Senate Bill 364: Revise boxing and “mixed martial arts” regulation
Introduced by Sen. David Robertson (R) on May 16, 2013, to extend a waiver of liability for a medical professional who renders emergency care at a licensed boxing or mixed marital arts contest or event, except for gross negligence or willful and wanton misconduct.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159460
Senate Bill 365: Restrict “bounced check” fees
Introduced by Sen. Gretchen Whitmer (D) on May 21, 2013, to prohibit a savings bank from imposing more than one overdraft fee per day regardless of how many checks a person bounces, and mandate that this fee be charged against the smallest bounced check.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159535
Senate Bill 366: Restrict “bounced check” fees
Introduced by Sen. Gretchen Whitmer (D) on May 21, 2013, to prohibit a state bank from imposing more than one overdraft fee per day regardless of how many checks a person bounces, and mandate that this fee be charged against the smallest bounced check.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159536
Senate Bill 367: Revise business profits tax detail
Introduced by Sen. Jack Brandenburg (R) on May 21, 2013, to revise details of the state tax on business profits to clarify when related companies are considered an “affiliated group” for tax purposes.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159537
Senate Bill 368: Authorize “Right to Life” license plate
Introduced by Sen. Patrick Colbeck (R) on May 21, 2013, to require the Secretary of State to develop a “Right to Life” fund-raising license plate, with fees collected for the plate going to the Michigan Right to Life anti-abortion organization.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159538
Senate Bill 369: Require offering emergency contraception
Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) on May 21, 2013, to sexual assault victims to require emergency room or urgent care clinics to offer emergency contraception to victims of sexual assault.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159539
Senate Bill 370: Require government “morning after” pill information campaign
Introduced by Sen. Bert Johnson (D) on May 21, 2013, to require the Department of Community Health to disseminate specified information about “emergency contraceptives” (the “morning after” pill) to the public, health care professionals and facilities, various agencies and more.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159540
Senate Bill 371: Require “comprehensive sexuality” classes in public schools
Introduced by Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D) on May 21, 2013, to require public schools to offer sex education classes that include “comprehensive sexuality education that is medically accurate and age-appropriate for all grade levels”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159541
Senate Bill 372: Exclude certain farm property sales from property tax assessment basis
Introduced by Sen. Bruce Caswell (R) on May 21, 2013, to require tax assessors to exclude sales of certain types of agricultural property from the “sales ratio studies” that determine the property tax assessments for other farm property.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159542
Senate Bill 373: Require pharmacy best practices pilot programs
Introduced by Sen. Goeff Hansen (R) on May 21, 2013, to require the Michigan Board of Pharmacy to establish a process for the approval of up to 25 pilot projects designed to provide better pharmacy products or more efficient pharmacy services.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159543
Senate Bill 374: Create statewide school violence “hotline”
Introduced in the Senate on May 21, 2013, to require the Attorney General and the State Police to create a “hotline” manned 24 hours a day all year long to collect “confidential reports of unsafe, potentially harmful, dangerous, violent, or criminal activities.” These could include cell phone camera and video images. While the bill does not limit the hotline to school related threats, other parts of it require the information to be shared with local law enforcement and school officials.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159544
Senate Bill 375: Allow local holiday fireworks regulations
Introduced by Sen. Dave Hildenbrand (R) on May 22, 2013, to allow local governments to ban the use of consumer fireworks between midnight and 8:00 a.m. on the day before, day of, and day after a national holiday. The 2012 law legalizing these fireworks (which include firecrackers, bottle rockets, aerial spinners, Roman candles, etc.) essentially preempted local bans on their use during these holiday periods.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159579
Senate Bill 376: Revise fireworks seller “safety fee” (tax) details
Introduced by Sen. Rick Jones (R) on May 22, 2013, to revise details of how revenue from fireworks seller “safety fees” (taxes) imposed on fireworks sellers are collected and earmarked.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159580
Senate Bill 377: Establish “animal abuse registry”
Introduced by Sen. Steve Bieda (D) on May 22, 2013, to require the State Police to maintain an “animal abuse registry” containing the names of individuals who have been convicted of an “animal abuse offense” within the past five years. Like the state’s sex offender registry, people on this one would have to update the registry every time they move.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159581
Senate Bill 378: Establish “animal abuse registry”
Introduced by Sen. Steve Bieda (D) on May 22, 2013, to mandate that animal shelters run background checks on individuals wanting to adopt an animal, using the “animal abuse registry” proposed by Senate Bill 377.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159582
Senate Bill 379: Exempt roadside farm stands from building permit mandates
Introduced by Sen. Darwin Booher (R) on May 22, 2013, to exempt roadside farm stands from building code regulations and permit requirements.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159583
Senate Bill 380: Revise foreclosure restrictions
Introduced by Sen. Randy Richardville (R) on May 22, 2013, to prohibit a lender from using “foreclosure by advertisement” of a principal residence (the most common form of foreclosure, less costly and prolonged than judicial foreclosure) if the lender complied with federal regulations regarding mortgage servicer policies and procedures, or a “modification agreement” had been made between the debtor and the person who lent the money (or to whom the loan was sold or transferred). The bill revises a 2009 law that imposed a mandate that lenders must give a delinquent debtor 90 days to negotiate a revision of the loan terms.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159584
Senate Bill 381: Extend foreclosure restrictions sunset
Introduced by Sen. Mike Nofs (R) on May 22, 2013, to extend until June 30, 2014 the sunset on a 2009 law that forces mortgage lenders to attempt to negotiate revisions in the terms of delinquent loans before they can proceed to a “foreclosure by advertisement” (instead of the more costly judicial foreclosure process). This would be the second time this “temporary” law has been extended.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159585
Senate Bill 382: Revise foreclosure restrictions
Introduced by Sen. Jim Marleau (R) on May 22, 2013, to extend to “mortgage servicers” including small servicers certain specified federal policies and procedures for foreclosure proceedings begun after January 9, 2014.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159586
Senate Bill 383: Revise foreclosure restrictions
Introduced by Sen. Darwin Booher (R) on May 22, 2013, to reduce the foreclosure redemption period by 120 days for certain properties in which the foreclosure proceedings begin after January 9, 2014, if the mortgage servicer complied with federal regulations and procedures.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159587
Senate Bill 384: Make lottery winners pay back welfare subsidies
Introduced by Sen. John Moolenaar (R) on May 23, 2013, to require the state lottery bureau to check on whether a person who wins more than $600 in the lottery has receive welfare benefits; Senate Bill 339 would require half the winnings go toward paying back the welfare benefits.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159613
Senate Bill 385: Revise rail crossing funding detail
Introduced by Sen. John Moolenaar (R) on May 23, 2013, to establish priorities for the types of rail crossing improvement projects funded by an annual earmark of road tax money for this purpose.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159614
Senate Bill 386: Revise animal abuser ownership ban
Introduced by Sen. Rick Jones (R) on May 23, 2013, to revise a law that prohibits an individual convicted of animal abuse from owning a similar animal for five years after being sentenced, to instead extend the ban to five years after completing the sentence.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159615
Senate Bill 387: Include reserve and auxiliary law enforcement officers in workers comp
Introduced by Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R) on May 23, 2013, to expand the state workers disability compensation system to include reserve and auxiliary law enforcement officers.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159616
Senate Bill 388: Revise delinquent property tax interest detail
Introduced by Sen. Tupac Hunter (D) on May 23, 2013, to give county treasurers discretion over whether to impose interest on delinquent property taxes owed on parcels subject to tax foreclosure.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159617
Senate Bill 389: Give high school diploma to Viet Nam veterans
Introduced by Sen. Judy Emmons (R) on May 23, 2013, to grant a high school diploma to veterans who did not graduate but joined the armed forces during Vietnam war.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159618
Senate Bill 390: Don’t require drivers license “indorsement” for “autocycle” use
Introduced by Sen. John Moolenaar (R) on May 23, 2013, to not require a motorcycle “indorsement” (a drivers license category) to operate an “autocycle,” which is an enclosed motorcycle.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159619
Senate Bill 391: Allow electronic “proof of insurance”
Introduced by Sen. Michael Green (R) on May 23, 2013, to allow “proof of insurance” documents motorists are required to have when driving under the state’s no-fault insurance law to be an electronic communication from the insurance company.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159620
Senate Bill 392: Allow electronic “proof of insurance”
Introduced by Sen. Joe Hune (R) on May 23, 2013, to allow “proof of insurance” documents motorists are required to have when driving under the state’s no-fault insurance law to be an electronic communication from the insurance company.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159621
House Bill 4745: “Clean up” statute references to reflect department reorganization
Introduced by Rep. Pete Lund (R) on May 21, 2013, to revise references in the state insurance law to reflect a reorganization of regulatory functions into an agency titled the “Department of Insurance and Financial Services”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159567
House Bill 4746: Create adult “cyberbullying” crime
Introduced by Rep. Dale W. Zorn (R) on May 21, 2013, to create a crime of “cyberbullying” another person, subject to 93 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. The bill defines “cyberbully” as bullying through the use of a computer network, program or system, or a telecommunications system. The bill also authorizes a court to order a perpetrator to obtain mental health counseling or other treatment at his or her own expense.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159568
House Bill 4747: Designate tree frog as official state amphibian
Introduced by Rep. Patrick Somerville (R) on May 21, 2013, to establish in law that henceforth the eastern gray tree frog (Hyla versicolor) shall be designated as the official State of Michigan amphibian. Note: At present, Michigan does not have an official state amphibian. Past bills have proposed designating the northern spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) and the marbled salamander (Ambystome opacum) as the official state amphibian. Michigan does have an official state reptile, which is the painted turtle.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159569
House Bill 4748: Require semi-annual state unfunded liability estimates
Introduced by Rep. Peter MacGregor (R) on May 21, 2013, to require the twice-a-year state “revenue estimating conferences” at which state officials and academic economists estimate how much tax and fee revenue the state can expect to collect (and spend) in the coming year, to also require them to estimate the state’s unfunded liabilities. These primarily consist of “defined benefit” government and school employee pension plans for which the legislature has failed to set aside sufficient money to pay promised future benefits. State employees hired since 1997 receive 401(k) “defined contribution” benefits that create no new taxpayer liabilities, but new school employees continue to be enrolled in these underfunded pension plans and create new taxpayer liabilities.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159570
House Bill 4749: Impose licensure on midwives
Introduced by Rep. Edward McBroom (R) on May 21, 2013, to impose a state licensure mandate on midwives (as distinct from “nurse midwives), including regulations and license fees.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159571
House Bill 4750: Revise electric utility debt apportionment
Introduced by Rep. Amanda Price (R) on May 21, 2013, to require large electric utilities to apply to the state Public Service Commission for permission (a “financing order”) to assess customers for debt service costs incurred to cover the cost of new water and pollution control equipment required by federal or state regulations. One of the limited number of commercial customers in a customer choice program (who get power produced by another provider but transmitted over the utility’s lines) could not be charged for this.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159572
House Bill 4751: Impose oral chemotherapy insurance mandate
Introduced by Rep. Gail Haines (R) on May 21, 2013, to impose a new coverage mandate that would require insurance companies to include coverage for orally administered chemotherapy in all their health insurance policies that provide for cancer chemotherapy treatments, without requiring any dollar limit, deductible or co-pay for these that does not apply to other treatments.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159573
House Bill 4752: Establish that military experience meets boiler operator requirements
Introduced by Rep. Robert Kosowski (D) on May 21, 2013, to establish that having recent and relevant military training and experience meets the criteria for obtaining a stationary steam engineers and boiler operators registration (license).
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159574
House Bill 4169: Revise local board of election canvassers details
Passed 32 to 5 in the Senate on May 28, 2013, to eliminate “boards of city canvassers,” “boards of village canvassers” and “boards of township canvassers,” and instead just have county boards of canvassers. The primary function of these boards is to tabulate votes cast in elections.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=665621
House Bill 4170: Revise local board of election canvassers details
Passed 32 to 5 in the Senate on May 28, 2013, to eliminate references in the community college act of 1966 to a “board of city canvassers” or “board of township canvassers.” Under House Bill 4169, the relevant body would become the board of county canvassers.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=665622
House Bill 4171: Revise local board of election canvassers details
Passed 32 to 5 in the Senate on May 28, 2013, to eliminate city and township “boards of canvassers,” and instead just have county boards of canvassers. The primary function of these boards is to tabulate votes cast in elections.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=665624
House Bill 4228: Appropriations: “Omnibus” education budget
Passed 25 to 12 in the Senate on May 29, 2013, the final version of the K-12 school aid, community college and university budgets for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, 2013. House Bill 4328 authorizes the rest of state government spending. This bill would appropriate $13.361 billion for K-12 public schools, compared to $12.944 billion the previous year; $1.430 billion for state universities, compared to $1.399 billion the previous year; and $335 million for community colleges, up from $294 million. Of these amounts, $1.861 billion is federal money, vs. $1.798 billion the previous year.
Some highlights include: A $30 per pupil “foundation allowance” increase for school districts, and $60 for ones whose allowance is at the lower end. Spending on preschool programs will increase by $65.0 million to $174.6 million. Students in grades 5 to 12 will be allowed to take up to two online courses per term. Universities would get less money if they raise tuition more than limit of 3.75 percent.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=665665
House Bill 4228: Appropriations: “Omnibus” education budget
Passed 65 to 43 in the House on May 28, 2013, the final version of the K-12 school aid, community college and university budgets for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, 2013. House Bill 4328 authorizes the rest of state government spending. This bill would appropriate $13.361 billion for K-12 public schools, compared to $12.944 billion the previous year; $1.430 billion for state universities, compared to $1.399 billion the previous year; and $335 million for community colleges, up from $294 million. Of these amounts, $1.861 billion is federal money, vs. $1.798 billion the previous year.
Some highlights include: A $30 per pupil “foundation allowance” increase for school districts, and $60 for ones whose allowance is at the lower end. Spending on preschool programs will increase by $65.0 million to $174.6 million. Students in grades 5 to 12 will be allowed to take up to two online courses per term. Universities would get less money if they raise tuition more than limit of 3.75 percent.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=665657
House Bill 4328: Appropriations: 2013-2014 “omnibus” budget
Passed 63 to 46 in the House on May 28, 2013, the (almost) final compromise version of the non-education portion of the state government budget for the fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1, 2013. (House Bill 4228 contains K-12 school, college and university spending.) This would appropriate $34.392 billion, compared to $34.355 billion the previous year (when interdepartmental transfers are deducted the amounts are slightly lower). Notably, the budget does not include $1.2 billion from higher transportation taxes Gov. Rick Snyder has recommended, or $1.5 billion from the federal health care law’s expansion of Medicaid. It also does not permit the Department of Education to spend money on a “Common Core” curriculum initiative without explicit legislative authorization.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=665686
House Bill 4743: Allow local holiday fireworks regulations
Passed 107 to 1 in the House on May 28, 2013, to allow local governments to ban the use of consumer fireworks between midnight and 8:00 a.m. on the day before, day of, and day after a national holiday (in larger communities the allowable deadline would be 1:00 a.m. on New Years). The 2012 law legalizing these fireworks (which include firecrackers, bottle rockets, aerial spinners, Roman candles, etc.) essentially preempted local bans on their use during these holiday periods.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=665656