Senate Bill 126: Appropriations: Supplemental budget
The amendment failed 11 to 25 in the Senate on September 19, 2013, to repeal a provision of the current state budget that prohibits spending money to implement a “common core standards” curriculum promoted an entity associated with the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=672492
Senate Bill 126: Appropriations: Supplemental budget
The amendment failed 12 to 24 in the Senate on September 19, 2013, to spend $340,000 on a “pre-college engineering” program in Detroit and Grand Rapids high schools. This spending was line-item vetoed by Gov. Rick Snyder in the 2013-2014 budget.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=672493
Senate Bill 126: Appropriations: Supplemental budget
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on September 19, 2013, to appropriate $747,300 for a dock renovation project at Port Austin State Harbor in Huron County, and revise details of other previously-appropriated money and projects.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=672494
Senate Bill 162: Revise criminal plot prosecution venue detail
Passed 101 to 3 in the House on September 19, 2013, to authorize prosecuting felonies committed in another county if they are part of a plot to commit a crime in the prosecution venue.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=672536
Senate Bill 489: Revise “personal property tax” reform details
Passed 27 to 9 in the Senate on September 19, 2013, to revise details of a 2012 law that exempts from “personal property tax” up to $80,000 ($40,000 in “taxable value”) worth of tools and equipment owned or leased by a business in a particular jurisdiction. This tax imposes annual property taxes on business tools and equipment. The bill would empower local assessors to retroactively deny exemptions for the three past years; authorize criminal penalties for claiming the exemption on ineligible property; revise details of the definition of what property is eligible; revise procedures for claiming the exemption; impose new record-keeping requirements on businesses; and more.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=672490
Senate Bill 490: Revise “personal property tax” reform details
Passed 27 to 9 in the Senate on September 19, 2013, to revise details of a 2012 law that gradually phases out a so-called “personal property tax” that imposes annual property taxes on tools and equipment owned by “industrial” firms. The bill would revise details of the definition of what property is taxable and what business operations are considered “industrial”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=672491
House Bill 4229: Appropriations: Supplemental school aid budget
Passed 104 to 0 in the House on September 19, 2013, to adopt a number of technical revisions to instructions to state departments (”boilerplate language”) contained in the previously-enacted 2013-2014 state budget.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=672533
House Bill 4636: Clarify criminal restitution detail
Passed 104 to 0 in the House on September 19, 2013, to clarify wording in a law that requires convicted criminals to pay restitution to the victim, or if the victim dies, to his or her estate.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=672535
House Bill 4694: Authorize “mental health courts”
Passed 104 to 0 in the House on September 19, 2013, to authorize a type of alternative judicial proceeding for mentally disturbed or disabled individuals who commit minor crimes, similar to the state “drug courts” for minor drug use crimes. These “mental health” courts would allow dismissal of charges if the individual agrees to and abides by an agreement that includes a prescribed mental health treatment program. This bill establishes criteria for a defendant being allowed to participate; it is part of a package comprised of House Bills 4694 to 4697.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=672538
House Bill 4695: Authorize “mental health courts”
Passed 103 to 1 in the House on September 19, 2013, to authorize a type of alternative judicial proceeding for mentally disturbed or disabled individuals who commit minor crimes, similar to the state “drug courts” for minor drug use crimes. These “mental health” courts would allow dismissal of charges if the individual agrees to and abides by a prescribed mental health treatment program.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=672539
House Bill 4696: Authorize “mental health courts”
Passed 104 to 0 in the House on September 19, 2013, to authorize a type of alternative judicial proceeding for mentally disturbed or disabled individuals who commit minor crimes, similar to the state “drug courts” for minor drug use crimes. These “mental health” courts would allow dismissal of charges if the individual agrees to and abides by a prescribed mental health treatment program. This bill establishes procedures and duties for both the defendant and the court, including making available and accepting related mental health services; it is part of a package comprised of House Bills 4694 to 4697.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=672540
House Bill 4833: Increase election recount deposit requirement
Passed 95 to 9 in the House on September 19, 2013, to increase the money deposit a candidate must make to get an election recount from $10 to $25 per precinct, and to $125 per precinct if the election wasn’t close (within 50 votes or 0.5 percent).
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=672537
Senate Bill 493: Preempt local amateur radio restrictions
Introduced by Sen. Rick Jones (R) on September 17, 2013, to prohibit local ordinances that preclude federally licensed amateur radio service communications, or that do not comply with Federal Communications Commission rules, or that unreasonably restrict antennas up to 90 feet tall.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160814
Senate Bill 494: Repeal licensure of “community planners”
Introduced by Sen. Bruce Caswell (R) on September 17, 2013, to repeal the registration mandate imposed on “community planners.” This bill repeals the registration, application, and examination fees, and a bill to be introduced later repeals the mandate itself.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160815
Senate Bill 495: Institute Headlee Amendment unfunded mandate restrictions
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) on September 17, 2013, to prohibit any bill that potentially imposes a mandate on local governments from becoming law unless a “local government mandate panel” comprised the House and Senate Fiscal Agencies, and the relevant state department if any in consultation with the local governments affected, create a “fiscal note” that quantifies how much the mandate will cost; and require that money is appropriated and allocated to pay for the mandate, in compliance with the Headlee amendment provision prohibiting the state from imposing unfunded mandates on local governments.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160816
Senate Bill 496: Institute Headlee Amendment unfunded mandate restrictions
Introduced by Sen. Mark Jansen (R) on September 17, 2013, to prohibit a state agency from imposing any new increase in local government services or activities unless the legislature has appropriated money to pay for it. Along with Senate Bill 495 this bill would establish an administrative process to restrict such impositions.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160817
Senate Bill 497: Institute Headlee Amendment unfunded mandate restrictions
Introduced by Sen. Arlan Meekhof (R) on September 17, 2013, to create a permanent legislative council “local government mandate panel” to implement the provisions of Senate Bill 495.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160818
Senate Bill 498: Institute Headlee Amendment unfunded mandate restrictions
Introduced by Sen. David Robertson (R) on September 17, 2013, to explicitly give local governments standing to sue the state under the Headlee Amendment’s unfunded mandate ban in the state constitution; establish that the burden of proof is on the state in such suits; establish that the burden of proof is on the local government if a taxpayer sues it for violating the Headlee amendment’s tax limitation provisions; and establish specific procedures for such lawsuits.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160819
Senate Bill 499: Revise human trafficking crime details
Introduced by Sen. Glenn Anderson (D) on September 17, 2013, to require the State Police to maintain a toll-free number to take confidential reports of human trafficking violations.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160820
Senate Bill 500: Revise human trafficking crime details
Introduced by Sen. Glenn Anderson (D) on September 17, 2013, to require that half the money raised from the sale of assets forfeited due to human trafficking violations must be deposited into a state fund proposed by Senate Bill 499 to pay for a toll-free number to take confidential reports of human trafficking violations.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160825
Senate Bill 501: Mandate reporting of human trafficking violations
Introduced by Sen. Glenn Anderson (D) on September 17, 2013, to require a person who knows of a human trafficking crime being committed to report this, subject to up 90 days in jail and a $500 fine.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160826
Senate Bill 502: Revise human trafficking crime details
Introduced by Sen. Glenn Anderson (D) on September 17, 2013, to require that individuals convicted under the state’s human trafficking law, or for enticing or requiring a person to become a prostitute, must register on the state’s sex offender registry.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160827
Senate Bill 503: Revise human trafficking crime details
Introduced by Sen. Glenn Anderson (D) on September 17, 2013, to restrict questioning a crime victim about past prostitution violations, with some specified exceptions, and establish procedures if an alleged violator wants to raise such questions in court.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160828
Senate Bill 504: Revise liquor license law details
Introduced by Sen. Joe Hune (R) on September 17, 2013, to establish that rules, orders, bulletins, declaratory rulings, or other administrative directives issued by the state Liquor Control Commission are void and not enforceable if they are not consistent with state liquor control laws, or do not “protect the public health, safety, and welfare of the citizens”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160829
Senate Bill 505: Revise liquor license law details
Introduced by Sen. Joe Hune (R) on September 17, 2013, to explicitly allow liquor manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors to provide bars, restaurants and retailers with advertising items that promote their brands; and repeal Liquor Control Commission regulations promulgated in 2013 restricting this.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160830
Senate Bill 506: Revise liquor license law details
Introduced by Sen. Joe Hune (R) on September 17, 2013, to prohibit requiring brewers and beer wholesalers from having to pay a state beer tax more than once every three months.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160831
Senate Bill 507: Revise liquor license law details
Introduced by Sen. Joe Hune (R) on September 17, 2013, to prohibit requiring wineries, liquor makers or their wholesalers from having to pay a state wine or liquor tax more than once every three months. The bill also revises details of which entities are required to deliver the tax.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160832
Senate Bill 508: Revise home-related use tax detail
Introduced by Sen. Darwin Booher (R) on September 17, 2013, to extend by one additional year into the past a 2012 law that clarified the applicability of the state use tax on “a manufacturer that affixes its product to real estate,” retroactive to 2006.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160833
Senate Bill 509: Authorize new state Senate office building
Introduced by Sen. Randy Richardville (R) on September 17, 2013, to authorize the sale of the Farnum Senate office building in Lansing and construction of a new building for Senators’ offices.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160834
Senate Bill 510: Exempt drivers on Medicare from unlimited personal injury insurance mandate
Introduced by Sen. Rick Jones (R) on September 18, 2013, to no longer require drivers age 65 and older (who are eligible for federal Medicare health benefits) to purchase the unlimited personal injury protection (PIP) coverage mandated by Michigan’s no-fault insurance law.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160835
Senate Bill 511: Revise property tax assessment detail
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) on September 18, 2013, to establish that in assessing a property’s value for property tax purposes, “if the existing use is financially feasible and is more profitable than modification or redevelopment,” then it should be considered the “highest and best use of the property” and used to determine the true cash value.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160836
Senate Bill 512: Repeal licensure of landscape architects
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) on September 18, 2013, to repeal the licensure mandate imposed on landscape architects. This bill repeals the license fees, and Senate Bill 513 repeals the mandate.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160837
Senate Bill 513: Repeal licensure of landscape architects
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) on September 18, 2013, to repeal the licensure mandate imposed on landscape architects.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160838
Senate Bill 514: Repeal licensure of respiratory care therapists
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) on September 18, 2013, to repeal the licensure mandate imposed on respiratory care therapists.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160839
House Bill 4974: Require property assessments more quickly reflect market declines
Introduced by Rep. Lisa Lyons (R) on September 17, 2013, to place in statute the provisions of the constitutional amendment proposed by House Joint Resolution Y, which would revise details of the Proposal A property tax assessment cap. Specifically, if a property’s assessed value has decreased, or has increased by less than both the rate of inflation level and 5 percent, then the owner’s “taxable value” in the immediately succeeding must be the same as the previous year. Currently, assessors use a “moving average” of a property’s value over several years, so if values go down an owner could still be assessed more.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160786
House Bill 4975: Authorize auto insurance rebate mandate and lawsuits
Introduced by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D) on September 17, 2013, to establish that if the state insurance bureau has determined that an insurer has overcharged on an auto insurance policy, then the bureau can order rebates. Also, to establish that customers can sue the insurer for a rebate even if the insurance bureau has not determined there was an overcharge.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160787
House Bill 4976: Authorize auto insurance rebate mandate
Introduced by Rep. Marilyn Lane (D) on September 17, 2013, to mandate that auto insurance companies must rebate the amount of additional premiums they charged a person for having traffic violation “points” on their record once the points have expired (two years after the violation).
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160788
House Bill 4977: Revise property tax assessment detail
Introduced by Rep. John Kivela (D) on September 17, 2013, to establish that in assessing a property’s value for property tax purposes, “if the existing use is financially feasible and is more profitable than modification or redevelopment,” then it should be considered the “highest and best use of the property” and used to determine the true cash value.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160789
House Bill 4978: Mandate businesses restrict smoking outside the premises
Introduced by Rep. Dian Slavens (D) on September 17, 2013, to mandate that a business must prohibit people from smoking within 15 feet of entrances, exits, open windows, and ventilation systems, and allow local governments to extend this mandate to a greater distance.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160790
House Bill 4979: Revise regulations on local “medical control authorities”
Introduced by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D) on September 17, 2013, to prohibit the medical directors of state-authorized “medical control authorities” responsible for establishing certain patient treatment mandate protocols on local hospitals from being affiliated with or receiving any benefits from the hospitals and surgery centers within the authority’s jurisdiction.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160791
House Bill 4980: Revise regulations on local “medical control authorities”
Introduced by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D) on September 17, 2013, to require the state-authorized “medical control authorities” responsible for establishing certain treatment protocols in an area with a population of 500,000 or more to adopt protocols that ensure ambulances are dispatched and respond in “a reasonable time.” The term “reasonable time” is not defined in the bill.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160792
House Bill 4981: Restrict police use of automated license plate readers
Introduced by Rep. Sam Singh (D) on September 17, 2013, to restrict the use by law enforcement of automated license plate readers unless they are used for a specified (but broad) range of law enforcement purposes, and require the data accumulated by these devices to be purged from the system within 48 hours unless it is related to an active investigation. The allowable uses include activities related to stolen vehicles; individuals who are wanted or missing; individuals who missed required court appearances or who have criminal warrants; people driving on suspended or revoked drivers licenses; criminal suspects; commercial trucking enforcement; investigative surveillance for a specific criminal case; and license plate canvasses in homicides, shootings, or other major crimes.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160793
House Bill 4982: Authorize year-round school pilot program
Introduced by Rep. Andy Schor (D) on September 17, 2013, to earmark $10 million in school aid money to establish year-round school district pilot programs in low income (“at risk”) schools.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160794
House Bill 4983: Revise regulations on local “medical control authorities”
Introduced by Rep. George T. Darany (D) on September 17, 2013, to prohibit the state-authorized “medical control authorities” responsible for establishing certain treatment protocols in an area from entering into an agreement with a life support agency or emergency medical services personnel within its region unless the agreement is in writing.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160795
House Bill 4984: Revise local 9-1-1 service detail
Introduced by Rep. Matt Lori (R) on September 17, 2013, to revise details of the procedures used by local 9-1-1systems to determine which public safety service unit is closest to a request for public safety service.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160796
House Bill 4985: Redesignate a road
Introduced by Rep. Robert Kosowski (D) on September 17, 2013, to designate a portion of portion M-153 in Wayne County as the “Firefighter Brian Woehlke Memorial Highway”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160797
House Bill 4986: Ban school discrimination based on student religious expression
Introduced by Rep. Thomas Hooker (R) on September 17, 2013, to prohibit a public school from discriminating against a student or parent on the basis of their religious viewpoint or expression. Schools would have to treat a student’s voluntary expression of a religious viewpoint no differently that the expression of a secular viewpoint.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160798
House Bill 4987: Give fallen soldiers’ families free state park passes
Introduced by Rep. Thomas Hooker (R) on September 17, 2013, to not charge the spouse, parent, sibling, or child of a member of the armed services who died during combat for the state park “passport” that is an option when paying for annual license plate renewals. These fallen soldier relatives are eligible for a “gold star” license plate authorized by a 2011 law.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160799
House Bill 4988: Give fallen soldiers’ families free state park passes
Introduced by Rep. Thomas Hooker (R) on September 17, 2013, to not charge the spouse, parent, sibling, or child of a member of the armed services who died during combat for the state park “passport” that is an option when paying for annual license plate renewals. These fallen soldier relatives are eligible for a “gold star” license plate authorized by a 2011 law.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160800
House Bill 4989: Authorize discounted agricultural truck license plate
Introduced by Rep. Kenneth Kurtz (R) on September 17, 2013, to authorize a special license plate for trucks providing agricultural services to farm operations, for which an owner would only have to pay a one-time tax of $500 rather than annual renewal fees.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160801
House Bill 4990: Establish state “unclaimed body program”
Introduced by Rep. Kenneth Kurtz (R) on September 17, 2013, to require Department of Community Health to establish an “unclaimed body program” that would refer unclaimed bodies either to medical schools or to “preferred provider” funeral homes in different counties, who would be paid to supervise the final disposition according to standards and procedures specified or authorized in the bill.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160802
House Bill 4991: Let adoption agencies refuse adoptions that violate moral convictions
Introduced by Rep. Tom Leonard (R) on September 17, 2013, to specify in statute that a “child placing agency” (private adoption agency or foster care service) is not required to assist or participate in an adoption or placement that violates its written religious or moral convictions, including adoptions of a child by a homosexual.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160803