in the formula that determines employer payroll tax assessments to a state fund that provides expeditious payment of unemployment benefits, based on whether the fund has sufficient money to cover expected claims.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719611

Senate Bill 507: Impose registration and reporting mandates on larger recyclers
Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on December 10, 2015, to impose registration and reporting mandates on recycling facilities that recycle more than 100 tons of material annually, with some specified exceptions.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719570

Senate Bill 538: Revise unclaimed property law
Passed 106 to 0 in the House on December 10, 2015, to revise details of the state ”escheats law” that lets the state government take possession of unclaimed property if the owner does not claim it within three years. Among other changes the bill authorizes a streamlined audit process for some holders of unclaimed assets.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719608

Senate Bill 552: Increase groundwater discharge permit fees
Passed 59 to 47 in the House on December 10, 2015, to increase groundwater discharge permit fees, and revise some details of this regulatory regime on enterprises that discharge wastewater onto the ground or into groundwater. The bill would authorize a different fee category for car washes, laundromats, seasonal RV parks and camps, and certain other small commercial facilities.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719607

Senate Bill 554: Track completion of mandated “continuing education” courses
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 10, 2015, to allow the state to contract with a private company to provide an electronic tracking service to track the continuing education course completions of licensed health care providers for whom these courses are mandated.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719571

Senate Bill 578: Revise home mortgage lender requirements
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 10, 2015, to replace a particular declaration required by a law that regulates and restricts home mortgage providers, with a booklet specified in the federal regulation this requirement is based on.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719564

Senate Bill 615: Revise tax captures under property tax judgement levies
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 10, 2015, to prohibit revenue collected by a “judgment levy” property tax from being “captured” by a government entity funded by a “tax increment financing” scheme. Judgment levies are property taxes imposed on property owners in a particular school district or municipality that has lost or settled a big lawsuit.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719566

Senate Bill 642: Allow more municipal debt for home efficiency loans
Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) on December 8, 2015, to allow local governments to take on general obligation debt to pay for a program authorized by a 2010 law that allows them to lend money to a property owner for energy efficiency improvements or a renewable energy system. The bill would also remove a requirement that a homeowner’s mortgage lender must agree to the taking on the additional burden.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170709

Senate Bill 643: Assert a “right” to drinking water
Introduced by Sen. Coleman Young, II (D) on December 8, 2015, to assert in statute that each person has a “right” to “safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170710

Senate Bill 644: Revise government health care facility ownership forms
Introduced by Sen. Jim Stamas (R) on December 8, 2015, to revise details of a law that prescribes regulations and procedures for a municipality converting government health care facilities corporations into nonprofit corporations.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170711

Senate Bill 645: Ban misclassifying employees
Introduced by Sen. Mike Kowall (R) on December 8, 2015, to prohibit an employer from “misclassifying” an employee as an independent contractor, as defined by a 20-factor test announced by the Internal Revenue Service.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170712

Senate Bill 646: Authorize “second parent adoption”
Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) on December 9, 2015, to provide for “second parent adoption” in Michigan law. This allows a party in a same-sex relationship to adopt his or her partner’s biological or adoptive child without terminating the other party’s legal status as a parent.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170721

Senate Bill 647: Require CPR and defibrillation classes in high school
Introduced by Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R) on December 9, 2015, to mandate that public and private middle and high schools provide instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and awareness of automated external defibrillation, and prohibit a student from graduating unless he or she has successfully completed this instruction.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170722

Senate Bill 648: Revise principle residence property tax credit detail
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) on December 9, 2015, to establish that the Proposal A “homestead property tax” credit that exempts an individual’s principle residence from local school operating taxes (usually 18 mills) also applies if the form of home ownership is a trust with the home occupant as the trust’s beneficiary.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170724

Senate Bill 649: Authorize “joint tenant” property ownership with unequal shares
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) on December 9, 2015, to allow “joint tenant” property ownership where the tenants do not have equal shares. “Joint tenancy” means that if one owner cannot sell his or her share to an outsider (unlike the more prevalent “tenants in common” form of ownership), and if an owner dies his or her share is divided amongst the surviving owners.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170725

Senate Bill 650: Revise assessor presumptions
Introduced in the Senate on December 9, 2015, to require tax assessors considering whether a change in the form of ownership of a parcel triggers a change in its taxable value, to “disregard any guideline or opinion of the state tax commission suggesting that, when in doubt, a transaction should be considered a transfer of ownership under this section.” This refers to the Proposal A taxable value “bump up” that occurs when property changes hands, wherein the basis for property tax assessments becomes a parcel’s state equalized value (market value) rather than its capped “taxable value.” Assessors would also have to send each owner of a parcel an explanation if they determine a change in the ownership form did trigger a taxable value “bump up.” See also Senate Bill 649.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170726

Senate Bill 651: Revise forest property tax breaks
Introduced by Sen. Darwin Booher (R) on December 9, 2015, to establish and revise procedures for entering or transferring property to or from one government program that gives property tax breaks to owners of large commercial forest properties to another program that gives tax breaks to owners of smaller forested parcels. This is part of a package comprised of Senate Bills 651 to 653 that would create a “transitional qualified forest property specific tax”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170727

Senate Bill 652: Revise forest property tax breaks
Introduced by Sen. Darwin Booher (R) on December 9, 2015, to establish and revise procedures for entering or transferring property to or from one government program that gives property tax breaks to owners of large commercial forest properties to another program that gives tax breaks to owners of smaller forested parcels. This is part of a package comprised of Senate Bills 651 to 653 that would create a “transitional qualified forest property specific tax”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170728

Senate Bill 653: Revise forest property tax breaks
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) on December 9, 2015, to establish and revise procedures for entering or transferring property to or from one government program that gives property tax breaks to owners of large commercial forest properties to another program that gives tax breaks to owners of smaller forested parcels. This is part of a package comprised of Senate Bills 651 to 653 that would create a “transitional qualified forest property specific tax”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170729

Senate Bill 654: Revise high school “dual enrollment” detail
Introduced by Sen. Mike Shirkey (R) on December 10, 2015, to revise program that allows public school students in high school to take a college course and get both college credits and high school graduation credit. The bill would give a student a choice to not accept the high school credit (which presumably might reduce the option to take another high school courses that fulfills the graduation requirement).
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170755

Senate Bill 655: Restrict shutting off delinquent water service customers
Introduced by Sen. Jim Ananich (D) on December 10, 2015, to impose additional restrictions, disclosure requirements, and installment plan mandates, and a duty to facilitate low income households getting welfare subsidies, before a municipal water service can shut off service to someone who hasn’t paid their water bills. See also House Bill 5097.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170756

Senate Bill 656: Clarify “re-po” licensure scope
Introduced by Sen. Rick Jones (R) on December 10, 2015, to clarify that the act of turning over uncollected bills to a bill collection agency for possible repossession actions, or subsequent communications with that agency, do not come under the regulations, restrictions, licensure requirements and more that apply to “re-po” activities.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170757

Senate Bill 657: Clarify “re-po” licensure scope
Introduced by Sen. Rick Jones (R) on December 10, 2015, to clarify that the act of turning over uncollected bills to a bill collection agency for possible repossession actions, or subsequent communications with that agency, do not come under the regulations, restrictions, licensure requirements and more that apply to “re-po” activities.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170758

Senate Bill 658: Limit large carnivore breeding to zoos
Introduced by Sen. Rick Jones (R) on December 10, 2015, to impose a regulatory regime prescribing extensive and detailed standards of care on keepers and breeders of large carnivores, with exceptions for shelters and some existing owners.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170759

Senate Bill 659: Revise foster care trust fund detail
Introduced by Sen. Peter MacGregor (R) on December 10, 2015, to revise management of a state “Foster Care Trust Fund” used to subsidize public or nonprofit programs intended to benefit children in foster care, by allowing the fund’s assets to be invested in the same way as government pension funds.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170760

Senate Bill 660: Codify state historic preservation office
Introduced by Sen. Wayne Schmidt (R) on December 10, 2015, to formalize in statute a “state historic preservation office” created by former Gov. Jennifer Granholm in an executive order. Among other things the office would have power to disapprove exterior changes to certain structures on the state or national register of historic sites. See also Senate Bill 661.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170761

Senate Bill 661: Increase historical building DDA restrictions
Introduced by Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D) on December 10, 2015, to require a downtown development authority that wants to make exterior changes to a property it owns, or a property owner who is getting DDA subsidies, in cases where the property is on the state or national register of historic sites, to get any changes approved by the state historic preservation office proposed by Senate Bill 660.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170762

Senate Bill 662: Require Detroit school district forensic audit
Introduced by Sen. Coleman Young, II (D) on December 10, 2015, to require a forensic audit of the Detroit school district’s financial operations and records. A “forensic audit” means an audit designed to determine whether there has been any violation of law or generally accepted accounting principles.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170763

Senate Bill 663: Give certified nurses 60 days to renew expired certification
Introduced by Sen. Coleman Young, II (D) on December 10, 2015, to give certified nurses aid 60 days to renew their certification when it expires.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170764

Senate Bill 664: Authorize more college subsidies
Introduced by Sen. Coleman Young, II (D) on December 10, 2015, to authorize a pilot program that would have the state pay a student’s tuition at a state college or university if the student signs a contract to repay this by turning over a percentage of his or her gross income for a specified number of years after graduation. The colleges and universities would get the full tuition and fee payments from the state up front, but would be at risk if the student fails to graduate or make a decent living afterwards.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170765

Senate Bill 665: Criminalize leaving gun where minor can get it
Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) on December 10, 2015, to establish sentencing guidelines for the crime proposed by Senate Bill 666 of leaving a firearm where a minor can get access to it.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170766

Senate Bill 666: Criminalize leaving gun where minor can get it
Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) on December 10, 2015, to make it a crime to store or leave a firearm where it may be accessed by a minor, subject to five years in prison if a minor uses the gun to injure or kill himself or another, and lesser penalties if a minor takes the gun out in public, uses it in a threatening or careless manner, and more.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170767

Senate Bill 667: Revise recent alcohol marketing restriction changes
Introduced by Sen. Jim Stamas (R) on December 10, 2015, to prescribe additional regulations and restrictions on liquor manufacturers and distributors who want to provide “branded logo” products and displays to retailers for marketing purposes. The bill would also add to the list of specific branded logo items that Michigan government gives permission for, including “gravity feed racks, suction cups, cooler door attachments and tear pad holders”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170768

Senate Bill 668: Expand scope or resisting arrest law
Introduced by Sen. Joe Hune (R) on December 10, 2015, to add “reserve police officers” to the list of different kinds of law enforcement officers covered by a law that authorizes criminal penalties for resisting arrest, or obstructing and assaulting an officer.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170769

House Bill 4212: Eliminate sunset on road commission eliminations
Passed 26 to 10 in the Senate on December 10, 2015, to extent until 2020 a Jan. 1, 2015 sunset on a 2011 law that provides procedures for eliminating a county road commission and transferring its duties to the county board.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719560

House Bill 4215: Eliminate sunset on road commission eliminations
Passed 25 to 13 in the Senate on December 10, 2015, to extend until 2020 a Jan. 1, 2015 sunset on a 2011 law that provides procedures for eliminating a county road commission and transferring its duties to the county board.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719561

House Bill 4292: Update crime information reward cap
Passed 104 to 2 in the House on December 10, 2015, to update a 1977 law authorizing county rewards of up to $2,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a person who committed a crime, by raising the maximum reward to $20,000.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719612

House Bill 4438: Authorize “epi-pens” in restaurants, camps, arenas and more
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 10, 2015, to expand to restaurants, recreation camps, youth sports leagues, amusement parks, sports arenas and other places where allergens capable of causing anaphylaxis may be present, a law that currently allows physicians to prescribe epinephrine auto injectors to schools to keep in their facilities. This law also waives the legal liability of an authorized employee or agent of the facility who has specified training and who provides or administers the drug to a person he or she believes in good faith to be experiencing anaphylaxis, except for gross negligence.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719562

House Bill 4686: Revise city sidewalk liability
Passed 55 to 51 in the House on December 10, 2015, to establish that a municipality being sued for an injury related to a sidewalk “discontinuity” may any use any common law defense available to regular people, not just that the condition was “open and obvious.” Current law limits local government defenses in these suits.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719606

[cripplecreek]

Senate Bill 6: Revise disabled veterans tax exemption detail
Passed 36 to 2 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to establish that a homestead property tax exemption for a disabled veteran or his or her unremarried surviving spouse would apply to the residential and agricultural property they inhabit, and extend the exemption to the unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran who died from service-connected causes while on active duty.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719721

Senate Bill 51: Rename a road
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to designate a portion of I-75 in Genesee County as the “John Wayne ‘Dusty’ Marcum Memorial Highway”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719727

Senate Bill 216: Revise GED high school equivalency test nomenclature
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to replace references in the school aid act to the “General Educational Development” test (GED) in the school aid act with the term “high school equivalency test”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719723

Senate Bill 418: Revise taxation of airplane fuel
Passed 106 to 0 in the House on December 15, 2015, to earmark a portion of various taxes paid on aviation fuel to a state fund used to pay for airport improvement projects. See also Senate Bill 425 and 613.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719779

Senate Bill 425: Revise aviation fuel tax allocation
Passed 105 to 1 in the House on December 15, 2015, to require revenue from the state aviation fuel tax to be spent on improvements to airports in proportion to the tax revenue collected at those airports. See also Senate Bill 418 and 613.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719780

Senate Bill 426: Revise aviation fuel tax allocation
Passed 105 to 1 in the House on December 15, 2015, to specify details of how revenue from the state aviation fuel tax can be spent. See Senate Bill 425.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719781

Senate Bill 490: Revise library and video rental confidentiality
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to revise a law that restricts disclosing information about videos, books or recordings borrowed or rented by an individual without notifying the individual. The bill would allow the notification to be a written notice included with the material at the time it is rented or borrowed.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719733

Senate Bill 523: Create a government “Native American historical recognition program”
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to create a government “Native American historical recognition program” to disseminate information on Indian history and relevant places. Among other things it would be required to help other entities get government and private grants for this purpose.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719738

Senate Bill 531: Authorize electronic court records system and fees
Passed 34 to 1 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, 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=719744

Senate Bill 531: Authorize electronic court records system and fees
Passed 100 to 6 in the House on December 15, 2015, to authorize an electronic system for filing documents in civil cases in state courts, and fees to use and pay for it.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719777

Senate Bill 532: Authorize electronic court records system
Passed 97 to 9 in the House on December 15, 2015, to create a state fund to hold the court case filing fee money authorized by Senate Bill 531.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719776

Senate Bill 533: Authorize electronic court records system
Passed 98 to 8 in the House on December 15, 2015, to prohibit a court or court funding unit from charging a fee to retrieve and inspect a case document including those kept in the electronic filing system proposed by Senate Bill 531, but allow fees to copy a document.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719778

Senate Bill 551: Allow enforceable funeral arrangements in wills
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, 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.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719730

Senate Bill 582: Revise county delinquent tax revolving fund details
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to revise regulations on county borrowing related to the delinquent tax revolving funds they are allowed to maintain, which allow the county to used borrowed money to pay local governments the amount of unpaid taxes they are due, with the county assuming the responsibility for collecting the unpaid taxes and the proceeds when the taxes are collected (for example, when the property is foreclosed and sold at a tax auction).
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719734

Senate Bill 583: Revise county delinquent tax revolving fund details
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to revise regulations on county borrowing related to the delinquent tax revolving funds they are allowed to maintain. See Senate Bill 582 for more details. This bill revises procedures for county’s borrowing against the eventual collection of delinquent tax revenues.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719735

Senate Bill 588: Increase authority of Indian tribe conservation officers
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to give uniformed Indian tribe conservation officers the same authority as state conservation officers, police or a land owner to require an individual who possesses hunting, fishing or trapping apparatus to show his or license.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719739

Senate Bill 591: Regulate small native copper mines separately
Passed 25 to 13 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to establish a separate regulatory regime over small native copper mining operations (meaning ones that generate less than 75,000 tons of waste rock a year to extract copper “in its elemental form”).
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719726

Senate Bill 612: Revise aviation fuel tax allocation
Passed 105 to 1 in the House on December 15, 2015, to revise definitions in a related law that apply to how and where revenue from the state aviation fuel tax can be spent. See Senate Bill 425.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719782

Senate Bill 613: Revise aviation fuel tax allocation
Passed 105 to 1 in the House on December 15, 2015, to revise sales tax collection reporting requirements for sellers of aviation fuel to accommodate proposed changes in how this product is taxed and where the money from the tax may be spent. See also Senate Bill 425.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719783

Senate Bill 614: Revise aviation fuel tax allocation
Passed 105 to 1 in the House on December 15, 2015, to revise use tax collection reporting requirements for sellers of aviation fuel to accommodate proposed changes in how this product is taxed and where the money from the tax may be spent. See also Senate Bill 425.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719786

Senate Bill 616: Exempt developers of “Pyramid” building from sales tax
Passed 61 to 45 in the House on December 15, 2015, to exempt business equipment purchases made by an internet data center from the state sales tax. The bill originally applied only to the developers of proposed data center in the vacant “Pyramid” building near Grand Rapids, but was expanded to all companies in this particular business. The House did not adopt the proposal in Senate Bill 618 to also exempt these firms from property taxes levied on business tools and equipment (the so-called “personal property tax”).
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719793

Senate Bill 617: Exempt developers of Steelcase “Pyramid” building from use tax
Passed 61 to 45 in the House on December 15, 2015, to exempt business equipment purchases made by an internet data center from the state use tax. The bill originally applied only to the developers of proposed data center in the vacant “Pyramid” building near Grand Rapids, but was expanded to all companies in this particular business. The House did not adopt the proposal in Senate Bill 618 to also exempt these firms from property taxes levied on business tools and equipment (the so-called “personal property tax”).
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719794

Senate Bill 629: Expand law barring parental rights to rapist
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to revise a law that prohibits granting custody of a child to a person convicted of rape, by expanding the criteria to include men convicted of criminal sexual conduct that resulted in a child being conceived.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719731

House Bill 4095: Authorize $51 million in new debt for college & university building projects
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to authorize $51.3 million in new government spending for several state college and university construction projects. The bill would cause the state to increase its own debt burden by $33.1 million.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719718

House Bill 4314: Expand scope of reckless driving penalties
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to extend the same penalties for committing a traffic violation that causes death or serious injury to another person while driving on public roads to when this involves someone driving on private property open to public, or on frozen lakes and rivers.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719722

House Bill 4462: Authorize income tax refund interest payments
Passed 21 to 17 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to revise details of the calculation of interest payments on overdue city income tax refunds.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719740

House Bill 4581: Increase state payments to liquor distribution oligopolists
Passed 36 to 2 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to increase from $7.50 to $8.25 the per-case fee that the private company or companies granted a state monopoly to warehouse and distribute liquor to retailers can collect from the state as a “reimbursement” for its distribution costs. According to the Senate Fiscal Agency the bill would have the effect of transferring an additional $5.8 million annually from taxpayers to these private companies.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719706

House Bill 4658: Revise claims against the state procedures
Passed 36 to 2 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to prohibit the Department of Treasury from authorizing payment of an individual’s successful claim against the state if the individual owes money for back-taxes, child support, or other unpaid levies. Only the amount of the successful claim that exceeds what the person owes could be paid. The bill revises administrative procedures to facilitate this.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719728

House Bill 4685: Revise sales tax on motor fuel detail
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to revise details of the sales tax “prepayments” made by gasoline and diesel fuel refiners, wholesalers, distributors, etc., when these involve “bulk transfers” between such entities. Under current law most sales tax on fuel is not paid by consumers and collected by retailers “at the pump,” but is collected when the fuel is transferred to a distributor.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719705

House Bill 4713: Require “culpable mental state” for criminal conviction
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to establish that if a law does not indicate whether a “culpable mental state” (“mens rea”) is required to establish guilt, the presumption will be that this is required, meaning that prosecutors must show that the defendant violated the law “purposely, knowingly or recklessly.” This would not be the case if a law explicitly imposes a “strict liability” standard. Under current law, many complex “administrative” offenses authorize criminal penalties for actions that a regular person would not know are illegal. However, the bill would not apply to illegal drug laws or offenses listed in the state penal code, which cover actions that reasonable people already recognize as wrongful or know are illegal.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719732

House Bill 4742: Revise interstate child support collection details
Passed 34 to 4 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to repeal a Uniform Interstate Family Support Act that facilitates collection of court-ordered child support payments across state lines, and replace it with an updated version.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719713

House Bill 4744: Revise interstate child support collection details
Passed 35 to 3 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to revise references in the state parenting time law to reflect changes to a uniform interstate child support enforcement code proposed by House Bill 4742.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719714

House Bill 4930: Exempt family’s life estate property from assessment “bump up”
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to exempt from the taxable value “pop up,” the transfer of a “life estate” interest in a principle residence from the owner to family members. This is the provision of the 1994 Proposal A tax limitation initiative that makes a property’s new basis for tax assessments the state equalized value (market value), rather than the (lower) “taxable value” of the previous owner, growth of which is restricted by law.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719737

House Bill 5028: Authorize electronic court records system and fees
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to authorize an electronic system for filing documents in civil cases in state courts, and fees to use and pay for it. This bill lays out the schedule of electronic filing fees for various actions in various courts, and is part of a package consisting of House Bill 5027 to 5030 and Senate Bills 531 to 533.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719701

House Bill 5029: Authorize electronic court records system and fees
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to authorize an electronic system for filing documents in civil cases in state courts, and fees to use and pay for it. This bill adds relevant definitions to state statutes, and is part of a package consisting of House Bill 5027 to 5030 and Senate Bills 531 to 533.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719703

House Bill 5030: Authorize electronic court records system and fees
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 15, 2015, to authorize an electronic system for filing documents in civil cases in state courts, and fees to use and pay for it. This bill adds new fees for civil actions whether filed electronically or not, and is part of a package consisting of House Bill 5027 to 5030 and Senate Bills 531 to 533.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=719704