Senate Joint Resolution A: Replace gas tax with higher sales tax
Failed 14 to 24 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to place before voters in the next general election a Constitutional amendment to impose a 1 percent sales tax increase that would go to roads and replace the state motor fuel and diesel taxes. If the measure was approved then a large fuel tax increase proposed by House Bill 5477 would not go into effect. A two-thirds vote (26 votes) are required to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692164
Senate Bill 20: Require more hazmat licensee disclosures
Passed 110 to 0 in the House on June 11, 2014, to require a person who is required to have a state license to build, manage or operate a hazardous waste treatment, storage, or disposal facility to disclose any past environmental-law related criminal convictions.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692375
Senate Bill 327: Ban tax collector “quotas”
Passed 109 to 1 in the House on June 11, 2014, to establish that Department of Treasury tax collectors and third party contractors or agents are prohibited from using tax collection amount “quotas” and must apply tax laws and rules equally to all taxpayers.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692378
Senate Bill 444: Revise aquatic nuisance species control regulations
Passed 60 to 50 in the House on June 11, 2014, to revise details of the law restricting and requiring permits for chemicals used to control aquatic nuisance species; increase the permit fees (by extending the sunset on their authorization); revise the duration of permits and make them transferable; and more.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692377
Senate Bill 611: Increase penalty on delinquent hotel convention tax
Passed 88 to 22 in the House on June 11, 2014, to require a hotel or motel owner who is late paying a room tax of up to 5 percent imposed to pay for regional marketing schemes to also pay the attorney and court costs incurred collecting the tax, in addition to the 1.5 percent “delinquency charge” and 1.5 percent per month interest charge already authorized under current law.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692363
Senate Bill 667: Prohibit minors from using “e-cigarettes”
Passed 94 to 16 in the House on June 11, 2014, to prohibit minors form using electronic cigarettes, making it a misdemeanor crime punishable by a $50 fine, community service in a hospice or long term care facility, and being ordered into a health promotion and risk reduction program. Senate Bill 668 adds e-cigarettes to the law prohibiting merchants from selling tobacco to minors.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692139
Senate Bill 668: Ban selling “e-cigarettes” to minors
Passed 96 to 14 in the House on June 11, 2014, to ban selling or giving minors electronic vapor cigarettes, or any device that delivers nicotine.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692376
Senate Bill 690: Revise physical therapist scope-of-practice
Passed 108 to 2 in the House on June 11, 2014, to repeal a ban on licensed physical therapists providing therapy unless it has been prescribed by a physician, subject to certain limits specified in the bill.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692369
Senate Bill 691: Revise physical therapist scope-of-practice
Passed 106 to 4 in the House on June 11, 2014, to allow Blue Cross Blue Shield to not reimburse services provided by a licensed physical therapist unless the service has been prescribed by a physician. Senate Bill 690 would repeal a prohibition on physical therapists providing service that has not been prescribed (subject to certain limits), while Senate Bills 691 through 694 would establish that insurers can still require prescriptions if they choose.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692370
Senate Bill 692: Revise physical therapist scope-of-practice
Passed 106 to 4 in the House on June 11, 2014, to allow “prudent purchaser” type health care coverage plans to not reimburse services provided by a licensed physical therapist unless the service has been prescribed by a physician. Senate Bill 690 would repeal a prohibition on physical therapists providing service that has not been prescribed (subject to certain limits), while Senate Bills 691 through 694 would establish that insurers can still require prescriptions if they choose.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692371
Senate Bill 693: Revise physical therapist scope-of-practice
Passed 106 to 4 in the House on June 11, 2014, to allow workers compensation insurance plans to not reimburse services provided by a licensed physical therapist unless the service has been prescribed by a physician. Senate Bill 690 would repeal a prohibition on physical therapists providing service that has not been prescribed (subject to certain limits), while Senate Bills 691 through 694 would establish that insurers can still require prescriptions if they choose.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692372
Senate Bill 694: Revise physical therapist scope-of-practice
Passed 106 to 4 in the House on June 11, 2014, to allow health insurance companies to not reimburse services provided by a licensed physical therapist unless the service has been prescribed by a physician. Senate Bill 690 would repeal a prohibition on physical therapists providing service that has not been prescribed (subject to certain limits), while Senate Bills 691 through 694 would establish that insurers can still require prescriptions if they choose.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692373
Senate Bill 695: Revise subsidized Detroit Woodward streetcar detail
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to broaden the definition of “nonprofit street railway” operators authorized by a legislative package enacted in 2008 to create a Detroit “light rail” line (namely, a Woodward Avenue streetcar) that would be subsidized through Tax Increment Financing, public debt, state road tax money, etc. Reportedly this is necessary to conform with federal rules.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692224
Senate Bill 696: Exempt Detroit Woodward streetcar from “legacy cost” liability
Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to revise a Detroit “light rail” line legislative package enacted in 2008 to create a Woodward Avenue streetcar, so as to establish that the operator would not be liable for any “legacy costs” incurred by the Detroit Transportation Department (presumably including unfunded employee pension liabilities). Also, to exempt the property, income, and operations of this entity from all state and local taxation. See also House Bill 5168, which would authorize the Detroit area regional transportation authority created by a 2012 law to enter agreements to operate this line.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692225
Senate Bill 697: Exempt Detroit Woodward streetcar from property tax
Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to exempt the operator of a Detroit “light rail” line authorized by a legislative package enacted in 2008 from property taxes.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692226
Senate Bill 748: Revise limousine regulations and special Detroit powers
Passed 30 to 8 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to revise the population threshold in a law that authorizes Detroit to impose a protectionist city regulatory regime on “limousines” that pick up passengers in the city, so as to accommodate Detroit’s shrinking population. The bill would also expand the scope of Detroit’s restrictions by increasing the capacity limit of vehicles subject to them from “fewer than seven” people to “fewer than nine,” including the driver.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692191
Senate Bill 752: Increase income tax property tax credit
Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to increase the maximum income cap (“household resources” cap) on a property tax credit a homeowner or renter may claim against his or her state income tax begins to phase-out, from $50,000 to $70,000. The vote is part of a deal made with Democrats by Gov. Rick Snyder and Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville to get their votes on a $1.2 billion fuel tax increase, and will only go into effect if that tax hike is enacted.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692167
Senate Bill 847: Expand homestead property tax credit
Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to increase the property tax credit a homeowner or renter can claim against the state income tax, by lowering the income threshold in the formula used to calculate this “homestead” or principle residence exemption. The vote is part of a deal made with Democrats by Gov. Rick Snyder and Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville to get their votes on a $1.2 billion fuel tax increase, and will only go into effect if that tax hike is enacted.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692166
Senate Bill 853: Ban automated eyeglass “kiosks”
Passed 108 to 2 in the House on June 11, 2014, to prohibit automated testing devices that provide automated eye exams and issue prescriptions for glasses or contact lenses. Instead, only licensed optometrists and physicians specializing in eye care could write eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions. This would preempt eyeglass “kiosks” in drugstores and other retail locations, which is a lower cost alternative to conventional optometry services that are expanding in some other states.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692374
Senate Bill 873: Authorize “Pure Michigan Trail” designations
Passed 108 to 2 in the House on June 11, 2014, to authorize the designation of a trail as “Pure Michigan Trail” if it contributes to a statewide trail network that “promotes healthy lifestyles, economic development, recreation, and conservation.” The bill would also authorize designation of “Pure Michigan Towns” and “Pure Michigan Water Trails”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692364
Senate Bill 875: Authorize “Pure Michigan Trail” designations
Passed 108 to 2 in the House on June 11, 2014, to revise the state environmental protection law to conform to the proposal in Senate Bill 873 to designate a statewide multi-use trail network.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692365
Senate Bill 877: Authorize “Pure Michigan Trail” designations
Passed 108 to 2 in the House on June 11, 2014, to revise the law authorizing a state “snowmobile and trails advisory council” so as to conform to the proposal in Senate Bill 873 to create a statewide multi-use trail network and the designation of “Pure Michigan Water Trails”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692367
Senate Bill 890: Revise state adoption subsidies
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to revise details of a law that authorizes subsidies for parents who adopt a child, so as to accommodate an agreement that the state would provide higher subsidies if it turns out a particular child needs “extraordinary” care that incurs extraordinary expenses.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692200
Senate Bill 900: Revise workers comp insurance detail
Passed 110 to 0 in the House on June 11, 2014, to give the state agency that oversees the injured workers compensation insurance system discretion to permit reimbursement for certain claims made after statutory deadlines have passed. This is part of a legislative package intended to provide several hundred former Delphi Corporation employees with workers’ compensation benefits that reportedly have not been available since 2009 due to the company’s bankruptcy.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692368
Senate Bill 910: Ban enforcement of new woodstove emissions limits
Passed 25 to 12 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to prohibit Department of Environmental Quality from imposing new state regulations limiting emissions from woodstoves and heaters, or enforcing federal regulations that do this. The bill was introduced as news reports indicate that proposed federal Environmental Protection Agency rules would impose restrictive new limits on wood burning heaters.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692211
Senate Bill 948: Restrict radioactive material storage and disposal
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to prohibit storing or disposing radioactive waste from another state or country in Michigan, and ban storing any radioactive material other than what is allowed under current law for nuclear power plants, uranium mines and medical uses. The bill would also create a state advisory board for the purpose of writing a report on the potential impact of depositing radioactive waste deep underground at a site in Kincardine, Ontario, as proposed by an Ontario utility.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692222
House Bill 4003: Expand state Treasurer tax dispute deal making authority
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to authorize the state treasurer to compromise disputed tax matters under certain conditions, and establish associated disclosures and record keeping requirements.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692229
House Bill 4251: Revise local road project contracting details
Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to establish that if a township contributes 50 percent or more to the cost of a road project, it can require the county road commission contract for the work through competitive bidding. This is part of a House road funding package.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692168
House Bill 4380: Repeal registration for foresters
Passed 24 to 14 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to repeal statutory references to registered foresters. House Bill 4281 would repeal registration provisions for foresters. The bill leaves in place a revised definition of “qualified” forester, which means someone qualified to attest that a piece of forest property qualifies for certain property tax breaks.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692192
House Bill 4567: Increase certain drunk driver penalties
Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to increase various drunk driving penalties. Among other changes, the bill raises the penalty for a drunk or stoned driver who causes the death of another from 5 years in prison to 10 years, and up to 20 years for certain aggravated offenses.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692198
House Bill 4568: Increase certain drunk driver penalties
Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to revise the state sentencing guidelines reflect the increased drunk driving penalties proposed by House Bill 4566.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692199
House Bill 4630: Increase vehicle registration taxes
Passed 21 to 15 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to eliminate the current 10 percent reduction of vehicle registration (license plate) fees for a new vehicle’s second, third, and fourth years of registration. This would represent a $145 million tax increase on vehicle owners, but it would not take effect until 2016. The bill would also increase the drivers license renewal fee from $18 to $25, and increase a number of other fees on different kinds of vehicles and trailers. However, with the Senate’s unwillingness to pass a related $1.2 billion gas tax increase the bill’s future is in question..
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692189
House Bill 4630: Increase vehicle registration taxes
The substitute passed by voice vote in the Senate on May 21, 2014, to adopt a version of the bill that contains a much larger tax hike; see Senate-passed bill for more.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=158834
House Bill 4630: Increase vehicle registration taxes
Failed 18 to 20 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to eliminate the current 10 percent reduction of vehicle registration (license plate) fees for a new vehicle’s second, third, and fourth years of registration. This would represent a $145 million tax increase on vehicle owners. The bill would also increase the drivers license renewal fee from $18 to $25, and increase a number of other fees on different kinds of vehicles and trailers.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692181
House Bill 4688: Repeal licensure mandates for dietitians and nutritionists
Passed 26 to 12 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to repeal a law that imposes a licensure mandate on dietitians and nutritionists. The mandate has not been enforced since it was authorized in 2006 because the state licensure agency was unable to devise acceptable credentialing and education requirements.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692223
House Bill 5039: Expand mandatory child death investigations
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to expand the duties of the state “children’s ombudsman” to include investigating all deaths of a child if there was an active or recent child protective services investigation or complaint, or the child was in foster care (with some exceptions). This office would also be required to report any immediate safety concerns regarding a child in an active or open protective services or foster care case to the appropriate state agency.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692208
House Bill 5069: Authorize penalties on rental property “squatters”
Passed 32 to 5 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to establish that the usual restrictions and penalties on a landlord interfering with a tenant’s legitimate possession of a rented residence do not apply in the case of “squatters,” defined by the bill as a person who took possession by “forcible entry, holds possession by force after a peaceable entry, or came into possession by trespass.” House Bill 5070 authorizes criminal penalties for some squatting violations.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692194
House Bill 5070: Authorize penalties on rental property “squatters”
Passed 32 to 6 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to authorize criminal penalties for a “squatter” who illegally occupies a residence, including up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for second and subsequent violations. “Squatter” is defined by the bill as someone who “at any time during that period of occupancy, occupied the property with the owner’s consent for an agreed-upon consideration” but not a “guest or a family member of the owner or a tenant”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692196
House Bill 5071: Authorize penalties on rental property “squatters”
Passed 34 to 4 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to establish sentencing guidelines for the crime proposed by House Bill 5070 of “squatting,” defined as illegally occupying a residence.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692197
House Bill 5089: Create new pseudoephedrine “straw man” buyer crime
Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to authorize up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for purchasing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine while knowing that it will be used to manufacture methamphetamine.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692201
House Bill 5090: Create new pseudoephedrine “straw man” buyer crime
Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to establish sentencing guidelines for the crime proposed by House Bill 5089 of purchasing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine while knowing that it will be used to manufacture methamphetamine.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692202
House Bill 5167: Require competitive bidding on some road maintenance
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to require road agencies to seek competitive bids for road maintenance projects greater than $100,000 and use a “performance based” payment system. This is part of a House road funding package.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692183
House Bill 5168: Facilitate DARTA operating Woodward streetcar
Passed 32 to 6 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to authorize the Detroit area regional transportation authority created by a 2012 law to enter agreements to operate a Woodward Avenue streetcar in Detroit with the entity authorized by 2008 law to create it. The bill would exempt this project from a provision requiring unanimous action by the DARTA board for any form of rail passenger service, and specify that Detroit and Wayne County would be responsible for covering the line’s operating deficits (and not other communities in the RTA).
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692227
House Bill 5169: Facilitate DARTA operating Woodward streetcar
Passed 31 to 7 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to revise details of the 2012 law that created a Detroit area regional transportation authority, so as to facilitate the proposal in House Bill 5168 accommodate the proposal in House Bill 5168 to let the authority operate the Woodward Avenue streetcar project authorized by a 2008 law.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692228
House Bill 5261: Exempt vehicle sale to relatives from sales tax
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to exempt from sales tax the sale of a vehicle to a relative, including parents, children, grandparents and grandchildren, spouses, in-laws and more.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692209
House Bill 5313: Appropriations: 2014-2015 “Omnibus” budget
Failed 0 to 109 in the House on May 15, 2014, to concur with a Senate-passed version of the bill. The vote sends the bill to a House-Senate conference committee to work out the differences.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=690644
House Bill 5314: Appropriations: “Omnibus” education budget
Passed 60 to 50 in the House on June 11, 2014, the final education budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct 1, 2014. A separate House budget authorizes the rest of state government spending (House Bill 5313).
This bill would authorize $13.870 billion for K-12 public schools, a $509 million increase. It also appropriates $1.516 billion for state universities, compared to $1.430 billion the prior year; and $364 million for community colleges, up from $335 million.
The bill increases per-student “foundation allowances” for higher-spending K-12 school districts by $50, and $125 for lower spending ones. However, distributions to school districts are understated by around $400 per student compared to pre-2012 budgets, because the state is now depositing a portion of their pension costs directly into the system (rather than the previous practice of sending it all to the districts to deposit). Reportedly, the gap between funding at the highest and lowest spending districts has decreased to $848, compared to around $2,300 when the Proposal A school finance overhaul was approved in 1994.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692138
House Bill 5314: Appropriations: “Omnibus” education budget
Passed 21 to 17 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, the final education budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct 1, 2014. A separate House budget authorizes the rest of state government spending (House Bill 5313).
This bill would authorize $13.870 billion for K-12 public schools, a $509 million increase. It also appropriates $1.516 billion for state universities, compared to $1.430 billion the prior year; and $364 million for community colleges, up from $335 million.
The bill increases per-student “foundation allowances” for higher-spending K-12 school districts by $50, and $125 for lower spending ones. However, distributions to school districts are understated by around $400 per student compared to pre-2012 budgets, because the state is now depositing a portion of their pension costs directly into the system (rather than the previous practice of sending it all to the districts to deposit). Reportedly, the gap between funding at the highest and lowest spending districts has decreased to $848, compared to around $2,300 when the Proposal A school finance overhaul was approved in 1994.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692195
House Bill 5363: Expand meth-related pseudoephedrine restrictions
Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to prohibit purchasing or possessing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine that is intended to be used to manufacture methamphetamines, subject to up to 20 years in prison.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692203
House Bill 5452: Increase overweight and oversize truck fees
Failed 16 to 22 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to increase the fees for permits required to operate a vehicle or trailer that exceeds standard highway size, weight, or load restrictions. Currently the fees range from $15 to $100, depending on whether the fee is for overweight or oversize vehicles or trailers, and for a single trip or an multiple trips. Single trip fees would double, and multiple or annual trip permits would quintuple. A preliminary estimate indicates this would increase revenue for road funding by around $11 million.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692173
House Bill 5460: Require local road agencies get warranties on road projects
Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to expand to local road agencies a requirement to warranties from contractors for road construction and preservation projects valued at more than $1 million. Under current law the warranty requirement only applies to the state Department of Transportation. This is part of a House road funding package.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692169
House Bill 5477: Replace per-gallon fuel tax with 6 percent wholesale tax
The substitute failed 17 to 21 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to adopt a version of the bill that would replace the current 19-cent per gallon gas tax and 15-cent diesel tax with a 7.0 percent wholesale fuel tax, gradually increasing to 15 percent over five years.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692216
House Bill 5493: Replace per-gallon fuel tax with 6 percent wholesale tax
Passed 20 to 18 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to replace the current 15 cent per gallon motor carrier fuel tax imposed on interstate truckers with a tax on the wholesale fuel price somewhere between 7 and 17 percent per gallon. The exact rate would be specified in House Bill 5477 and was the subject of intense and incompete negotiations on the day this vote was taken.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692221
House Bill 5507: Revise county foster care reimbursement detail
Passed 110 to 0 in the House on June 11, 2014, to extend for another year a state reimbursement to counties to cover a portion of the cost of providing foster care services. The bill also clarifies what constitutes “foster care services”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692362
House Bill 5553: Authorize “Pure Michigan Trail” designations
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to authorize the use of money in an existing “Michigan trailways fund” to develop the statewide multi-use trail network proposed by Senate Bill 873.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692204
House Bill 5559: Authorize “Pure Michigan Trail” designations
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to revise the law authorizing the state to operate an “adopt a trail” program using the services of volunteers so as to conform to the proposal in Senate Bill 873 to create a statewide multi-use trail network.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692205
House Bill 5600: Revise conflict of interest to allow mayor on Detroit oversight panel
Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to revise a law that prohibits public officials from having various positions that may create a conflict of interest, so as to allow the mayor and a council member of a financially troubled city to be on a financial review commission for their city. This relates to legislation making a $195 million gift of state money to Detroit toward a possible bankruptcy settlement, which created a state oversight panel that includes the mayor and president of the city council.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692392
House Bill 5612: Revise detail of large utility regulatory regime
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 11, 2014, to allow money in a state “Utility Consumer Representation Fund” to be used for participation in proceedings on utility cost allocation and rate setting methods. Large utilities are required to pay a certain amount to this fund, and to pass the cost to customers. Half the money in fund goes to the Attorney General and half to “consumer advocates” to contest rate hikes.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692207
House Joint Resolution FF: Make enacted bills effective in 90 days, or sooner with 2/3 vote
Passed 60 to 50 in the House on June 12, 2014, to place before voters in the next general election a constitutional amendment establishing that bills enacted by the legislature go into effect 90 days after being filed with the Secretary of State, unless the bill is given immediate effect by a roll call vote of two-thirds of the members elected and serving in the House and Senate. A 2/3 vote is required to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692646
Senate Bill 66: Revise high school graduation standards
Passed 110 to 0 in the House on June 12, 2014, to revise procedural details related to the state’s high school graduation and curriculum standards. The bill would require timely responses from the Department of Education to school requests for information that helps them meet the requirements. It also “strongly encourages” schools to establish programs that lead to a professional certificate, training, apprenticeship, or college credit in a specific career and technical field.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692649
Senate Bill 324: Require certification of federal health care law “navigators”
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to require “certification” for the individuals and organizations acting as “navigators” authorized by the federal health care law (“Obamacare”) to assist individuals who apply for government-subsidized health benefits through the law’s “exchange,” including criminal background check and training requirements. The bill requires the Department of Insurance and Financial Services to determine whether a training program not created by the state sufficiently protects the privacy and security of Michigan residents’ personally identifiable information. If it does not, then the state would have to provide its own version. The bill authorizes administrative sanctions and fines for individuals and organizations who violate various rules, including “steering” a person toward a particular policy.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692564
Senate Bill 481: Repeal licensure mandate on foresters
Passed 57 to 53 in the House on June 12, 2014, to repeal a licensure mandate imposed on foresters, and eliminate a state “Board of Foresters” comprised political appointees who establish educational and experience requirements for forresters.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692629
Senate Bill 484: Repeal registration mandate on foresters
Passed 61 to 49 in the House on June 12, 2014, to repeal a registration mandate imposed on foresters. This bill repeals associated fees.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692630
Senate Bill 535: Mandate retailers check pseudoephed buyers against “meth offender registry”
Passed 107 to 0 in the House on June 12, 2014, to require the State Police to submit information on methamphetamine-related offenders to a national database, and reinforce the mandate that retailers check the names and prohibit sales to anyone buying cold medicines containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine whose name is on the list, by granting immunity from civil liability to those who rely on and use the information.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692602
Senate Bill 613: Permit keeping road kill
Passed 109 to 1 in the House on June 12, 2014, to allow a driver who kills or injures a game animal other than some birds including turkeys, badgers, bobcats, elk, moose, deer fauns, wolves and bear cubs to keep it, and give the driver first priority if more than one person wants it. The Department of Natural Resources would be required to issue a “salvage tag” if requested, which would be required to get the carcass stuffed or tanned by a taxidermist. The driver would have to keep a record of the circumstances until the game is consumed or discarded.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692608
Senate Bill 633: Allow community service to cover some “bad driver” fees
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to allow a person to do 10 hours of “community service” in lieu of paying a state “bad driver fee” for certain offenses, including accumulating seven or more “points” within a two-year period, driving without a license and failing to produce proof of insurance. These very high, revenue-raising fees were originally imposed in 2003 to avoid spending cuts in that year’s and subsequent state government budgets.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692583
Senate Bill 644: Revise “strict discipline academies” detail
Passed 96 to 14 in the House on June 12, 2014, to allow “strict discipline academies” (which provide alternative schooling for students expelled for certain criminal offenses and juvenile offenders under a criminal sentence diversion agreement) to enroll students from high- or medium-security juvenile facilities, mental health facilities, or child caring institutions that are operated by a private agency.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692605
Senate Bill 674: Establish statutory right to breastfeed in public
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, 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=692577
Senate Bill 674: Establish statutory right to breastfeed in public
Passed 108 to 2 in the House on June 12, 2014, to establish in law that a woman has a right to breastfeed a baby in a “place of public accommodation” or public facility. A woman would be entitled to “the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations” in these places, and if denied them could sue for actual damages or up to $200 in “presumed” damages.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692617
Senate Bill 678: Revise tobacco tax revenue earmarks
Passed 109 to 1 in the House on June 12, 2014, to earmark $3 million of annual state tobacco tax revenue to the state Capitol upkeep fund proposed by Senate Bill 665.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692626
Senate Bill 704: Require “pharmacist in charge” at pharmacies
Passed 110 to 0 in the House on June 12, 2014, to require all pharmacies, manufacturers, and wholesale distributors to designate a pharmacist in charge, and provide penalties. This relates to a recent “drug compounding” scandal in New England that led to contaminated drugs causing meningitis in several people.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692609
Senate Bill 715: Adopt “universal certificates of insurance act”
Passed 109 to 1 in the House on June 12, 2014, to prohibit issuing a certificate of insurance that would alter the coverage provided by an insurance policy referred to in the certificate, or which contained false or misleading information concerning a policy, or requiring the issuance of a certificate with false or misleading information regarding a policy. Also, to establish that a person would have a right to notice of cancellation only under the terms of an insurance policy.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692607
Senate Bill 756: Revise pseudoephed “instant background check” law details
Passed 110 to 0 in the House on June 12, 2014, to revise details of a 2011 law that requires retailers selling pseudoephedrine cold medications to perform an “instant check” on each customer using the “National Precursor Log Exchange” (Nplex) administered by the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators (NADDI). See also Senate Bill 535.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692603
Senate Bill 817: Move back teacher rating process deadlines
Passed 110 to 0 in the House on June 12, 2014, to revise the criteria for teacher “effectiveness” evaluation, so that student progress would not have to be measured using “assessments and other objective criteria.” Originally under a 2011 law basing school employment decisions on these ratings, half of a teacher’s effectiveness rating was supposed to be based on student academic progress as measured by actual results on state tests. Under the House-passed version of House Bill 5223, only 20 percent of the rating would be based on student test results in “core” subjects, with the remainder based on potentially more subjective “local” measurements of student academic progress.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692606
Senate Bill 846: Revise “development district” liquor license law
Passed 103 to 7 in the House on June 12, 2014, to extend to villages and townships the 2005 law that authorizes the issuance of additional on-premises liquor licenses in excess of the number allowed under a state quota system, for businesses in “development” districts, “tax increment finance authority” districts, certain “corridor improvement” districts, “downtown development” districts and “principal shopping districts” (which all enable local governments to impose higher property taxes and/or grant various subsidies in those areas).
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692611
Senate Bill 872: Reduce regulatory obstacles to developing stamp-sand property
Passed 29 to 8 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, 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=692589
Senate Bill 872: Reduce regulatory obstacles to developing stamp-sand property
Passed 67 to 43 in the House on June 12, 2014, to establish that property where “stamp sands” have been deposited is not subject to state environmental law restrictions unless the sands contain hazardous substances that exceed the allowable levels for unrestricted residential use. “Stamp sands” are finely grained crushed rock resulting from copper ore processing and are not uncommon in the Keweenaw region.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692645
Senate Bill 904: Require “pharmacist in charge” at pharmacies
Passed 110 to 0 in the House on June 12, 2014, to establish sentencing guidelines for the criminal offenses proposed by Senate Bill 704, which would require pharmacies, manufacturers, and distributors to designate a pharmacist in charge. This relates to a recent “drug compounding” scandal in New England that led to contaminated drugs causing meningitis in several people.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692610
Senate Bill 922: Authorize local “pension obligation bonds”
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to extend for one year the Dec. 31, 2014 sunset on a law passed in 2012 to allow local governments to borrow money to cover unfunded employee pension liabilities, if the local has closed its traditional “defined benefit” pension system to new employees.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692569
House Bill 4465: Lower high school graduation standards
Passed 23 to 14 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to revise wording in the state’s high school graduation curriculum requirements in ways that generally reduce the rigor of foreign language and math standards, among other things allowing students to substitute certain alternative courses for Algebra II; and also to revise details of physical education and arts standards.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692596
House Bill 4466: Revise high school graduation standards
Passed 23 to 14 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to revise the high school graduation curriculum requirements adopted in a 2006 law by allowing one of the science course requirements to be met by a course in “agricultural science;” make it easier for a student to get an exemption from the math and other standards (that is, to have a custom “personal curriculum”); and more.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692597
House Bill 4534: Establish “animal abuse registry”
Passed 98 to 12 in the House on June 12, 2014, to mandate that animal shelters run background checks for animal abuse offense on individuals wanting to adopt an animal, using an Internet Criminal History Access Tool (ICHAT) maintained by the Department of State Police.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692612
House Bill 4958: Prohibit unemployment benefits for legal aliens on work visa
Passed 34 to 4 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to establish that legal aliens with a work visa are not eligible for Michigan unemployment benefits. Under current law this ineligibility applies to agricultural work, and the bill would expand it to include non-agricultural work. This would mean that their employers wouldn’t have to pay the state unemployment tax (”assessment”) imposed on these workers’ wages.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692571
House Bill 4997: Ban sale of e-cigarettes to minors
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to ban the sale to minors of electronic cigarettes or any oral device that provides vaporized nicotine, and the use of these devices by minors. This bill provides definitions for the proposed law, and Senate Bills 667 and 668 contain the use and sales bans, respectively.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692565
House Bill 5061: Mandate criminal background check to adopt a pet
Passed 89 to 21 in the House on June 12, 2014, to prohibit animal shelters from allowing a person to adopt an animal if the background check mandated by House Bill 4534 showed the person had committed an animal abuse offense in the past five years.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692614
House Bill 5313: Appropriations: 2014-2015 “Omnibus” budget
Passed 24 to 12 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, the final state government budget for the fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1, 2014, not including education spending (which is in House Bill 5314.) This would appropriate $37.4 billion, compared to $34.4 billion originally appropriated the previous year (prior to adoption of the federal health care law’s Medicaid expansion). Of this, $17.6 billion comes from state tax, fee and other revenue, compared to $16.9 billion the previous year. The rest of this budget is federal money ($19.8 billion, compared to $18.1 billion the previous year).
With education spending, the total state budget for the next fiscal year will be $53.15 billion, up $3.63 billion (7.3 percent) from the $49.52 billion budget originally enacted for the previous year. The state portion of this will be $31.45 billion, up $1.25 billion (4.1 percent) from the $30.18 billion originally approved for the previous year.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692513
House Bill 5313: Appropriations: 2014-2015 “Omnibus” budget
Passed 100 to 10 in the House on June 12, 2014, the final state government budget for the fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1, 2014, not including education spending (which is in House Bill 5314.) This would appropriate $37.4 billion, compared to $34.4 billion originally appropriated the previous year (prior to adoption of the federal health care law’s Medicaid expansion). Of this, $17.6 billion comes from state tax, fee and other revenue, compared to $16.9 billion the previous year. The rest of this budget is federal money ($19.8 billion, compared to $18.1 billion the previous year).
With education spending, the total state budget for the next fiscal year will be $53.15 billion, up $3.63 billion (7.3 percent) from the $49.52 billion budget originally enacted for the previous year. The state portion of this will be $31.45 billion, up $1.25 billion (4.1 percent) from the $30.18 billion originally approved for the previous year.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692604
House Bill 5397: Authorize local government energy efficiency homeowner loans
Passed 108 to 2 in the House on June 12, 2014, to allow local governments in communities with a municipal utility to provide an energy efficiency loan program for homeowners. Loan payments could be made with utility bills.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692623
House Bill 5414: Reduce, then end “driver responsibility fees”
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to gradually phase out the so-called “driver responsibility fees” (a.k.a. “bad driver tax”) imposed for certain traffic violations, which were originally adopted in 2003 to avoid spending cuts in that year’s and subsequent state budgets. The fees for most offenses would be abolished as of Oct. 1, 2019. Reportedly, thousands of mostly low-income individuals have lost their licenses due to inability to pay these penalties. Senate Bill 633 would authorize doing “community service” as an alternative in many cases..
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692584
House Bill 5445: Establish rape kit evidence regulations and procedures
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to establish regulations, procedures and timetables with deadlines that law enforcement agencies and health care providers must follow when collecting and using sexual assault kit evidence.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692566
House Bill 5451: Authorize National Guard member tuition subsidies
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to authorize annual college or vocational education tuition subsidies “in an amount determined to be available by the Guard’s Adjutant General” for a current Michigan National Guard member. House Bill 5313 appropriates $4.7 million for this.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692570
House Bill 5478: Reorganize workers comp self-insurance trust fund
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to replace an existing state “self-insurers’ security fund” for covering worker’s compensation insurance benefits from a private self-insurer that becomes insolvent with a new “private employer group self-insurers security fund,” starting in 2020. This fund would pay injured or disabled employees’ claims and impose assessments on member groups to cover the insufficiency if one of them is unable to pay valid claims. This is part of a legislative package intended to provide several hundred former Delphi Corporation employees with workers’ compensation benefits that reportedly have not been available since 2009 due to the company’s bankruptcy.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692498
House Bill 5479: Reorganize workers comp self-insurance trust fund
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to replace an existing state “self-insurers’ security fund” for covering worker’s compensation insurance benefits from a private self-insurer that becomes insolvent with a new entity, starting in 2019. The new fund would pay injured or disabled employees’ claims and impose assessments on member groups to cover the insufficiency if one of them is unable to pay valid claims. . This is part of a legislative package intended to provide several hundred former Delphi Corporation employees with workers’ compensation benefits that reportedly have not been available since 2009 due to the company’s bankruptcy.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692499
House Bill 5480: Reorganize workers comp self-insurance trust fund
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to revise details of the state workers compensation insurance law to conform to the proposal in House Bills 5478 and 5479 to revise a state reinsurance fund to cover claims against self-insured employers who become insolvent. This is part of a legislative package intended to provide several hundred former Delphi Corporation employees with workers’ compensation benefits that reportedly have not been available since 2009 due to the company’s bankruptcy.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692500
House Bill 5481: Reorganize workers comp self-insurance trust fund
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to revise details of the state workers compensation insurance law to conform to the proposal in House Bills 5478 and 5479 to revise a state reinsurance fund to cover claims against self-insured employers who become insolvent. This is part of a legislative package intended to provide several hundred former Delphi Corporation employees with workers’ compensation benefits that reportedly have not been available since 2009 due to the company’s bankruptcy.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692501
House Bill 5483: Reorganize workers comp self-insurance trust fund
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to authorize the imposition of extra assessments against the members of the “private employer group self-insurers security fund” if its obligations exceed the capacity of the fund to pay. This is part of a legislative package intended to provide several hundred former Delphi Corporation employees with workers’ compensation benefits that reportedly have not been available since 2009 due to the company’s bankruptcy.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692502
House Bill 5484: Reorganize workers comp self-insurance trust fund
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to establish that the duty of the Attorney General to give legal advice to an existing state “self-insurers’ security fund” for covering worker’s compensation insurance benefits would be the same under the replacement entity proposed in House Bills 5478 and 5479. This is part of a legislative package intended to provide several hundred former Delphi Corporation employees with workers’ compensation benefits that reportedly have not been available since 2009 due to the company’s bankruptcy.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692507
House Bill 5485: Reorganize workers comp self-insurance trust fund
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to establish that the “private employer group self-insurers security fund” proposed by House Bills 5478 and 5479 ends up paying the benefits of an injured worker (instead of the self-insured employer paying them, it would have the right to seek reimbursement from the insolvent employer. This is part of a legislative package intended to provide several hundred former Delphi Corporation employees with workers’ compensation benefits that reportedly have not been available since 2009 due to the company’s bankruptcy.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692504
House Bill 5486: Reorganize workers comp self-insurance trust fund
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to establish that rights to an insolvent employer’s records currently vested in a state workers compensation “self-insurers’ security fund” would be the same under the replacement entity proposed by House Bills 5478 and 5479 for covering worker’s compensation insurance benefits owed by an insolvent self-insured employer. This is part of a legislative package intended to provide several hundred former Delphi Corporation employees with workers’ compensation benefits that reportedly have not been available since 2009 due to the company’s bankruptcy.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692508
House Bill 5487: Reorganize workers comp self-insurance trust fund
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to increase the assessment imposed on self insured companies and revise the assessment-setting methodology and accounting requirements for a state trust fund created to pay worker’s compensation insurance benefits owed by an insolvent self-insured employer. This is part of a legislative package intended to provide several hundred former Delphi Corporation employees with workers’ compensation benefits that reportedly have not been available since 2009 due to the company’s bankruptcy.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692509
House Bill 5488: Reorganize workers comp self-insurance trust fund
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to revise details of a provision enforcing the duty of an employer who self-insures for potential workers compensation liability to pay into a state trust fund created to cover benefits owed by insolvent self-insured employers. This is part of a legislative package intended to provide several hundred former Delphi Corporation employees with workers’ compensation benefits that reportedly have not been available since 2009 due to the company’s bankruptcy.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692510
House Bill 5489: Authorize workers comp trust fund payments to former Delphi workers
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to authorize payments from a state trust fund created to pay workers compensation insurance benefits owed by insolvent self-insured employers to former employees of the Delphi Corporation (which was spun-off by General Motors in 1997 and filed bankruptcy in 2005). The trust fund would be allowed to seek reimbursement from whatever entity is ultimately found by a federal court to be liable for these claims. This is part of a legislative package intended to provide several hundred former Delphi Corporation employees with workers’ compensation benefits that reportedly have not been available since 2009 due to the company’s bankruptcy.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692511
House Bill 5490: Reorganize workers comp self-insurance trust fund
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to revise details of the process for resolving disputes between an employer or insurer and the trustees of a state trust fund created to pay workers compensation benefits owed by an insolvent employer. This is part of a legislative package intended to provide several hundred former Delphi Corporation employees with workers’ compensation benefits that reportedly have not been available since 2009 due to the company’s bankruptcy.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692512
House Bill 5558: Clarify preemption of insurance lawsuits under Consumer Protection Act
Passed 24 to 13 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to clarify that a prohibition of “unfair practices” lawsuits against insurance companies under the state Consumer Protection Act (rather than the state’s Insurance Code) applies even if the cause of action occurred before a 2001 law was enacted specifying that industries like insurance which are already subject to a comprehensive state regulatory regime are not covered by the Consumer Protection Act. Lawsuits that have already been filed could still proceed, however.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692585
House Bill 5591: Exempt public breastfeeding from “indecent exposure” law
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to exempt a mother’s breastfeeding in a public place from state laws prohibiting open or indecent exposure, “regardless of whether or not her areola or nipple is visible during or incidental to the breastfeeding”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692567
House Bill 5592: Exempt public breastfeeding from “indecent exposure” law
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on June 12, 2014, to revise the law that defines indecent exposure as a form of disorderly conduct so that it conforms to the proposal in House Bill 5591 to exempt a mother’s breastfeeding of a child from the indecent exposure law.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692568
House Bill 5608: Provide insurance to fallen public safety dependents
Passed 110 to 0 in the House on June 12, 2014, to require the state to provide the spouse and dependents of a firefighter, law enforcement officer or emergency first responder who dies in the line of duty with health insurance comparable to and on similar terms as the coverage plan provided to Michigan State Policy troopers. This would end when these individuals get comparable coverage from another source.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=692618