Senate Bill 90: Create African-American Affairs Commission
Passed 34 to 2 in the Senate on January 14, 2016, to create an “Office of African-American Affairs” in the state Department of Civil Rights, and a government African-American Affairs Commission consisting of 15 political appointees who have “a particular interest or expertise in African-American concerns,” with the mission of developing “a unified policy and plan of action to serve the needs of African-Americans in this stateâ€.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=721126
House Bill 4459: Allow embedding emergency contact info in drivers license
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on January 14, 2016, to require the Secretary of State starting in 2017 to embed machine-readable emergency contact information in digitized drivers licenses if a person requests this. Access to the embedded information would be limited to law enforcement agencies.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=721127
House Bill 4460: Allow embedding emergency contact info in state ID
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on January 14, 2016, to require the Secretary of State starting in 2017 to embed machine-readable emergency contact information in digitized state identification cards, if a person requests this. Access to the embedded information would be limited to law enforcement agencies.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=721128
Senate Bill 686: Honor homeowner requests for school district change
Introduced by Sen. Patrick Colbeck (R) on January 13, 2016, to require requests by residents to have their homes assigned to the jurisdiction of a different school to be approved if 75 percent of the homeowners who live in the affected area request this.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171200
Senate Bill 687
Introduced by Sen. Tory Rocca (R) on January 13, 2016, Revise intercounty drainage board detail to revise details of which commissioner of an intercounty drainage board will serve as secretary.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171201
Senate Bill 688: Mandate employers grant certain employee shift change requests
Introduced by Sen. Steve Bieda (D) on January 13, 2016, to mandate that, unless prevented by a “bona fide business reason,†employers must grant an employee’s request for a specified change in the terms and conditions of employment, including shifts, schedules and hours, if the request is based on specified personal matters. The bill would also impose additional pay and minimum hour mandates on employers in the retail, food service, or cleaning service sectors.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171202
Senate Bill 689: Incentivize county jails to not transfer inmates
Introduced by Sen. Darwin Booher (R) on January 13, 2016, to state prisons require the Department of Corrections to create a program to incentivize counties to keep prisoners in county jails rather than state prisons (if the prisoners are eligible for this based on various factors specified in current law). Counties that participate would get $35 per day per prisoner.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171203
Senate Bill 690: Revise references to deaf people in state laws
Introduced by Sen. David Robertson (R) on January 13, 2016, to modernize terminology in a “Michigan telecommunications act†used to refer to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171204
Senate Bill 691: Revise references to deaf people in state laws
Introduced by Sen. Marty Knollenberg (R) on January 13, 2016, to modernize terminology used to refer to people who are deaf or hard of hearing in the state law that imposes licensure on speech-language pathologists.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171205
Senate Bill 692: Revise references to deaf people in state laws
Introduced by Sen. Dale W. Zorn (R) on January 13, 2016, to modernize terminology used to refer to people who are deaf or hard of hearing in the state mental health code.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171206
Senate Bill 693: Revise references to deaf people in state laws
Introduced by Sen. Margaret O’Brien (R) on January 13, 2016, to modernize terminology used to refer to people who are deaf or hard of hearing in a state law that authorizes an advisory council and various programs intended to address this problem.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171207
Senate Bill 694: Revise references to deaf people in state laws
Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) on January 13, 2016, to modernize terminology used to refer to people who are deaf or hard of hearing in a state law that authorizes an advisory council and various programs intended to address this problem.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171208
Senate Bill 695: Subsidize some people’s water bills
Introduced by Sen. Bert Johnson (D) on January 13, 2016, to create a new government program to subsidize low income household water bills.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171209
Senate Bill 696: Mandate arson-caused burn injury reporting
Introduced by Sen. Bert Johnson (D) on January 13, 2016, to require health care professionals or officials to report to local police when a person seeking treatment for burn injuries shows evidence that these resulted from committing arson.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171210
Senate Bill 697: Mandate arson-related insurance claim reporting
Introduced by Sen. Rick Jones (R) on January 13, 2016, to require insurers to submit a report to local police before paying a claim for a building fire that may have been the result of arson.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171211
Senate Bill 699: Regulate drones
Introduced by Sen. Patrick Colbeck (R) on January 13, 2016, to establish that a property owner has “exclusive control†of the 300 feet of airspace above a parcel, subject to aviation-related and other restrictions specified in the bill. Owners could grant permission to another person (or their drone) to enter the space above their property, and police could only enter this space with a warrant or under “exigent circumstances.†See Senate Bill 700.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171213
Senate Bill 700: Restrict, regulate drone use over public property
Introduced by Sen. Mike Nofs (R) on January 13, 2016, to prohibit operating a drone over public property unless the operator follows regulations specified in the bill or adopted by federal, state or local government, as applicable. Among the proposed regulations are ones limiting speed, weight, hours of operation, a requirement that the operator be able to see the drone, a ban on flying over people, the adoption by reference of federal restrictions on camera use, and more. See also Senate Bill 699.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171214
Senate Bill 701: Ban auto insurance policy of less than 30 days
Introduced by Sen. Marty Knollenberg (R) on January 13, 2016, to prohibit auto insurance policies with durations of less than 30 days. See also House Bill 5142 o 5144.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171215
Senate Bill 702: Revise rules for “wrecker†services
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) on January 13, 2016, to eliminate distance restrictions on “wreckers†hauling damaged vehicles from where the damage occurred.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171216
Senate Bill 703: Repeal new restrictions on taxpayer-funded tax hike electioneering
Introduced by Sen. Dale W. Zorn (R) on January 14, 2016, to repeal a provision of a law passed in 2015 that prohibits taxpayer-funded communications from local governments and school districts that reference their own property tax hike or other ballot measures during the 60 days before the election.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171363
Senate Bill 704: Ban “dismemberment abortionâ€
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) on January 14, 2016, to include “dismemberment abortion†in the acts specified in the state’s ban against late-term “partial birth†abortions.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171364
Senate Bill 705: Ban “dismemberment abortionâ€
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) on January 14, 2016, to provide sentencing guidelines for the crime proposed by Senate Bill 705 of performing a “dismemberment abortionâ€.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171365
Senate Bill 706: Ban local logging truck regulations stricter than state’s
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) on January 14, 2016, to prohibit local governments from imposing restrictions on logging trucks that exceed those authorized by state law.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171366
Senate Bill 707: Clarify driveway entrance “grandfathering†provision
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) on January 14, 2016, to revise a “grandfathering†provision that exempts driveway entrances onto the street from regulations adopted after they were built. The bill would clarify that driveway maintenance including adding more gravel would not invalidate the exemption.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171367
Senate Bill 708: Prohibit county road use restrictions stricter than state’s
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) on January 14, 2016, to prohibit a county road commission from requiring an additional permit for activities on a public right of way that are otherwise permissible under state law.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171368
Senate Bill 709: Revise the number of judges
Introduced by Sen. Rick Jones (R) on January 14, 2016, to revise the number of judges in various districts.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171369
Senate Bill 710: Overhaul Detroit school district debt and governance
Introduced by Sen. Goeff Hansen (R) on January 14, 2016, to revise the state school code to accommodate Gov. Rick Snyder’s proposal to divide the Detroit school district into two entities. One of these would have the purely administrative function of servicing the bond debt accumulated by the district. The other would be governed by an elected school board and actually manage the schools (including academically failed schools currently under a form of state receivership). The centerpiece of the proposal is financial arrangements to relieve the district of debt incurred to cover regular operations in recent years, and allowing it to redirect property tax revenue that currently supports school operations to instead paying off its bond debt. The state would cover the operations funding shortfall, potentially out of money earmarked to the school aid fund, which is the source of state aid to local district and charter schools.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171370
Senate Bill 711: Overhaul Detroit school district debt and governance
Introduced by Sen. Goeff Hansen (R) on January 14, 2016, to revise details of a Detroit fiscal management oversight commission created by a 2014 law adopted as part of a city of Detroit bankruptcy and “bailout†package, to accommodate the proposal in Senate Bill 712 to reorganize and “bail out†the Detroit school district.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171371
House Bill 5206: Allow individual to not let hospital copy drivers license
Introduced by Rep. Robert Wittenberg (D) on January 13, 2016, to prohibit a health care provider or facility from refusing to provide care because an individual refuses to let them make a photocopy of his or drivers license or state ID card (rather than just look at it and write down the information they need).
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171300
House Bill 5207: Authorize tax credit for school “pay to play†expenses
Introduced by Rep. Peter Lucido (R) on January 13, 2016, to authorize an individual tax credit equal to the amount a person paid in fees charged by a public school for his or her child to participate in a sport, program, or other extracurricular activity.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171301
House Bill 5208: Authorize fine for too many passengers on school bus
Introduced by Rep. Adam Zemke (D) on January 13, 2016, to authorize a civil fine for school bus operators (or a person who “directs†a bus operation) if more passengers are carried than the vehicle’s rated capacity. The fine would de $100 for each extra passenger above the rated capacity.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171302
House Bill 5209: Exclude emergency managers from government official liability waiver
Introduced by Rep. Peter Lucido (R) on January 13, 2016, to require emergency managers appointed to run fiscally failed municipalities or school districts to post a performance bond, and to not include them in the immunity from personal lawsuits that generally apply to other school and local government officials acting in their official capacity.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171303
House Bill 5210: Exclude emergency managers from government official liability waiver
Introduced by Rep. Peter Lucido (R) on January 13, 2016, to require emergency managers appointed to run fiscally failed municipalities or school districts to post a performance bond, and to exclude them from the immunity from personal lawsuit provisions that generally apply to other school and local government officials acting in their official capacity.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171304
House Bill 5211: Make personal injury auto insurance charges non-refundable
Introduced by Rep. Peter Lucido (R) on January 13, 2016, to make the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association auto insurance assessments tacked on to no-fault insurance policies non-refundable if a person cancels their insurance.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171305
House Bill 5212: Revise details of cap on income tax pension exemption
Introduced by Rep. Paul Muxlow (R) on January 13, 2016, to revise details of how a particular cap on a state income tax exemption for pension income is calculated.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171306
House Bill 5213: Ban teacher union negotiation on school calendars
Introduced by Rep. Paul Muxlow (R) on January 13, 2016, to make school calendars a prohibited subject of collective bargaining with teachers unions.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171307
House Bill 5214: Let schools start before Labor Day
Introduced by Rep. Paul Muxlow (R) on January 13, 2016, to repeal a restriction on school districts starting a new school year before Labor Day.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171308
House Bill 5215: Criminalize removing collar from other person’s dog
Introduced by Rep. Triston Cole (R) on January 13, 2016, to make it a crime to remove the collar from a dog owned by someone else, punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171309
House Bill 5216: Extend FOIA to legislators
Introduced by Rep. John Bizon (R) on January 13, 2016, to repeal the exemptions from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act for records in the possession of legislators and their staff. The bill does not create a specific exemption for communications from constituents to members of the legislature.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171310
House Bill 5217: Revise expedited evictions for criminal activity
Introduced by Rep. Peter Lucido (R) on January 13, 2016, to revise a 2012 law that authorizes expedited eviction procedures for a tenant accused of various crimes, by requiring a conviction before it applies.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171311
House Bill 5218: Give new school employees 401(k), not pensions
Introduced by Rep. Tim Kelly (R) on January 13, 2016, 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, 2015, and instead provide 401(k) contributions.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171312
House Bill 5219: Modify restriction on local tax hike electioneering
Introduced by Rep. Lisa Lyons (R) on January 14, 2016, to revise a a 2015 law that prohibits local governments and school district communications from referencing in a taxpayer-funded communication their own property tax hike or other ballot measures during the 60 days before the election. The bill would create exceptions for communications containing the actual ballot question language and election date, and also permit discussions of the measure during broadcast meetings of a public body if “both proponents and opponents have an equal opportunity to discuss†it.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171374
House Bill 5220: Appropriate money for Flint water contamination response
Introduced by Rep. Phil Phelps (D) on January 14, 2016, to authorize an appropriation to pay for response activities related to the contamination of the Flint water supply. This bill contains a $100 “placeholder†appropriation, with the actual amount to be determined later.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=171375