Senate Bill 239: Ban local restrictions on particular dog breeds
Passed 25 to 11 in the Senate on October 8, 2015, to prohibit local governments from enforcing an ordinance that imposes regulations or restrictions on dogs based solely on their breed or type (such as pit bulls or dobermans).
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=717749
Senate Bill 360: Create college saving plan for disabled students
Passed 106 to 0 in the House on October 8, 2015, to increase from $235,000 to $500,000 the maximum balance allowed in Michigan “section 529” education savings plans for a particular beneficiary. This is part of a legislative package comprised of Senate Bills 359 to 362 and House Bills 4542 to 4544, which create a new type of such account.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=717807
Senate Bill 453: Revise judge residency detail
Passed 31 to 5 in the Senate on October 8, 2015, to expand the residency requirement for a magistrate in the third class district courts when the district is operating under a plan of “concurrent jurisdiction”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=717751
Senate Bill 477: Revise state milk market regulations
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on October 8, 2015, to update references to federal recommendations in the state law that regulates the production, transportation, handling, processing, delivery and sale of milk and milk products.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=717750
House Bill 4239: Allow disabled to hunt from “personal assistive mobility device”
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on October 8, 2015, to allow a disabled individual to hunt small game from an electric “personal assistive mobility device,” subject to conditions and restrictions specified in the bill. Also, to establish that a law that prohibits hunting within 150 yards of an occupied building or house without written permission applies only to hunting with guns.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=717747
House Bill 4517: Revise school bond refunding detail
Passed 36 to 0 in the Senate on October 8, 2015, to allow the bond debt of a school district that was consolidated into a larger or different district to be refinanced.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=717748
House Bill 4581: Increase state payments to liquor distribution oligopolists
Passed 102 to 4 in the House on October 8, 2015, to increase from $7.50 to $10 the per-case fee that the private company or companies granted a state monopoly to warehouse and distribute liquor to retailers can collect from the state as a “reimbursement” for its distribution costs. According to the House Fiscal Agency the bill would have the effect of transferring some $10 million annually from taxpayers to these private companies or company.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=717806
Senate Bill 541: Require drivers license organ donor invitations
Introduced by Sen. John Proos (R) on October 6, 2015, to require the Secretary of State to specifically inquire orally or in writing whether a drivers license or renewal applicant wishes to participate in an organ donor registry.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170375
Senate Bill 542: Ban state advertising for Medicaid signups
Introduced by Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R) on October 6, 2015, to prohibit state departments from spending money to advertise or encourage individuals to enroll in the state medical welfare program labeled the “Healthy Michigan Plan,” which is Michigan’s version of the federal health care law’s Medicaid expansion.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170376
Senate Bill 543: Authorize foster care scholarships tax checkoff
Introduced by Sen. Peter MacGregor (R) on October 6, 2015, to allow an individual to choose to automatically contribute $5 or more from his or her state income tax refund to provide college scholarships to children in foster care.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170377
Senate Bill 544: Authorize foster care scholarships tax checkoff
Introduced by Sen. Marty Knollenberg (R) on October 6, 2015, to allow an individual to choose to automatically contribute $5 or more from his or her state income tax refund to provide college scholarships to children in foster care.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170378
Senate Bill 545: Ban “open carry” in prohibited concealed pistol carry areas
Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) on October 7, 2015, to add public libraries to a provision that prohibits regular citizens who have met the qualification and received a concealed pistol permit from carrying a pistol in specified places. Also, to ban “open carry” (versus concealed carry) of firearms in those specified places.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170379
Senate Bill 546: Ban “open carry” in prohibited concealed pistol carry areas
Introduced by Sen. Curtis Hertel, Jr. (D) on October 7, 2015, to establish sentencing guidelines for violation of the firearms “open carry” ban prohibitions proposed by Senate Bill 545.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170380
Senate Bill 547: Allow different state ID and voter registration addresses
Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) on October 7, 2015, to allow a person to have a different address on their drivers license or state-issued identification card than the one at which they are registered to vote.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170381
Senate Bill 548: Allow different drivers license and voter registration addresses
Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) on October 7, 2015, to allow a person to have a different address on their drivers license than the one at which they are registered to vote.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170382
Senate Bill 549: Ban drones over Capitol
Introduced by Sen. Rick Jones (R) on October 7, 2015, to make it a criminal misdemeanor punishable by 93 days in jail and a $500 fine to fly a drone above the state Capitol grounds.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170383
Senate Bill 550: Allow state scholarships for religious training
Introduced by Sen. Dale W. Zorn (R) on October 7, 2015, to eliminate a prohibition on allowing students in theology or divinity programs to receive state college scholarships.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170384
Senate Bill 551: Allow enforceable funeral arrangements in wills
Introduced by Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R) on October 7, 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=170385
Senate Bill 552: Increase groundwater discharge permit fees
Introduced by Sen. Michael Green (R) on October 6, 2015, to increase groundwater discharge permit fees, and revise some details of this regulatory regime on enterprises that discharge wastewater onto the ground or into groundwater. The bill would authorize a different fee category for car washes, laundromats, seasonal RV parks and camps, and certain other small commercial facilities.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170412
Senate Bill 553: Authorize school district withdrawal from ISD
Introduced by Sen. Rick Jones (R) on October 6, 2015, to allow a regular school district to withdraw from an Intermediate School District, and require the ISD to rebate most of the revenue it gets from the state and federal governments for students in the departing district to that district, with some also rebated to taxpayers.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170413
Senate Bill 554: Track completion of mandated “continuing education” courses
Introduced by Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R) on October 6, 2015, to allow the state to contract with a private company to provide an electronic tracking service to track the continuing education course completions of licensed health care providers for whom these courses are mandated.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170414
Senate Bill 555: Track completion of mandated “continuing education” courses
Introduced by Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R) on October 6, 2015, to allow the state to contract with a private company to provide an electronic tracking system to track the continuing education course completions of individuals whose occupations are subject to a government licensure mandate that imposes a continuing education requirement.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170415
Senate Bill 556: Extend “commercial rehabilitation” tax break law
Introduced by Sen. Kenneth Horn (R) on October 6, 2015, to extend indefinitely a “commercial rehabilitation act” that authorizes property tax breaks for rehab projects involving commercial property that are selected by local government officials. Under current law the program will sunset on Dec. 31, 2015.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170416
House Bill 4936: Require teacher training in school safety and security
Introduced by Rep. Gretchen Driskell (D) on October 6, 2015, to revise a 15 day “intensive professional development induction into teaching” course that new teachers are required to take, so it would include training on school safety and security issues.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170364
House Bill 4937: Exempt local governments from fines for self-reported environment violations
Introduced by Rep. Joel Johnson (R) on October 6, 2015, to exempt local governments that self-report violations of state environmental regulations from fines imposed for those violations.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170365
House Bill 4938: Exempt National Guard members from certain lawsuits
Introduced by Rep. Ray Franz (R) on October 6, 2015, to make members of the National Guard immune from lawsuits seeking compensation for damage caused by their participation in a “tactical exercise,” which is defined elsewhere in statute as a “coordinated, planned action” with law enforcement to deal with specified public safety threats or emergencies, and training related to these.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170366
House Bill 4939: Mandate EMTs and ambulance at “high contact” school sports
Introduced by Rep. Harvey Santana (D) on October 6, 2015, to require emergency medical personnel and an ambulance to be present at all high-contact public school sporting events.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170367
House Bill 4940: Authorize toll road and bridge “public/private partnerships”
Introduced by Rep. Marilyn Lane (D) on October 6, 2015, to authorize the state Department of Transportation to enter “public/private partnerships” for roads, bridges and other facilities, potentially including additional toll-charging lanes on freeways. The state could borrow against future revenues (“sell bonds”) to pay for these projects, which would be owned by the state, with the private vendor collecting user fees.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170368
House Bill 4941: Require utilities get competitive bids on new generation
Introduced by Rep. Gary Glenn (R) on October 6, 2015, to require electric utilities to obtain competitive bids for all large generation capacity acquisitions, projects or contracts, and prescribe standards and procedures for this.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170369
House Bill 4942: Authorize “gun violence restraining orders”
Introduced by Rep. Robert Wittenberg (D) on October 6, 2015, to authorize courts to order firearms to be seized from an individual based on a “reasonable cause to believe” that the person poses a “significant risk” of injury to himself or others. Family members, roommates or people in a close relationship with the target could petition a court to issue a “gun violence restraining order.” The bill prescribes standards and procedures for this, including an appeals process.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170370
House Bill 4943: Authorize “gun violence restraining orders”
Introduced by Rep. Robert Wittenberg (D) on October 6, 2015, to prohibit an individual subject to a “gun violence restraining order” proposed by House Bill 4942 from buying a gun.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170371
House Bill 4944: Ban open carry in “gun free” zone
Introduced by Rep. Jim Townsend (D) on October 6, 2015, to prohibit openly carrying a pistol in one of the “gun free zones” specified in the concealed pistol permit law, with exceptions for police and for the owner and security staff of one of those zones.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170372
House Bill 4945: Ban “open carry” in prohibited concealed pistol carry areas
Introduced by Rep. Stephanie Chang (D) on October 6, 2015, to establish sentencing guidelines for violation of the firearms “open carry” ban prohibitions proposed by House Bill 4944.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170373
House Bill 4946: Expand auto theft prevention authority duties
Introduced by Rep. Joseph Graves (R) on October 6, 2015, to overhaul the structure and expand the duties of a state automobile theft prevention authority funded by insurance company assessments to include insurance fraud, including fraud related to unlimited medical benefits provided by Michigan’s no-fault law.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=170374