Replies

A few other recent actions

House Bill 5092: Establish that open firearms carry is not “brandishing”
Passed 105 to 4 in the House on March 13, 2014, to define “brandishing” a firearm as “to point, wave about, or display in a threatening manner with the intent to induce fear.” Under current law “brandishing” is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail. See also House Bill 5091.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=687502

House Bill 4155: Make government firearms ownership databases non-public information
Passed 81 to 28 in the House on March 13, 2014, to establish that state databases containing information on licenses issued to individuals to purchase, carry, possess, or transport pistols are confidential and not subject to disclosure under the state Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=687493

Senate Bill 610: Revise state ban on short-barreled rifles and shotguns
Passed 103 to 6 in the House on March 13, 2014, to revise a state ban on short-barreled rifles or shotguns to clarify that it bans guns that are banned under federal law, which exempts antiques and “curios and relics”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=687500

House Bill 5282: Allow deadly force to defend nuclear plants
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on March 25, 2014, to explicitly allow an officer providing security at a nuclear generating plant to use deadly force if he or she “honestly and reasonably believes (it) is necessary to prevent” a person from breaking in with the intent to inflict harm, engage in radiological sabotage or steal nuclear material. This would include immunity from lawsuits.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=688339

House Bill 5420: Ban state and local agencies from participating in federal “metadata” collection
Introduced by Rep. Tom McMillin (R) on March 20, 2014, to prohibit state agencies, local governments and their employees from assisting or providing material support to a federal agency in collecting electronic data or metadata concerning any person, unless it is pursuant to a specific search or arrest warrant. The bill would also prohibit such information from being used in a criminal investigation or prosecution.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=163896

House Bill 4118: Require drug testing of welfare applicants
Passed 25 to 11 in the Senate on March 20, 2014, to require a one-year pilot program in at least three counties that would require drug testing of state welfare benefit recipients and applicants if an “empirical screening tool” indicates a reasonable suspicion of drug use. Benefits would be halted for six months if a person tests positive or refuses to take the test, with an exception for medical marijuana. If a welfare recipient who is a parent tests positive, the child would still be eligible for assistance, and a “protective payee” would be designated to receive the parent’s welfare money. The bill appropriates $500,000 for the pilot program.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=687945

House Bill 4885: Cut tax on oil and gas from “enhanced recovery”
Passed 25 to 13 in the Senate on March 19, 2014, to reduce the “severance tax” or royalty paid to the state on oil and gas extracted from state land to 4 percent for hydrocarbons extracted using “enhanced recovery” technology, which injects carbon dioxide into wells to force out more product (this is different from hydraulic fracturing). The current tax ranges from 5.0 to 6.6 percent.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=687838