Senate Bill 515: Declare blueberry as the official state fruit
Introduced by Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R) on September 19, 2013, to establish in law that henceforth the blueberry (Vaccinium Cyanococcus) shall be designated as the official State of Michigan fruit. Note: At present, Michigan does not have an official state fruit. Past bills have proposed designating the cherry as the official state fruit, and apple cider as the official state beverage.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160840
Senate Bill 516: Convert certain bank tax breaks to cash subsidies
Introduced by Sen. Darwin Booher (R) on September 19, 2013, to allow certain banks that have been granted selective tax credits under the old Michigan Business Tax to essentially convert the balance of their credits into cash subsidies from the state, and revise details of the apportionment of the corporate income tax on the income of banks and affiliates that is earned in other states.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160841
Senate Bill 517: Allow giving state purchase contracts to Michigan companies, not lowest bidder
Introduced by Sen. Rick Jones (R) on September 19, 2013, to allow the state to not award purchase contracts to the lowest bidder if this is not a Michigan company and a Michigan-based bidder offers the goods at a higher price. The bill would allow this if the Michigan company’s bid is not more than 1 percent higher for contracts greater than $1 million, 5 percent higher for contracts under $500,000, and 3 percent higher for contracts between those amounts.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160842
Senate Bill 518: Authorize “Denver boot” for delinquent court fees
Introduced by Sen. John Proos, IV (R) on September 19, 2013, to empower courts to order that the vehicle of a person who fails to pay a court-ordered penalty, fee, or costs within 56 days be immobilized using a “Denver boot” until the delinquent amounts are paid.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160843
Senate Bill 519: Authorize seizure of lawsuit judgments to pay delinquent court fees
Introduced by Sen. John Proos, IV (R) on September 19, 2013, to require the State Court Administrative Office to maintain a database of people with delinquent court-ordered penalties, fees, or costs, and if a person on the list wins a monetary award in a lawsuit then deduct the delinquent amounts from the award. The same would apply to a person with delinquent child support payments.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160844
Senate Bill 520: Revise details of child support order procedures
Introduced by Sen. Judy Emmons (R) on September 19, 2013, to revise notification details of alimony or child support orders, and of restitution orders imposed on individuals who are delinquent in these payments.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160845
Senate Bill 521: Authorize Friend of the Court subpoenas
Introduced by Sen. Judy Emmons (R) on September 19, 2013, to authorize Friend of the Court offices to issue subpoenas in unresolved parenting time conflicts in divorce cases.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160846
Senate Bill 522: Repeal child support “service fee”
Introduced by Sen. Bruce Caswell (R) on September 19, 2013, to repeal a $2 monthly fee imposed on court-ordered child support payers.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160847
Senate Bill 523: Authorize using delinquent child support payer’s IRA
Introduced by Sen. Mike Nofs (R) on September 19, 2013, to pay arrearage to allow assets in a delinquent child support payer’s Individual Retirement Account to be seized to make up the arrearage.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160848
Senate Bill 524: Authorize using delinquent child support payer’s IRA to pay arrearage
Introduced by Sen. Mike Nofs (R) on September 19, 2013, to allow assets in a delinquent child support payer’s Individual Retirement Account to be seized to make up the arrearage. This bill establishes that if the payer goes bankrupt the creditors can’t claim the IRA money if it is being used to cover the child support arrearage.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160849
Senate Bill 525: Authorize using delinquent child support payer’s IRA to pay arrearage
Introduced by Sen. Mike Nofs (R) on September 19, 2013, to allow assets in a delinquent child support payer’s Individual Retirement Account to be seized to make up the arrearage.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160850
Senate Bill 526: Revise child support recipient detail
Introduced by Sen. Bruce Caswell (R) on September 19, 2013, to establish that court-ordered child support payments should go to the person who is actually caring for the children, not necessarily the person who is “legally responsible” for this.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160851
Senate Bill 527: Revise child support motion filing fee detail
Introduced by Sen. Bruce Caswell (R) on September 19, 2013, to require fees for legal actions involving child custody, support, or parenting time to be paid when the action is filed.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160852
Senate Bill 528: Clarify procedures to seize delinquent child support payer’s lottery winnings
Introduced by Sen. Mike Nofs (R) on September 19, 2013, to clarify procedures related to seizing a delinquent child support payer’s lottery winnings to pay the arrearage.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160853
Senate Bill 529: Revise child support guidelines detail
Introduced by Sen. Bruce Caswell (R) on September 19, 2013, to establish that a state “Office of Child Support” has the duty to “develop and implement guidelines for the allocation and distribution of all child support payments”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160854
Senate Bill 530: Revise and update Friend of the Court procedures and powers
Introduced by Sen. Bruce Caswell (R) on September 19, 2013, to revise and update details related to the powers, procedures and duties of Friend of the Court offices.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160855
Senate Bill 531: Repeal landscape architect licensure
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) on September 19, 2013, to revise a law addressing construction industry indemnity agreements to reflect the proposal in Senate Bill 513 to repeal licensure of landscape architects.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160856
Senate Bill 532: Let foreclosing lender keep homestead property tax exemption
Introduced by Sen. Jack Brandenburg (R) on September 19, 2013, to allow a home loan lender who forecloses on the loan to retain the delinquent debtor’s principal residence property tax exemption from school operating millages.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160857
House Bill 4992: Revise state student testing detail
Introduced by Rep. Andy Schor (D) on September 17, 2013, to allow a school district to alter or omit portions of state student assessment tests that collect demographic information from students or other information not related to the actual test.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160808
House Bill 4993: Increase hunting and fishing fees for PR campaign
Introduced by Rep. Jon Bumstead (R) on September 17, 2013, to increase hunting and fishing license fees by $1 and use the money for ads promoting hunting and fishing. The bill would create a state “wildlife council and wildlife management public education fund” with political appointees on its board representing various interests deciding what advertising agency to hire to do the PR campaign.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160809
House Bill 4994: Ban personal care product “micro beads”
Introduced by Rep. Terry Brown (D) on September 17, 2013, to prohibit the manufacture and sale in Michigan of personal care products containing plastic particles. This refers to “micro beads” in some brands of toothpaste and facial or body washes, which reportedly accumulate in the Great Lakes.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160810
House Bill 4995: Allow electronic “proof of insurance”
Introduced by Rep. Aric Nesbitt (R) on September 17, 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=160811
House Bill 4996: Exempt some small stock offerings from state registration
Introduced by Rep. Nancy Jenkins (R) on September 17, 2013, to exempt certain small company stock offerings from state registration requirements if they meet various conditions specified in the bill.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160812
House Bill 4997: Ban sale of e-cigarettes to minors
Introduced by Rep. Rick Outman (R) on September 19, 2013, to ban the sale to minors of electronic cigarettes or any oral device that provides vaporized nicotine.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160824
Senate Bill 80: Increase certain school expense reporting
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on October 1, 2013, to require school districts to include the total amount of employee and school board member expense reimbursements in the budget and spending data they are supposed to post online. See also Senate Bill 81.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=672880
Senate Bill 81: Ban school spending on luxuries and gifts
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on October 1, 2013, to extend to regular public school districts, charter schools and the state “Education Achievement Authority” created to take over academically-failed public schools a provision in a 2004 law banning corrupt Intermediate School District (ISD) practices that requires them to have a policy against using public money to buy alcoholic beverages, jewelry, gifts, entertainment tickets, sporting event tickets, golf fees, other recreational activity fees, or illegal items.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=672881
House Bill 4786: Increase vital records fees
Passed 20 to 18 in the Senate on October 1, 2013, to increase the fees for obtaining copies of vital records such as birth and death certificates. The fee increases range from $4 to $15 per record, and the bill also authorizes an extra $25 fee for “expedited” service.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=672897
House Bill 4786: Increase vital records fees
Failed 18 to 19 in the Senate on October 1, 2013, to increase the fees for obtaining copies of vital records such as birth and death certificates. The fee increases range from $4 to $15 per record, and the bill also authorizes an extra $25 fee for “expedited” service.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=672882
House Bill 4787: Increase CON health facility rationing fees
Passed 23 to 14 in the Senate on October 1, 2013, to increase from $1,500 to $3,000 the “base” fee for a hospital or other health care providers seeking government permission to open or expand a health care facility, or add certain capital-intensive equipment (like MRIs), under an existing state “Certificate of Need” rationing regime. The bill would also authorize additional fee increases of $5,000 for large projects, $3,000 for “complex” projects, $500 for “letter of intent” reviews, and more. These fees would then be indexed to inflation so that legislative authorization would not be required for future fee hikes.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=672898
House Bill 4961: Increase state share of foster care rate increase cost
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on October 1, 2013, to require the Department of Human Services to pay all of a $3 administrative rate increase for private providers of foster care services as provided in the 2013-14 state budget, rather than half the amount (with counties responsible for the rest which is what current law requires).
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=672899