Senate Bill 277: Revise commercial vehicle regulation detail
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on October 15, 2013, to eliminate a requirement that commercial vehicles weighing more than 5,000 pounds must carry the owner’s name on the cab. Wrecker trucks and road service vehicles would still be subject to the mandate.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=673667
Senate Bill 418: Exempt travel agents from insurance agent licensure mandate
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on October 15, 2013, to exempt travel agents from the licensure mandate imposed on insurance agents. Travel agents often sell trip insurance that is incidental to the planned travel.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=673665
Senate Bill 427: Revise unemployment insurance payroll tax detail
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on October 15, 2013, to not consider certain oil, gas and mineral extraction contract negotiators (“landmen”) who are independent contractors to be “employees” of an energy or mining company for purposes of assessing unemployment insurance payroll taxes.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=673668
House Bill 4121: Exempt property bought from school district from property tax
Passed 62 to 44 in the House on October 15, 2013, to give owners of property purchased from a public school district a five year property tax exemption. Local tax-collecting units (including local governments, taxing authorities, taxing “districts,” etc.) could opt out of providing the exemption.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=673703
House Bill 4289: Restrict use of “indirect” unclaimed property law audits
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on October 15, 2013, to establish minimum standards for state audits and “indirect audits” of a person or business related to unclaimed property “escheated” to the state, and require such audits to conform with generally accepted government auditing standards published by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=673669
House Bill 4622: Revise drain code district procedures
Passed 106 to 0 in the House on October 15, 2013, to revise details of the procedures for changing drainage district boundaries (and imposing the cost of new or repaired drains on particular property owners), including notice requirements and procedures for challenging proposed changes, plus details of the drainage district’s interaction with the state transportation and agriculture departments.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=673705
House Bill 4636: Clarify criminal restitution detail
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on October 15, 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=673666
House Bill 4740: Revise county medical care facility board of trustees detail
Passed 106 to 0 in the House on October 15, 2013, to revise the details governing appointments by county boards to the board of trustees of the Pinecrest Medical Care Facility in the Upper Peninsula, a joint county medical care facility for Menominee, Dickinson, and Delta Counties.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=673700
House Bill 4793: Update eminent domain provisions
Passed 106 to 0 in the House on October 15, 2013, to repeal eminent domain property condemnation provisions in the state Drain Code and replace them with the provisions of a 1980 “Uniform Condemnation Procedures Act.” This would codify in statute what is already the current practice.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=673706
House Bill 4821: Revise motor carrier safety law detail
Passed 105 to 1 in the House on October 15, 2013, to revise details of how a state “motor carrier safety” law applies to certain categories of buses.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=673701
House Bill 4831: Clarify prescription drug sales tax exemption
Passed 106 to 0 in the House on October 15, 2013, to exempt over-the-counter drugs from sales tax if they are obtained under a prescription.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=673704
House Bill 4866: Authorize new bicycle rider hand signals
Passed 106 to 0 in the House on October 15, 2013, to establish new signals for bicycle riders. Left turns would be indicated by extending the left arm straight out; right turns by either extending the right arm, or the left arm with forearm raised (which is the current standard), and slowing or stopping by “extending the left hand and arm downward”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=673702
House Bill 5080: Increase penalties for harming “vulnerable roadway user”
Introduced by Rep. Edward McBroom (R) on October 15, 2013, to authorize enhanced penalties for a driver who commits a moving violation that causes injury or death to a “vulnerable roadway user” (who is not violating the rules of the road), meaning a pedestrian, someone using a non-motorized device like a bicycle or skateboard, a wheelchair or electric wheelchair user, or the rider of an electric bicycle with less than one horsepower (but not a gasoline-powered bicycle with less than one horsepower). The additional penalties would be $1,000 and 93 days in jail if the violation causes “serious impairment;” $2,000 and one year if it causes death; and up to 15 years and $7,500 for a death caused by reckless driving.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161160
Senate Bill 174: Mandate credit agency “security freeze”
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on October 16, 2013, to require credit reporting agencies to honor a “security freeze” request made by a consumer or on behalf of a minor under age 16 or an incapacitated individual, which prohibits the release of information to a third party without prior express authorization from the consumer. The bill controls the prices the agencies may charge for this service.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=673731
Senate Bill 235: Revise state-approved fire safety system inspector detail
Passed 107 to 2 in the House on October 16, 2013, to allow a person certified by the National Fire Protection Association or the International Code Council to be registered as a state-approved fire safety system inspector and plan reviewer.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=673769
Senate Bill 307: Revise public safety special assessment tax detail
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on October 16, 2013, to revise details of the population threshold for requiring a city to get a vote of the people to levy special assessment property taxes for police and fire services, which are imposed over and above regular property taxes. This would mostly affect Saginaw but could affect other cities as well.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=673728
Senate Bill 387: Include reserve and auxiliary law enforcement officers in workers comp
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on October 16, 2013, to expand the state workers disability compensation system to include reserve and auxiliary law enforcement officers.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=673732
Senate Bill 475: Establish trampoline court regulations
Passed 25 to 12 in the Senate on October 16, 2013, to establish standards and regulations for trampoline courts and operators, and grant these businesses limited immunity from lawsuits if the proposed regulations are followed.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=673730
Senate Bill 492: Revise kindergarten minimum age detail
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on October 16, 2013, to extend to “schools of choice” students (who attend a public school outside the district to which they are assigned) a 2012 law that requires children to be age 5 by Sept. 1 to attend kindergarten, rather than by Dec. 1 under current law. The date change is phased-in over three years.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=673733
Senate Bill 546: Revise public library board detail
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on October 16, 2013, to revise and update details of a law that governs the election (or appointment) and composition of local library boards of governors.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=673729
House Bill 4394: Revise township annual meeting reestablishment procedures
Passed 108 to 0 in the House on October 16, 2013, to revise the procedures for a township to reestablish an annual meeting of voters, by moving the deadline for submitting a petition for this to at least 15 weeks before the next primary or general election. This is two weeks earlier than the current deadline.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=673768