Initiated Legislation 2: Preempt referendum banning wolf hunt
Passed 23 to 10 in the Senate on August 13, 2014, to preempt the effect of a referendum placed on the November ballot by interests opposed to wolf hunting, which otherwise would ban wolf hunts if approved by voters. Specifically, this measure would make “referendum-proof” a 2013 law giving the legislature and Natural Resources Commission exclusive authority to decide which species may be hunted in Michigan. It would do so by making a small change to that law and adding a modest appropriation, which under a 2001 Supreme Court ruling makes the law not subject to referendum (see House Joint Resolution Q for an explanation). This measure (Initiated Legislation 2) was sponsored by groups in favor of a wolf hunt, and triggers a process specified by Article 2, Section 9 of the state constitution, in which the legislature has 40 days to pass initiated legislation, or else it automatically goes on the ballot. In short, if the House and Senate both this measure, an initiative banning wolf hunts that has already been approved for the November 2014 ballot will not go into effect, even if a majority of voters approve it.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=694560
Senate Bill 616: Appropriations: Supplemental budget
Passed 26 to 7 in the Senate on August 13, 2014, to revise Medicaid accounting to reflect the transition from a 1 percent “health insurance claims tax” to the imposition of the 6 percent “use tax” on Medicaid managed care health care providers (hospitals). These various levies are designed to “game” the federal Medicaid program in ways that result in higher federal payments to Michigan’s medical welfare establishment (including those same hospitals). See Senate Bill 893 and Senate Bill 913.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=694566
Senate Bill 753: Exempt municipalities from sanctions for a few leaking septic systems
Passed 22 to 11 in the Senate on August 13, 2014, to exempt municipalities from sanctions authorized by state environmental laws for limited discharges of untreated sewage into a lake or river from three or more septic tank systems within the municipality’s jurisdiction.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=694562
Senate Bill 938: Revise nursing home regulation detail
Passed 33 to 0 in the Senate on August 13, 2014, to revise the extensive regulatory regime imposed on nursing homes, so as to establish that patient care policies and compliance procedures should be based on nationally recognized guidelines or best-practices (rather than a similar but less specific prescription in current law), along with other detail changes.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=694564
Senate Bill 969: Authorize local nuisance suits to shut drug or prostitution house
Passed 33 to 0 in the Senate on August 13, 2014, to authorize a city, village, or township to file a nuisance lawsuit to shut down the activity at a building, vehicle, boat, aircraft, or place that is being used for prostitution, illegal drug, animal fighting, or unlawful alcohol-related offenses.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=694561
Senate Bill 977: Allow military to renew CPL by mail
Passed 32 to 1 in the Senate on August 13, 2014, to allow military personnel on duty outside of Michigan to submit a renewal application for a concealed pistol license (CPL) by mail.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=694563
Senate Bill 991: Let terminal patients try non-FDA approved treatments
Passed 31 to 2 in the Senate on August 13, 2014, to establish that a person diagnosed with a terminal illness has a “right to try” experimental drugs or therapies, notwithstanding laws that prohibit treatments not approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration, subject to various conditions specified in the bill. The bill would prohibit state employees or officials from interfering, and ban licensing boards from sanctioning health care providers who participate, subject to specified conditions. Insurers would not have to cover these treatments, and drug makers who comply with the specified conditions would be immune from liability if the patient is harmed. The bill was introduced in response to criticism of FDA mandates that drug makers prove new drugs are “safe and effective” are improperly applied in these cases, leading to many preventable deaths. House Bill 5651 proposes the same thing..
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=694565
Senate Bill 1017: Revise digital tobacco stamp reimbursement detail
Passed 30 to 2 in the Senate on August 13, 2014, to clarify details of a 2012 law that allows tobacco wholesalers authorized by the state to affix digital tax stamps to individual packs of cigarettes to retain 0.5 percent of the tax due on cigarettes as compensation for equipment and technology upgrades necessitated by digital stamps.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=694567
Senate Bill 1020: Expand Consumer Protection Act to herbal and dietary products
Introduced by Sen. Gretchen Whitmer (D) on August 13, 2014, to extend state Consumer Protection Act regulations, mandates and restrictions to the accuracy of manufacturers’ representations regarding “the risks involved in the intended use” of a drug, medication, herbal product, dietary supplement or botanical extract.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164919
Senate Bill 1021: Mandate certain hospital disclosures to sexual assault victims
Introduced by Sen. Bert Johnson (D) on August 13, 2014, to mandate that hospitals must tell an individual alleged to have been the victim of criminal sexual conduct in the past five days about a the provisions of a 2008 law that specifies the procedures the hospital must undertake to qualify for compensation by the state crime victims services commission for sexual assault medical forensic examination costs.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164921
Senate Bill 1022: Redesignate a bridge
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) on August 13, 2014, to redesignate the M-64 bridge over the Ontonagon river in Ontonagon as the “Ontonagon County Veterans Memorial Bridge”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164922
Senate Bill 1023: Repeal 2012 legalization of small fireworks
Introduced by Sen. Glenn Anderson (D) on August 13, 2014, to repeal the 2012 law that legalized the sale and use of “consumer fireworks” including firecrackers, bottle rockets, aerial spinners, Roman candles, etc.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164923
Senate Bill 1024: Repeal 2012 legalization of small fireworks
Introduced by Sen. Glenn Anderson (D) on August 13, 2014, to repeal the sentencing guidelines associated with the 2012 law that legalized the sale and use of “consumer fireworks,” which would itself be repealed by Senate Bill 1023.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164924
Senate Bill 1025: Mandate expulsion of students who make teacher death threats
Introduced by Sen. Dave Hildenbrand (R) on August 13, 2014, to mandate the expulsion of a public school student who threatens the life of a school employee, contractor or volunteer.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164925
Senate Bill 1026: Restrict oil and gas wells in municipalities
Introduced by Sen. Jack Brandenburg (R) on August 13, 2014, to restrict gas or oil wells (including gas and oil “fracking” wells) in a municipality with more than 70,000 residents unless two local hearings are held and the Department of Environmental Quality determines the well there is no “reasonable alternative” location that will allow the drilling rights owner to extract the oil and gas. Reportedly an amendment may be considered to require local government approval for drilling.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164926
House Bill 5720: Increase dangerous dog restrictions
Introduced by Rep. Sean McCann (D) on August 13, 2014, to establish sentencing guidelines for violations of the dangerous dog restrictions proposed by House Bill 5721.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164913
House Bill 5721: Increase dangerous dog restrictions
Introduced by Rep. Sean McCann (D) on August 13, 2014, to establish more stringent procedures and remedies that a court may order for the owner of a “dangerous dog” or “potentially dangerous dog” as defined in the bill, including potential destruction of the animal. The court could also impose public disclosure, property posting, and animal confinement or tethering mandates on the owner; require $100,000 in liability insurance; and more. An owner who failed to comply with these conditions would be subject to up to four years in prison. Current law already authorizes manslaughter charges against the owner of a dog who kills a person. The bill was introduced after two dangerous dogs running lose killed a jogger in a rural area of Wayne County; that owner has been charged with murder.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164914
House Bill 5722: Extend small boat registration exemption to electric boats
Introduced by Rep. Bruce Rendon (R) on August 13, 2014, to exempt from watercraft registration mandates small boats that are powered by an electric motor rated at 100 pounds of thrust or less. Under current law small boats (canoes, dinghies, rowboats etc.) are already exempt, but not if they are motorized.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164915
House Bill 5723: Repeal 2012 legalization of small fireworks
Introduced in the House on August 13, 2014, to repeal the 2012 law that legalized the sale and use of “consumer fireworks” including firecrackers, bottle rockets, aerial spinners, Roman candles, etc. (“APA standard 87-1” fireworks).
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164916
House Bill 5724: Repeal 2012 legalization of small fireworks
Introduced by Rep. Dian Slavens (D) on August 13, 2014, to repeal the sentencing guidelines associated with the 2012 law that legalized the sale and use of “consumer fireworks,” which would itself be repealed by House Bill 5723.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164917