Senate Bill 86: Authorize more local “pension obligation bonds”
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on March 4, 2015, to extend for one year the Dec. 31, 2015 sunset on a law passed in 2012 to allow local governments to borrow money to cover unfunded employee pension liabilities, which is allowed only if the local has closed its traditional “defined benefit” pension system to new employees. The law also allows locals to incur long term debt to pay for future retiree health insurance costs, which unlike pensions are not legally enforceable obligations. This would be the second extension of this deadline.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=707446
House Bill 4051: Require certain low income housing tax disclosures
Passed 110 to 0 in the House on March 3, 2015, to allow the Department of Treasury to disclose the address and millage rate of each housing unit that is part of part of a tax-exempt housing project, and whether the units are instead subject to a “service charge” in lieu of regular property taxes.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=707250
House Bill 4059: Remove sunset on allowing school retiree “double dipping”
Passed 108 to 2 in the House on March 5, 2015, to repeal the sunset on a law that allows a “retired” teacher to work in schools with shortages in certain subjects and collect pension checks alongside his or her current pay.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=707656
House Bill 4078: Spend $24.7 million for state land acquisitions and recreation projects
Passed 31 to 5 in the Senate on March 5, 2015, to appropriate $24.7 million from the state Natural Resources Trust Fund for various land acquisitions and recreation projects. State oil and gas well royalty money is earmarked for this fund. At least 25 percent of its spending must be for land acquisition, and not more than 25 percent for recreation projects.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=707657