House Bill 4588: Expand private college security force powers
Introduced by Rep. Kurt Heise (R) on May 13, 2015, to permit a member of the private college security forces to exercise full “peace officer” (police officer) powers outside the college’s grounds in cases of “hot pursuit” of an individual suspected of violating the law, or in cooperation with regular police officers, subject to various restrictions.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=169589
House Bill 4589: Authorize correction of Flint mayor election error
Introduced by Rep. Sheldon Neeley (D) on May 13, 2015, to revise the state election law to allow several candidates for the mayor of Flint to be placed on the ballot even though they missed the candidate filing deadline, reportedly because the Flint city clerk office posted a wrong filing deadline on the city website.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=169590
House Bill 4591: Impose state permit/license mandate on all private gun purchases
Introduced by Rep. Jim Townsend (D) on May 13, 2015, to revise references in the state penal code to reflect the firearms purchase permit/license regime proposed by House Bill 4590.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=169592
House Bill 4592: Impose state permit/license mandate on all private gun purchases
Introduced by Rep. Jim Townsend (D) on May 13, 2015, to revise the state sentencing guidelines to reflect the increase firearm purchase “permit” requirements proposed by House Bill 4590.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=169593
House Bill 4593: Exempt veterans from CPL fees
Introduced by Rep. Holly Hughes (R) on May 13, 2015, to exempt veterans from paying the concealed pistol license application and licensing fee.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=169594
House Bill 4594: Expand public school non-enrolled student offerings to kindergarten
Introduced by Rep. Edward McBroom (R) on May 13, 2015, to include kindergarten offerings under a law that allows a school district to offer part of its curricula to a private school or home-schooled student, and collect some state school aid money for the additional children who may participate.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=169595
House Bill 4595: Establish annual state “Fred Korematsu Day”
Introduced by Rep. Sam Singh (D) on May 13, 2015, to designate January 30 as “Fred Korematsu Day” in the state of Michigan. Korematsu was an American-born citizen of Japanese descent who resisted the internment of Japanese Americans in World War II.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=169596
House Bill 4596: Revise incumbent judge reelection filing detail
Introduced by Rep. Lisa Lyons (R) on May 13, 2015, to revise the candidate committee “statement of organization” form filed by incumbent judges running for reelection, so that it presumes the committee will not spend more than $1,000, which exempts the campaign from state campaign finance disclosure mandates. Under current law, a committee that plans to raise and spend less than $1,000 must file a separate form to get this exemption.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=169597
House Bill 4597: Revise incumbent judge reelection filing detail
Introduced by Rep. Lisa Lyons (R) on May 13, 2015, to revise the candidate committee “statement of organization” form filed by incumbent judges running for reelection, so that it presumes the committee will not spend more than $1,000, which exempts the campaign from state campaign finance disclosure mandates. Under current law, a committee that plans to raise and spend less than $1,000 must file a separate form to get this exemption.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=169598
House Bill 4598: Impose licensure on midwives
Introduced by Rep. Edward McBroom (R) on May 14, 2015, to impose a state licensure mandate on midwives (as distinct from “nurse midwives), including regulations and license fees.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=169599
House Bill 4599: Allow enforceable funeral arrangements in wills and advance directives
Introduced by Rep. Andy Schor (D) on May 14, 2015, to allow an individual to designate in a will or other advance directive a person to serve as a “funeral representative” to execute the decedent’s funeral arrangement directions, including the disposition of his or her remains.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=169600
House Bill 4600
Introduced by Rep. Hank Vaupel (R) on May 14, 2015, Allow non-treatment instructions on drivers license to allow an individual to have a machine-readable “do not resuscitate” (DNR) and “no heroic measures” (NHM)designation placed on their drivers license when a new digitized license is introduced in 2018.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=169601
Senate Bill 86: Authorize more local “pension obligation bonds”
Passed 109 to 1 in the House on May 20, 2015, to extend for three years 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=714132
Senate Bill 103: Reduce “student growth” portion of teacher rating criteria
Passed 22 to 15 in the Senate on May 20, 2015, to delay until the 2018-19 school year the final deadline to establish a teacher “effectiveness” rating system, and reduce from 50 percent to 40 percent the amount of the assessments based on actual state test results of students in a teacher’s classroom, with various exceptions. A school would be prohibited from assigning students to a class in the same subject for two years in a row taught by a teacher rated “ineffective” in that subject two years in a row, but new students could still be assigned. Rigorous evaluation standards prescribed by a 2011 law have been subject to intense resistance and lobbying by the public school establishment, which has a strong presence in every legislative district.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=714081
Senate Bill 213: Repeal duplicative worker injury notification requirement
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on May 20, 2015, to repeal a requirement in state law that employers notify regulators within eight hours of a fatality, or any hospitalization of three or more employees suffering injury from the same accident or illness from exposure to the same employment-related health hazard. The bill asserts that employers would still be subject to an identical federal requirement.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=714083
Senate Bill 221: Authorize multi-state distance learning compact
Passed 110 to 0 in the House on May 20, 2015, to authorize the state Department of Education to enter a multistate higher education compact, or enter “reciprocal agreements with public educational agencies in other states” that have the same purpose, which is essentially to hold institutions that provide distance learning courses accountable for basic contractual obligations to students, and provide an administrative process to enforce these obligations. Colleges and universities that want to be “authorized” under this arrangement would have to pay annual fees of $2,000.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=714133
Senate Bill 231: Ban selling “e-cigarettes” to minors
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on May 20, 2015, to ban selling or giving minors electronic vapor cigarettes, or any product or device that delivers nicotine. Violations would be a misdemeanor with a $50 fine, which would also applies to giving a minor regular cigarettes.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=714084
Senate Bill 240: Ban powdered alcohol
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on May 20, 2015, to ban the sale, use or possession of “powdered alcohol” in Michigan.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=714085
House Bill 4052: Preempt local employer wage, benefit or labor law mandates
Passed 57 to 52 in the House on May 20, 2015, to preempt local governments, public schools, state colleges and universities, and other governmental authorities from imposing mandatory wage, benefit, or leave time requirements on employers that exceed those required by state or federal law. Also, to prohibit locals from imposing any contractual, zoning, permitting, licensing, or other conditions on an employer’s or employee’s full freedom to act under state or federal labor laws. This includes an employer’s or employee’s right to express views on unionization and other labor issues, to have secret ballots and other procedural protections in unionization votes, to not have to deliver employee information to unions, and more.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=714114
House Bill 4070: Revise “incompatible offices” detail
Passed 101 to 9 in the House on May 20, 2015, to revise the law on incompatible public offices to allow a person elected or appointed to a public office in a community with less than 30,000 people to also serve as a firefighter, police chief, fire chief, police officer, or public safety officer, as long as the individual is not involved in negotiating government employee union contracts.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=714134
House Bill 4075: Cap fees for electronic copy of electronic county documents
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on May 20, 2015, to cap the fees county treasurers can charge to furnish requested transcripts and records in electronic form when these are already stored in electronic form, at 25 cents per page and a maximum of $1,500 per request.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=714082
House Bill 4212: Eliminate sunset on road commission eliminations
Passed 70 to 40 in the House on May 20, 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.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=714130
House Bill 4215: Eliminate sunset on road commission eliminations
Passed 70 to 40 in the House on May 20, 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.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=714131
House Bill 4553: Revise Personal Property Tax reform details
Passed 109 to 1 in the House on May 20, 2015, to revise details of the personal property tax reforms approved by voters in August 2014, which lowered or eliminated this tax for industrial firms and most small businesses, but not for larger commercial enterprises. This bill is part of a package comprised of House Bills 4553 to 4558, and would revise business reporting requirements and extend the new law’s tax exemptions to personal property not yet in use. The “personal property tax” is property taxes that are imposed on business tools and equipment.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=714124
House Bill 4554: Revise Personal Property Tax reform details
Passed 109 to 1 in the House on May 20, 2015, to revise details of the personal property tax reforms approved by voters in August 2014, which lowered or eliminated this tax for industrial firms and most small businesses, but not for larger commercial enterprises. This bill is part of a package comprised of House Bills 4553 to 4558, and would revise the basis on which a so-called “alternative services” tax is levied, which was a device used to shift the burden of this business tax cut from local governments to the state. The “personal property tax” is property taxes that are imposed on business tools and equipment.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=714125
House Bill 4555: Revise Personal Property Tax reform details
Passed 109 to 1 in the House on May 20, 2015, to revise details of the personal property tax reforms approved by voters in August 2014, which lowered or eliminated this tax for industrial firms and most small businesses. This bill is part of a package comprised of House Bills 4553 to 4558, and would revise the basis on which a so-called “alternative services” tax is levied, which is a device the 2014 reform to shift the burden of this business tax cut from local governments to the state. The “personal property tax” is property taxes that are imposed on business tools and equipment.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=714126
House Bill 4556: Revise Personal Property Tax reform details
Passed 109 to 1 in the House on May 20, 2015, to revise details of the personal property tax reforms approved by voters in August 2014, which lowered or eliminated this tax for industrial firms and most small businesses. This bill is part of a package comprised of House Bills 4553 to 4558, and would revise details of a “Local Community Stabilization Authority,” which is a device the 2014 reform used to shift the burden of this business tax cut from local governments to the state. The “personal property tax” is property taxes that are imposed on business tools and equipment.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=714127
House Bill 4557: Revise Personal Property Tax reform details
Passed 109 to 1 in the House on May 20, 2015, to revise details of the personal property tax reforms approved by voters in August 2014, which lowered or eliminated this tax for industrial firms and most small businesses. This bill is part of a package comprised of House Bills 4553 to 4558, and amends details of the law that authorizes local governments to grant property tax abatements to particular businesses so that it conforms with the 2014 reforms. The “personal property tax” is property taxes that are imposed on business tools and equipment.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=714128
House Bill 4558: Revise Personal Property Tax reform details
Passed 106 to 4 in the House on May 20, 2015, to revise details of the personal property tax reforms approved by voters in August 2014, which lowered or eliminated this tax for industrial firms and most small businesses. This bill is part of a package comprised of House Bills 4553 to 4558, and amends details of the law that authorizes local governments to grant “industrial facility” tax breaks to particular businesses so that it conforms with the 2014 reforms. The “personal property tax” is property taxes that are imposed on business tools and equipment.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=714129