Senate Bill 235: Revise state-approved fire safety system inspector detail
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on October 23, 2013, to concur with the House-passed version of the bill.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674028
Senate Bill 471: Restrict releasing juvenile criminal history record information
Passed 106 to 1 in the House on October 23, 2013, to restrict law enforcement agencies from disseminating juvenile criminal history record information, except in response to a fingerprint-based search. This would make the information available to employers subject to government-mandated criminal background checks on employees, but not to journalists reporting on subsequent crimes a juvenile may later commit as an adult.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674065
Senate Bill 479: Repeal interior designer registration
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on October 23, 2013, to repeal a law that establishes a government interior designer registry and makes it available to state or local government agencies, and rescind related administrative regulations. To be included on the registry a designer must have passed a test created by a national organization of incumbent interior designers. This organization has sought repeatedly in this state to impose a full licensure and regulatory regime on interior designers, with several bills introduced in previous legislatures.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674035
Senate Bill 480: Repeal “proprietary school solicitor” regulations
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on October 23, 2013, to repeal state regulations on “proprietary school solicitors.” This refers to private trade schools, business schools and correspondence schools.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674037
House Bill 4327: Allow “tax increment finance” scheme reset to make up for property value declines
Passed 86 to 21 in the House on October 23, 2013, to allow “corridor improvement authorities” to “reset” their tax increment financing schemes (TIF) to reflect declining property assessments, which undermine the ability of these schemes to divert property tax revenue from local government and other taxing units to pay for the authority’s debt-funded spending projects. A TIF “captures” the “increment” of extra local property tax revenue that supposedly will result from its spending on various projects or subsidies; this money is then used to repay debt incurred to accommodate that spending.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674071
House Bill 4344: Revise special Detroit powers population threshold
The amendment passed by voice vote in the Senate on September 26, 2013, to establish that the Detroit Chief of Police is automatically deemed to be a state certified peace officer, and extend certification to an person employed as a police officer in another state within the past year if that state has certification standards substantially the same as Michigan’s.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=155949
House Bill 4352: Mandate schools have “epi-pens”
Passed 106 to 0 in the House on October 23, 2013, to allow physicians to prescribe epinephrine auto injectors for schools to have in their facilities under a mandate proposed by House Bill 4353, and except for gross negligence, waive the legal liability of the physician and pharmacist in the event that use of these “epi-pens” causes an injury.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674059
House Bill 4353: Mandate schools have “epi-pens”
Passed 96 to 10 in the House on October 23, 2013, to require public schools to have at least two staffers who are trained in the administration of an epinephrine auto injector, and to have at least two of these “epi-pens” on site. This is a syringe prefilled with epinephrine which is used to treat anaphylactic reactions. This bill and House Bill 4352 extend legal immunity to school districts, boards, officials, staff and pharmacists for harm arising from use of the devices, except for gross negligence.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674062
House Bill 4382: Allow guardians to execute do-not-resuscitate orders
Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on October 23, 2013, to revise various court procedures and definitions to reflect the guardian-signed do-not-resuscitate orders proposed by House Bill 4384.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674032
House Bill 4383: Allow guardians to execute do-not-resuscitate orders
Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on October 23, 2013, to revise statutory references to reflect the guardian-signed do-not-resuscitate orders proposed by House Bill 4384.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674033
House Bill 4384: Allow guardians to execute do-not-resuscitate orders
Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on October 23, 2013, to essentially grant the court-appointed guardian of an incapacitated person the authority to sign a do-not-resuscitate order, subject to various restrictions and procedures, including expanded provisions allowing any interested person who objects to petition for a court review. When appointing a guardian for a individual who does not have a lawyer he or she has selected, a court-appointed “guardian ad litem” would have to inform the individual that the actual guardian would have this power.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674034
House Bill 4930: Repeal club emblem vehicle display ban
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on October 23, 2013, to repeal a law that bans displaying the emblem or insignia of any organization, association, fraternity, lodge or club on a vehicle unless the vehicle owner belongs to the organization.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674031
House Concurrent Resolution 11: Authorize adoption of “Common Core” school standards
Passed by voice vote in the Senate on October 24, 2013, to authorize the State Board of Education and the Michigan Department of Education to spend money to implement “Common Core” curriculum promoted by an entity associated with the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, subject to various restrictions and conditions specified in the resolution. The authorization does not apply to an associated student testing regime, and directs the state board and the department to make implementation of the standards contingent on local districts retaining the ability to adopt a different curriculum.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160886
Senate Bill 146: Extend enterprise zone tax breaks to a particular development
Passed 32 to 4 in the Senate on October 24, 2013, to revise a law that authorizes tax breaks for property owners in a “neighborhood enterprise zone” in a way that will allow granting these tax breaks to a particular developer’s project.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674141
Senate Bill 318: Repeal mandatory life sentences for minors
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on October 24, 2013, to repeal Michigan’s mandatory life sentence with no chance of parole for certain very serious crimes committed by minors, and replace it with a system in which prosecutors could request a genuine lifetime sentence. If this request was not made or denied, a judge would have to impose a minimum sentence of between 25 and 40 years, and a maximum of at least 60 years. These provisions would only apply prospectively, to cases still open as of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Miller v Alabama decision in June, 2012.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674133
Senate Bill 319: Repeal mandatory life sentences for minors
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on October 24, 2013, to repeal Michigan’s mandatory life sentence with no chance of parole for certain very serious crimes committed by minors, and replace it with a system in which prosecutors could request a genuine lifetime sentence. If this request was not made or denied, a judge would have to impose a minimum sentence of between 25 and 40 years, and a maximum of at least 60 years. These provisions would only apply prospectively, to cases still open as of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Miller v Alabama decision in June, 2012.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674135
Senate Bill 352: Exempt disabled veteran’s home from property tax
The amendment passed by voice vote in the House on October 22, 2013, to also grant the exemption to veterans deemed by the federal government to be “individually unemployable”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159142
Senate Bill 352: Exempt disabled veteran’s home from property tax
Passed 107 to 0 in the House on October 23, 2013, to exempt the principal residence of a totally disabled veteran from property tax. This expands a current exemption.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674068
Senate Bill 547: Revise consumer loan law details
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on October 24, 2013, to revise details of a law that governs consumer loans and related transactions. The changes involve enforcement of payment provisions under various circumstances.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674136
Senate Bill 548: Revise consumer loan law details
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on October 24, 2013, to revise details of a law that governs consumer loans and related transactions. The changes involve enforcement of payment provisions under various circumstances.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674137
Senate Bill 549: Revise financial institutions check processing rule detail
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on October 24, 2013, to revise and update details of the law that governs how financial institutions process checks.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674138
Senate Bill 550: Revise financial institutions electronic fund transfer detail
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on October 24, 2013, to revise and update details of the law that governs how financial institutions process electronic fund transfers.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674139
Senate Bill 551: Revise secured loan default details
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on October 24, 2013, to revise details of a law that governs secured loan defaults to specify limitations on the recovery available for loss to a debtor, and extend these rules to consumer transactions.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674140