Senate Bill 109: Let 278 cities impose additional public safety property tax
Introduced by Sen. Steve Bieda (D) on February 17, 2015, to allow cities with more than 70,000 residents impose “special assessment” property taxes to pay for police and fire services. These taxes would be imposed over and above regular property taxes, and would require a vote of the community. According to a Senate Fiscal Agency of a similar bill in the previous legislature, this could allow 278 cities to impose these additional taxes.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168509
Senate Bill 110: Revise county executive election detail
Introduced by Sen. David Robertson (R) on February 17, 2015, to shift the quadrennial election of the Oakland and Bay County executives to gubernatorial election years rather than presidential election years.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168510
Senate Bill 111: Require MDOT post online road repair project details
Introduced by Sen. Patrick Colbeck (R) on February 17, 2015, to require the Department of Transportation to maintain an online database that contains detailed information on every road repair project underway in the state, including local projects.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168511
Senate Bill 112: Change reference to “crippled children” in state law
Introduced by Sen. Curtis Hertel, Jr. (D) on February 17, 2015, to revise a reference to “crippled children” in state law to instead refer to “children and youth with special health care needs”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168512
Senate Bill 113: Change reference to “crippled children” in state law
Introduced by Sen. Jim Marleau (R) on February 17, 2015, to revise a reference to “crippled children” in state law to instead refer to “children and youth with special health care needs”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168513
Senate Bill 137: Authorize appropriation for university autism programs
Introduced by Sen. Dave Hildenbrand (R) on February 17, 2015, to authorize the transfer to university autism programs of $3.0 million from a state fund created by a 2012 law intended cover subsidies to health insurance companies to compensate for the cost of a new autism treatment coverage mandate imposed by another law passed that year.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168537
Senate Bill 138: Revise crime victim’s rights fund distribution
Introduced by Sen. Dave Hildenbrand (R) on February 17, 2015, to allocate up to $4.8 million in the current fiscal year to maintain a statewide trauma system statewide trauma system and related emergency medical services program activities. Money in this fund comes from assessments on criminal defendants. Current statute requires it be used for crime victim services and compensation.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168538
Senate Bill 139: Limit fundraising “junk food” sales in schools
Introduced by Sen. Patrick Colbeck (R) on February 18, 2015, to limit to three per week the number of public school fundraising activities during school hours that allow the sale of food or beverages that do not meet mandated school lunch nutritional standards.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168571
Senate Bill 140: Authorize medical “marijuana infused products”
Introduced by Sen. Mike Shirkey (R) on February 18, 2015, to authorize the use of “marijuana infused products” under the state’s medical marijuana law, Initiated Law 1 of 2008, and establish regulations for these substances.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168572
Senate Bill 141: Authorize medical “marijuana infused products”
Introduced by Sen. Coleman Young, II (D) on February 18, 2015, to provide sentencing guidelines for the penalties contained in Senate Bill 140’s proposal to authorize medical marijuana infused products.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168573
Senate Bill 142: Allow, regulate medical marijuana dispensaries
Introduced by Sen. David Knezek (D) on February 18, 2015, to authorize and establish a comprehensive regulatory regime for medical marijuana dispensaries, including municipal licensure or prohibition, with civil and criminal penalties for violations. The provisions of the state’s voter-authorized medical marijuana law, Initiated Law 1 of 2008, were ambiguous on dispensaries, and the state Supreme Court banned them early in 2013.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168574
Senate Bill 143: Impose regulations and mandates on for-profit mothers milk banks
Introduced by Sen. David Knezek (D) on February 18, 2015, to impose a range of regulations, restrictions and mandates on “for-profit human breast milk banks, companies, and cooperatives,” but not on non-profit entities that provide a similar service. Among other things the bill would mandate that for-profit service give half the milk they collect to hospitals and non-profit providers of this service.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168575
Senate Bill 144: Exempt “low risk foods” from some food service safety mandates
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) on February 18, 2015, to exempt a “food service establishment” that serves only “low risk foods” from certain inspection and manager food safety certification requirements. The bill defines “low risk foods” as coffee; cotton candy; commercially precooked hot dogs, bratwurst, and hamburgers; doughnuts; hand-dipped ice cream; nachos with cheese; popcorn; roasted nuts; snow cones and others as determined by a local health department.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168576
Senate Bill 145: Authorize aquatic vegetation harvest tool tax break
Introduced by Sen. Joe Hune (R) on February 18, 2015, to exempt from the state use tax the purchase of tools and equipment used to harvest, handle, process or package aquatic vegetation from the waters of this state.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168577
Senate Bill 146: Exempt certified zoos from large carnivore possession law
Introduced by Sen. Joe Hune (R) on February 18, 2015, to revise a reference in a law that exempt zoos from the restrictions, fees and permit requirements of the state’s large carnivore act, which severely restricts private ownership.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168578
Senate Bill 147: Require hospitals to post their “prices”
Introduced by Sen. Joe Hune (R) on February 18, 2015, to require hospitals to place on their website or make available in other ways a copy of their “charge description master,” defined as “a uniform schedule of charges represented by the hospital as its gross billed charge for a given service or item, regardless of payer type”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168579
Senate Bill 148: Cut cigarette tax
Introduced by Sen. Joe Hune (R) on February 18, 2015, to cut the state cigarette tax in half, from $2 per pack to $1.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168580
Senate Bill 149: Require affidavit of merit for architect and engineer lawsuits
Introduced by Sen. Jack Brandenburg (R) on February 19, 2015, to extend to lawsuits against architects and engineers provisions similar to the state’s medical malpractice lawsuit practices, which require a suit to be accompanied by a detailed “affidavit of merit” by a licensed professional in the same field, stating the opinion that the defendant breached the applicable standard of reasonable care or practice required in the case.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168616
Senate Bill 150: Clarify health insurance drug benefit detail
Introduced by Sen. Margaret O’Brien (R) on February 19, 2015, to clarify requirements in health plans that provide prescription drug coverage for synchronizing multiple prescriptions and dispensing fees.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168617
Senate Bill 151: Repeal deadline on prisoner DNA evidence appeals
Introduced by Sen. Steve Bieda (D) on February 19, 2015, to repeal a Jan. 1, 2016 deadline for a prisoner to appeal his or her conviction on the basis evidence generated by new DNA testing technology.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168618
Senate Bill 152: Revise boxing and “mixed martial arts” regulation
Introduced by Sen. David Robertson (R) on February 19, 2015, to revise details of a comprehensive regulatory regime imposed by a 2004 law on professional boxing and “mixed martial arts” competitions. Among other things the bill would index to inflation the license fees imposed on contestants, referees, judges, physicians, matchmakers, timekeepers, contestants, and promoters, without further authorization from the legislature for any increases.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168619
House Bill 4200: Ban most government employees “severance pay” deals
Introduced by Rep. Patrick Somerville (R) on February 17, 2015, to prohibit the state, schools or local governments from providing severance pay for government employees and contractors, with some exceptions. The same bill was introduced in the previous legislature after news broke of a questionable “severance pay” check delivered to a political appointee hired by Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168561
House Bill 4201: Revise county property tax detail
Introduced by Rep. Patrick Somerville (R) on February 17, 2015, to require that if a county levies a property tax millage, it must spend at least 75 percent of the proceeds in the city, village, or township from which the proceeds were collected.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168562
House Bill 4202: Limit fundraising “junk food” sales in schools
Introduced by Rep. Patrick Somerville (R) on February 17, 2015, to limit to three per week the number of public school fundraising activities during school hours that allow the sale of food or beverages that do not meet mandated nutritional standards.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168563
House Bill 4203: Change reference to “crippled children” in state law
Introduced by Rep. Mike Callton (R) on February 17, 2015, to revise a reference to “crippled children” in state law to instead refer to “children and youth with special health care needs”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168564
House Bill 4204: Change reference to “crippled children” in state law
Introduced by Rep. Joseph Graves (R) on February 17, 2015, to revise a reference to “crippled children” in state law to instead refer to “children and youth with special health care needs”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168565
House Bill 4205: Change reference to “crippled children” in state law
Introduced by Rep. Andy Schor (D) on February 17, 2015, to revise a reference to “crippled children” in state law to instead refer to “children and youth with special health care needs”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168566
House Bill 4206: Impose regulations and mandates on for-profit mothers milk banks
Introduced by Rep. Erika Geiss (D) on February 17, 2015, to impose a range of regulations, restrictions and mandates on “for-profit human breast milk banks,” companies, and cooperatives, but not on non-profit entities that provide a similar service. Among other things the bill would mandate that for-profit service give half the milk they collect to hospitals and non-profit providers of this service.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168567
House Bill 4207: Expand scope of practice for nurses
Introduced by Rep. Ken Yonker (R) on February 17, 2015, to revise the “scope of practice” allowed for Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, making it possible for them to provide more medical services without being under the direct supervision of a physician. Similar bills in the past have struggled due to opposition from the physician’s lobby. The bill would also authorize subsidies to APRNs who practice in “underserved” areas.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168568
House Bill 4208: Ban felony record questions on initial job application
Introduced by Rep. Fred Durhal, III (D) on February 17, 2015, to prohibit an employer from including questions about an applicant’s felony record on an initial job application. The prohibition would not apply to a background check or inquiry that takes place after the initial application, or which is necessary to comply state or federal law.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168569
House Bill 4209: Allow, regulate medical marijuana dispensaries
Introduced by Rep. Mike Callton (R) on February 17, 2015, to authorize and establish a comprehensive regulatory regime for medical marijuana dispensaries, including municipal licensure or prohibition, with civil and criminal penalties for violations. The provisions of the state’s voter-authorized medical marijuana law, Initiated Law 1 of 2008, were ambiguous on dispensaries, and the state Supreme Court banned them early in 2013.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168570
House Bill 4210: Authorize medical “marijuana infused products”
Introduced by Rep. Lisa Lyons (R) on February 17, 2015, to authorize the use of “marijuana infused products” under the state’s medical marijuana law, Initiated Law 1 of 2008, and establish regulations for these substances.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168600
House Bill 4211: Exempt real property from state school tax
Introduced by Rep. Lisa Lyons (R) on February 17, 2015, to exempt “real property” (land and buildings) from the 6 mill state education property tax. This would essentially “blow up” the current public school finance system and presumably force the legislature to devise a new one.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168601
House Bill 4212: Eliminate sunset on road commission eliminations
Introduced by Rep. Roger Victory (R) on February 17, 2015, to eliminate a Jan. 1, 2015 sunset on a 2011 law that provides procedures for eliminating a county road commission and transferring its duties to the county board.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168602
House Bill 4213: Require property assessments more quickly reflect market declines
Introduced by Rep. Lisa Lyons (R) on February 17, 2015, to place in statute the provisions of the constitutional amendment proposed by House Joint Resolution I, which would revise details of the Proposal A property tax assessment cap. Specifically, if a property’s assessed value has decreased, or has increased by less than both the rate of inflation level and 5 percent, then the owner’s “taxable value” in the immediately succeeding must be the same as the previous year. Currently, assessors use a “moving average” of a property’s value over several years, so if values go down an owner could still be assessed more.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168603
House Bill 4214: Revise absentee ballot dates
Introduced by Rep. Lisa Lyons (R) on February 17, 2015, to prohibit election clerks from sending out absentee ballots to voters earlier than 30 days before an election, except for active duty military personnel and voters who are overseas, to whom ballots can be sent 45 days before an election.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168604
House Bill 4215: Eliminate sunset on road commission eliminations
Introduced by Rep. Roger Victory (R) on February 17, 2015, to eliminate a Jan. 1, 2015 sunset on a 2011 law that provides procedures for eliminating a county road commission and transferring its duties to the county board.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168605
House Bill 4216: Earmark some income tax to roads
Introduced by Rep. Joel Johnson (R) on February 17, 2015, to earmark a portion of income tax revenue to road construction and repair, with the amount based on the state “labor force rate” in the past year (presumably this means the “labor force participation rate”).
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168606
House Bill 4217: “Grandfather” certain billboard permits
Introduced by Rep. Jeff Farrington (R) on February 18, 2015, to “grandfather” existing or already approved regular or electronic billboard permits from new regulations imposed by a 2014 law.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168607
House Bill 4218: Require offering emergency contraception to sexual assault victims
Introduced by Rep. Charles Smiley (D) on February 18, 2015, to require emergency room or urgent care clinics to offer emergency contraception (a “morning after pill”) to a victim of sexual assault who is a woman of childbearing. Also, to require the state to produce “medically accurate information about this drug and distribute it to health facilities, and mandate the facilities give the pamphlets to these victims.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168610
House Bill 4219: Give some Detroit drug crime seizure proceeds to “community organizations”
Introduced by Rep. Harvey Santana (D) on February 18, 2015, to mandate that 5 percent of the proceeds from the sale of property seized in Detroit drug raids and arrests be given to “community organizations” in the city.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168611
House Bill 4220: Change reference to “crippled children” in state law
Introduced by Rep. Harvey Santana (D) on February 18, 2015, to revise a comprehensive regulatory regime imposed by a 2004 law on professional boxing and “mixed martial arts” competitions, by consolidating the latter into a separate section, and also change other details of these regulations. Among other things the bill would index to inflation the license fees imposed on contestants, referees, judges, physicians, matchmakers, timekeepers, contestants, and promoters, without further authorization from the legislature for any increases.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168612
House Bill 4221: Change reference to “crippled children” in state law
Introduced by Rep. Harvey Santana (D) on February 18, 2015, to establish sentencing guidelines for violations of the prohibited conduct in “mixed martial arts” competitions proposed by (or amended by) House Bill 4220.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168613
House Bill 4222: Change reference to “crippled children” in state law
Introduced by Rep. Harvey Santana (D) on February 18, 2015, to move into a separate statute the comprehensive regulatory regime imposed on “mixed martial arts” by a 2004 law that codified regulations on these competitions, boxing matches and other “unarmed combat” competitions. House Bill 4220 would consolidate these “mixed martial arts” regulations into a separate section of the current law.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168614
House Bill 4223: Mandate employers give paid adoption leave with benefits
Introduced by Rep. Robert Kosowski (D) on February 19, 2015, to mandate that an employer with at least 50 employees must grant two weeks of paid leave with full fringe benefits to an employee who adopts a child.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168631
House Bill 4224: Repeal an out of state insurance company fee
Introduced by Rep. Tom Barrett (R) on January 19, 2015, to repeal a $25 fee that out of state insurance companies doing business in Michigan must submit with an annual report they are required to file with the state.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=168632
Senate Bill 34: Revise concealed pistol license procedures
Passed 76 to 34 in the House on February 25, 2015, to eliminate county concealed pistol licensing boards, and transfer their duties to the State Police and county clerks. A similar bill passed by the previous legislature was vetoed by Gov. Rick Snyder due to some specific provisions which have been removed from this version, including one requiring a concealed pistol license be issued to the target of a personal protection order who is otherwise eligible for the permit.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=706592
Senate Bill 35: Revise concealed pistol license procedures
Passed 81 to 29 in the House on February 25, 2015, to establish sentencing guidelines for the concealed pistol permit law violations contained in Senate Bill 34.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=706593
Senate Bill 69: Eliminate debt cap on business job training subsidy program
Passed 36 to 1 in the Senate on February 25, 2015, to eliminate the Dec. 31, 2018 sunset and a $50 million debt cap in a 2008 law that authorized state job training subsidies for particular employers, provided through community colleges. Also, to revise a requirement that the pay of employees who get the subsidized training must be 175 percent of the mandated state minimum wage, and instead make this 175 percent of the mandated minimum amount at the time the subsidy deal was entered. The bill was amended to also prohibit a corporation from taking both these subsidies and “refundable tax credit” subsidies (often cash payments) granted particular firms by the previous administration.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=706490
Senate Bill 71: Extend, expand college job training subsidies to some employers
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on February 25, 2015, to eliminate the $50 million debt cap in a 2008 law that authorized state job training subsidies for particular employers, provided through community colleges. The bill would also eliminate a 2018 sunset on these subsidies.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=706487
House Bill 4076: Revise firearms transport law detail
Passed 110 to 0 in the House on February 25, 2015, to revise a reference in the state penal code to reflect recent changes in the law governing transportation of firearms in a vehicle.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=706588
House Bill 4159: Revise “gun free zone” CPL exception
Passed 89 to 21 in the House on February 25, 2015, to revise the “gun free zone” provision of the concealed pistol permit law to exempt active and retired corrections, probation, and parole officers who have concealed pistol licenses from the restrictions, and also retired county jail guards.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=706589
House Bill 4160: Revise firearms “brandishing” law
Passed 95 to 15 in the House on February 25, 2015, to establish that using a firearm in self defense or to defend one’s home or property under the 2006 law repealing a legal “duty to retreat” in such situations is not considered illegal “brandishing,” which means to display or wave a firearm in a menacing or threatening manner. Also, to revise the brandishing law to require the behavior to be “willful” in order to warrant criminal prosecution. House Bill 4161 clarifies the definition of brandishing.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=706590
House Bill 4161: Revise firearms “brandishing” law
Passed 108 to 2 in the House on February 25, 2015, to define “brandishing” a firearm as “to point, wave about, or display in a threatening manner with the intent to induce fear in a reasonable person.” Under current law “brandishing” is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail. See also House Bill 4160, which requires the behavior to be “willful” in order to warrant criminal prosecution, and exempts behavior permitted under the 2006 law repealing a legal “duty to retreat” in a self defense situation or in defense of one’s home or property.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=706591