Initiated Legislation 1: Ban abortion coverage through federal health care law “Obamacare“ exchange
Passed 62 to 47 in the House on December 11, 2013, to prohibit health insurance policies sold in Michigan through the federal health care law’s “exchange” from including abortion coverage. Individuals could use their own money to purchase a policy “rider” for this outside the exchange if they choose, but no federal subsidy would cover the cost. The initiated legislation was placed before the legislature through a petition drive organized by Right to Life of Michigan, after Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed a pair of 2012 insurance bills that contained the same provision. No approval from the Governor is required for initiated legislation to go into effect.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676609
Initiated Legislation 1: Ban abortion coverage through federal health care law “Obamacare“ exchange
Passed 27 to 11 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to prohibit health insurance policies sold in Michigan through the federal health care law’s “exchange” from including abortion coverage. Individuals could use their own money to purchase a policy “rider” for this outside the exchange if they choose, but no federal subsidy would cover the cost. The initiated legislation was placed before the legislature through a petition drive organized by Right to Life of Michigan, after Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed a pair of 2012 insurance bills that contained the same provision. No approval from the Governor is required for initiated legislation to go into effect.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676608
Senate Bill 68: Create new ORV regulation category
Passed 108 to 0 in the House on December 11, 2013, to create a new category of off-road vehicle in the statute authorizing ORV regulations, to be called an “ROV,” defined as “a vehicle with four or more wheels that is designed for off-road use, has nonhighway tires, is more than 50 inches but not more than 65 inches in width, and is powered by a 50cc to 1,000cc gasoline engine, an engine of comparable size using other fuels, or an electric motor of comparable power.” Current law bans travel on designated forest pathways by vehicles wider than 50 inches.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676477
Senate Bill 90: Vehicle trade-in “use tax on the difference” only
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to concur with the House-passed version of the bill, which extended the tax break to vehicles purchased from a used care dealer.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676595
Senate Bill 90: Vehicle trade-in “use tax on the difference” only
Passed 102 to 7 in the House on December 11, 2013, to exempt from sales tax the value of a trade-in when buying a motor vehicle, titled watercraft or recreational vehicle, but phase this tax break in over 24 years. The phase-in would be suspended if the federal health care law’s (”Obamacare”) Medicaid expansion (authorized by House Bill 4714) is rescinded, but legal experts are divided over whether this would be allowed. See also Senate Bill 89.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676459
Senate Bill 94: Prohibit Michigan National Guard executing federal “indefinite detention”
Passed 35 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 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=676539
Senate Bill 120: Authorize public school “American heritage” instruction without religious censorship
Passed 27 to 9 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to require school districts to “permit” grade-level instruction and reading of “America’s founding documents” including those related to the country’s “representative form of limited government, the Bill of Rights, our free-market economic system, and patriotism.” School districts would be prohibited from censoring or restraining reading that includes “religious references in original source documents, writings, speeches, proclamations, or records”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676553
Senate Bill 321: Exempt legal process servers from trespassing laws
Passed 57 to 27 in the House on December 11, 2013, to exempt legal action process servers from the state law against trespassing.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676478
Senate Bill 374: Create statewide school violence “hotline”
Passed 108 to 1 in the House on December 11, 2013, to require the Department of Technology, Management, and Budget to seek bids, including one from the State Police, to create and operate a “hotline” manned 24 hours a day all year long to collect anonymous reports regarding concerns of potential harm, self-harm, or criminal acts against students, school employees, or school property, which reports could include cell phone camera and video images.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676470
Senate Bill 397: Expand a corporate/developer subsidy regime
Passed 87 to 22 in the House on December 11, 2013, to authorize creation of a sixth “Next Michigan Development Corporation,” which is a government agency that gives tax breaks and subsidies to particular corporations or developers selected by political appointees on the entity’s board for projects meeting extremely broad “multi-modal commerce” criteria (basically, any form of goods-related commerce). The new entity would be in the Upper Peninsula.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676458
Senate Bill 423: Require schools teach American foundational principles
Passed 27 to 10 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to encourage public schools to provide instruction that focuses on the core principles of the Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution, and State Constitution, and require the state Board of Education to update curriculum and testing standards to cover these subjects.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676557
Senate Bill 437: Revise “interlocal agreement” procedural detail
Passed 35 to 1 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to require “interlocal agreements” (which formalize a joint exercise of power, privilege or authority between two or more government entities) to create a “separate legal entity” to collect and spend money to carry out the purpose of the agreement, rather than just a separate administrative body.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676564
Senate Bill 440: Revise local electronic campaign finance disclosure threshold
Passed 106 to 2 in the House on December 11, 2013, to reduce from $20,000 to $5,000 the amount a candidate or other type of election campaign committee can raise or spend before being required to file mandated campaign finance reports by electronic means rather than on paper.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676513
Senate Bill 441: Let counties create electronic campaign finance disclosure systems
Passed 108 to 0 in the House on December 11, 2013, to allow counties to establish electronic versions of the local government campaign finance reporting requirements they are required to operate, and to require election campaigns that raise or spend an amount over either $1,500 or $5,000 (the county may choose one of these) to file mandated campaign finance reports by electronic means rather than on paper.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676514
Senate Bill 536: Expand real estate development tax breaks
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to authorize property tax exemptions of five to seven years for property owned by a nonprofit organization whose purpose is real estate development, if the local government agrees, and if the organization is approved by the political appointees on the board of the state agency responsible for granting and overseeing selective tax breaks and subsidies to particular corporations or developers (the “Michigan Economic Development Corporation,” an arm of the “Michigan Strategic Fund”).
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676551
Senate Bill 541: Revise government employee health benefit detail
Passed 108 to 1 in the House on December 11, 2013, to clarify that the 2011 law requiring government employees to contribute a certain amount toward the cost of their health care benefits does not apply to contributions to a post-retirement Health Savings Account system.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676471
Senate Bill 542: Permit more generous government employee health benefits
The substitute passed by voice vote in the House on December 10, 2013, to adopt a version of the bill that increases the cap on spending by a smaller amount.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=160873
Senate Bill 542: Permit more generous government employee health benefits
Passed 108 to 1 in the House on December 11, 2013, to increase from $11,000 to $12,250 the “hard cap” on the amount that a local government or school district can spend for an “individual-plus-spouse” employee health care policy under a 2011 law limiting such benefits.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676472
Senate Bill 543: Revise government employee health benefit detail
Passed 108 to 1 in the House on December 11, 2013, to revise details of the procedures used by a local government or school district to select either an annual dollar-amount cap or percentage cap on the amount it can spend on employee health benefits under a 2011 law. Also, to include elected officials in the base used to establish a local government’s “average” cost per employee, exclude payments to employees who take cash instead of insurance benefits, and revise some other details in the formula.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676473
Senate Bill 544: Revise government employee health benefit detail
Passed 107 to 1 in the House on December 11, 2013, to retroactively move back the effective date of a 2011 law that capped the amount that a local government or school district could spend on government employee health benefits. As passed, the caps apply to union labor contracts signed on or after Sept. 15, 2011. The bill moves this back to Sept. 27, 2011, meaning contracts offering more generous benefits that were entered before that date would remain valid.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676474
Senate Bill 545: Revise government employee health benefit detail
Passed 108 to 1 in the House on December 11, 2013, to clarify the annual deadline by which a local government’s governing body may exempt its employees from the 2011 law that capped the amount they could spend on employee health benefits. Under that law, local governments (but not school districts) can exempt themselves from the cap for one year at a time with a 2/3 vote of their governing body.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676475
Senate Bill 557: Revise mental health criminal diversion details
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to allow state money to be used to pay for mental health services provided to jail inmates under a community mental health program’s agreement with a county or county sheriff. This relates to a 2009 Attorney General opinion that jails were required to cover all of these costs in their own budgets.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676558
Senate Bill 558: Revise mental health criminal diversion details
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to revise details of a law that requires counties to enter a written agreement to divert individuals with serious mental illness from the criminal justice system and into treatment. The bill specifies certain provisions these agreements must contain. See also Senate Bill 557.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676559
Senate Bill 574: Revise county tax foreclosure detail
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to allow a particular county that elected to have the state foreclose tax delinquent property in the county to rescind that decision for one year.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676565
Senate Bill 642: Revise unclaimed property law (“escheats”) detail
Passed 108 to 1 in the House on December 11, 2013, to revise details of the disposition of funds taken under an ”escheats law” that lets the state government take possession of unclaimed property if the owner does not claim it within three years. Specifically, the bill amends references in this law to a “senior care respite fund” to reflect the 2013 law authorizing conversion of Blue Cross to non-profit “regular” insurance company.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676476
Senate Bill 661: Increase political contributions limits
Passed 56 to 52 in the House on December 11, 2013, to double the maximum campaign contributions allowed by state election law, index these to inflation, and require additional finance reports from candidates. The bill would also establish that organizations that run third party “issue ads” which do not “expressly advocate” for or against a candidate or ballot issue need not disclose the names and addresses of who paid for the ad (but do have to disclose the sponsoring organization), and require political “robocalls” that do not engage in “express advocacy” to include who paid for the calls.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676512
Senate Bill 665: Transfer state Capitol upkeep to new commission
Passed 109 to 0 in the House on December 11, 2013, to create a commission to employ a manager and staff who would take over the functions of maintaining, restoring and improving the state Capitol building, grounds and parking as a “historic site.” The bill would also create a statutory “fund” (account) to hold money for these purposes, but does not itself appropriate or earmark any specific revenue. Currently, these functions are generally performed by an existing staff using annual appropriations that are not mandated by statute.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676456
Senate Bill 666: Transfer state Capitol upkeep to new commission
Passed 109 to 0 in the House on December 11, 2013, to revise the current “legislative council” law to reflect the proposal in Senate Bill 665 to create a “Michigan Capitol State Commission” to take over management of the facility.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676457
House Bill 4369: Codify “education achievement authority” for failed schools
Passed 20 to 18 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to codify in statute the powers and structure of a state “education achievement authority” (already created by means of an administrative “interlocal agreement”), which is an office in the Department of Education tasked with managing, overseeing or contracting-out the operations of public schools deemed to have failed academically.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676620
House Bill 4393: Revise school ballot proposal filing deadline
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to require a school board that wishes to submit a ballot question to the voters to adopt the resolution calling for this at least 12 weeks before the election, moving the current deadline back two weeks. Also, to require the same deadline for “metropolitan district officer” candidacy filings. Under current law the deadlines for these is 70 days.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676578
House Bill 4394: Revise township annual meeting reestablishment procedures
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 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=676579
House Bill 4395: Move back deadline to place local tax and bond issues on ballot
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to revise a community swimming pool authority to place a 1 mill public swimming pool tax on the ballot at least 12 weeks before the election, moving the current deadline back two weeks. Under current law the deadline is 70 days before the vote.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676580
House Bill 4396: Move back deadline to place local tax and bond issues on ballot
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to require a local government to place an increased building authority debt request (“bond issue”) on the ballot at least 12 weeks before the election, moving the current deadline back two weeks. Under current law the deadline is 70 days before the vote.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676581
House Bill 4397: Move back deadline to place local tax and bond issues on ballot
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to require a “metropolitan authority council” to place a property tax increase request on the ballot at least 12 weeks before the election, moving the current deadline back two weeks. Under current law the deadline is 70 days before the vote.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676582
House Bill 4546: Increase marketing “assessments” imposed on potato growers
Passed 36 to 1 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to increase the maximum “assessment” that can be levied on growers under a government potato marketing scheme, with exceptions for smaller growers, and revise the constituents represented on the board of political appointees authorized to determine the level of assessments.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676566
House Bill 4593: Expand scrap metal regulatory regime
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to expand a scrap metal dealer regulatory regime authorized by a 2008 law that imposed new regulations and record keeping requirements on sales of nonferrous scrap metal, so that it also applies to sales of scrap iron (ferrous metals). The bill would require the scrap metal industry to create a real time database of each purchase by a scrap metal dealer of “scrapped” catalytic converters, air conditioners and stripped copper wire; until it did so the bill would impose a three-day delay on payments to individuals who sell these things. It would also require dealers to check sellers against this database, keep photographs of the purchased scrap metal, and more.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676621
House Bill 4695: Authorize “mental health courts”
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 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=676544
House Bill 4696: Authorize “mental health courts”
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 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=676548
House Bill 4697: Authorize “mental health courts”
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 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 would require the state court administrative office to establish standards for such courts, and reporting requirements for the courts themselves; 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=676550
House Bill 4782: Expand another corporate/developer subsidy regime
Passed 31 to 6 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to authorize creation of a sixth “Next Michigan Development Corporation,” which is a government agency that gives tax breaks and subsidies to particular corporations or developers selected by political appointees on the entity’s board for projects meeting extremely broad “multi-modal commerce” criteria (basically, any form of goods-related commerce). The new entity would be in the Upper Peninsula.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676563
House Bill 4865: Authorize mobile dental facilities
Passed 105 to 3 in the House on December 11, 2013, to allow dental services to be provided in a mobile dental facility if the state grants a permit, subject to an extensive set of regulations and restrictions specified in the bill.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676502
House Bill 4889: Increase drug trafficking penalties
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to authorize more rigorous sentencing guidelines for illegal drug convictions involving travel from another state with the intent to deliver.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676560
House Bill 5074: Revise delinquent property tax interest detail
Passed 108 to 0 in the House on December 11, 2013, to give counties discretion over whether to impose an interest rate that is lower than the 1 percent per month currently imposed on amounts due to county delinquent tax revolving funds.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676503
House Bill 5134: Transfer state Capitol upkeep to new commission
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to revise a “Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Act” to reflect the proposal in Senate Bill 665 to create a “Michigan Capitol State Commission” to maintain, restore and improve the Michigan state Capitol building, grounds and parking as a “historic site”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676576
House Bill 5135: Transfer state Capitol upkeep to new commission
Passed 110 to 0 in the House on November 15, 2013, to revise the law that establishes the duties of the state Department of Management and Budget to reflect the proposal in Senate Bill 665 to create a “Michigan Capitol State Commission” to take over the functions of maintaining, restoring and improving the Michigan state Capitol building, grounds and parking as a “historic site”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675466
House Bill 5138: Authorize breast cancer “awareness” specialty license plate
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to authorize a specialty license plate for “breast cancer awareness,” and give the net revenue from its sale to a state government breast and cervical cancer control program.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676561
Senate Bill 64: Revise business tax liability detail
Passed 109 to 0 in the House on December 12, 2013, to place certain limits on the personal liability of a business owner or manager for taxes the firm collects from another person and fails to pay the collected amount to the state.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676791
Senate Bill 101: Authorize “breast cancer awareness” specialty license plate
Passed 109 to 0 in the House on December 12, 2013, to authorize a specialty license plate for “breast cancer awareness,” and give the net revenue from its sale to a state government breast and cervical cancer control program.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676669
Senate Bill 101: Authorize “breast cancer awareness” specialty license plate
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 5, 2013, to authorize a specialty license plate for “breast cancer awareness,” and give the net revenue from its sale to a state government breast and cervical cancer control program.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=675866
Senate Bill 121: Declare Michigan “celebrate freedom week”
Passed 27 to 10 in the Senate on December 11, 2013, to encourage public schools to designate one week each school year as “Patriot Week,” during which instruction would be offered on the sacrifices of military veterans, and on America’s founding documents and core principles.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676555
Senate Bill 169: Allow driverless car testing
Passed 107 to 1 in the House on December 12, 2013, to allow the operation on highways of an automated “driverless” vehicle for testing purposes, subject to a range of regulations and conditions specified in the bill. A human operator would have to to be present to monitor performance and intervene if necessary. Gov. Rick Snyder called for this in his 2013 State of the State address.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676664
Senate Bill 308
Passed 95 to 14 in the House on December 12, 2013, to revise the criteria in the law that authorizes tax breaks for the rehabilitation and reuse of “obsolete structures” in a way that will allow granting these tax breaks to a particular business in Charlotte, and another in Wayne County.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676671
Senate Bill 312: Revise college scholarship “promise zone” criteria
Passed 96 to 13 in the House on December 12, 2013, to revise a 2008 law authorizing “promise zone” tax increment financing authorities (TIFA) to subsidize college tuition for students in low educational attainment areas, by allowing these subsidies for vocational education or training; allowing an authority to also pay for books and supplies; and giving authorities more latitude in setting academic performance standards for aid, including excluding students who score belolw a certain grade point average. The bill would also expand the power of an authority to reset the “base year” for determining its future tax increment “capture” amounts.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676672
Senate Bill 367: Revise business profits tax detail
Passed 108 to 1 in the House on December 12, 2013, to revise details of the state tax on business profits to clarify when related companies are considered an “affiliated group” for tax purposes.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676670
Senate Bill 442: End automatic tax increases to pay union contract lawsuit judgments
Passed 76 to 32 in the House on December 12, 2013, to revise a provision that requires school property taxes be raised to pay off lawsuit-related judgments against a school district, by establishing that this does not apply if the lawsuit was to enforce a school employee union contract or other contract that specifically relates to school operations.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676665
Senate Bill 443: End automatic tax increases to pay union contract lawsuit judgments
Passed 33 to 5 in the Senate on December 12, 2013, to revise a provision that requires school property taxes be raised to pay off lawsuit-related judgments against a school district, by establishing that this does not apply if the lawsuit was to enforce a school employee union contract or other contract that specifically relates to school operations. The House added a number of exceptions, including for certain schools under the receivership of an Emergency Manager, for certain disputes between a school district and an Intermediate School District or the school employee pension system, and more.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676846
Senate Bill 443: End automatic tax increases to pay union contract lawsuit judgments
Passed 76 to 33 in the House on December 12, 2013, to revise a provision that requires school property taxes be raised to pay off lawsuit-related judgments against a school district, by establishing that this does not apply if the lawsuit was to enforce a school employee union contract or other contract that specifically relates to school operations. The House added a number of exceptions, including for certain schools under the receivership of an Emergency Manager, for certain disputes between a school district and an Intermediate School District or the school employee pension system, and more.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676666
Senate Bill 660: Authorize and regulate “pharmaceutical-grade cannabis”
Passed 87 to 22 in the House on December 12, 2013, to establish a comprehensive regulatory regime for production and sale by pharmacies of “pharmaceutical-grade cannabis” to individuals with a debilitating medical condition, contingent on the federal government reclassifying marijuana from an illegal drug to a prescription drug. Michigan’s voter-initiated medical marijuana law, Initiated Law 1 of 2008, establishes a regulatory framework for patients or authorized caregivers growing their own; companies seeking “commercialized” distribution lobbied for this bill.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676688
Senate Bill 663: Waive automaker liability for “automated vehicle” modifications
Passed 107 to 0 in the House on December 12, 2013, to waive the liability of a vehicle or parts manufacturer for damages resulting from a person trying to retrofit a vehicle into an automated vehicle (“driverless car”). See also Senate Bill 169.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676657
House Bill 4044: Ban mandating all health insurance go through “Obamacare“ exchange
Passed 72 to 37 in the House on December 12, 2013, to prohibit a state “exchange” created under the federal health care law from mandating that insurance companies must sell all health insurance policies through the exchange. The Michigan legislature elected to let the federal government create an exchange here rather than create a state-run version, so the measure would only have effect if that choice is later reversed.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676685
House Bill 4816: Require insurers disclose “Obamacare” price hikes in bills
Passed 67 to 42 in the House on December 12, 2013, to require bills sent to customers for health insurance policies or HMO plans to include an estimate of the amount that any price increase was caused by mandates and regulations imposed by the federal health care law (“Obamacare”).
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676684
House Bill 5104: Authorize medical “marijuana infused products”
Passed 100 to 9 in the House on December 12, 2013, to authorize the use of “marijuana infused products” under the state’s medical marijuana law, Initiated Law 1 of 2008 . This is defined to include any “topical formulation, tincture, beverage, edible substance, or similar product intended for human consumption in a manner other than smoking”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=676681