Senate Bill 539: Expand “promise zone†tax increment financing authorities
Passed 98 to 9 in the House on January 27, 2016, to impose additional reporting requirements on “promise zone†tax increment financing authorities located in low income and “low educational attainment†areas, and provide a means for dissolving them. These entities were authorized by a 2008 law to “capture” a portion of any increases in the state portion of school property tax revenue in the area, and use the money to partially subsidize college tuition for local students.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=722872
Senate Bill 540: Expand allowable uses of state education tax
Passed 100 to 7 in the House on January 27, 2016, to revise the law that authorizes a 6 mill state property tax for school funding, to authorize using some of this money for other purposes. This is related to changes to the proposal in Senate Bill 539 to revise some details of “promise zone†tax increment financing schemes.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=722873
Senate Bill 680: Rename a state facility
Passed 34 to 3 in the Senate on January 27, 2016, to rename a state facility after a former state department director.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=722850
House Bill 4792: Let out of state team phycisians practice while in Michigan
Passed 107 to 0 in the House on January 27, 2016, to establish that a physician licensed in another state can provide medical care to a member of an athletic team under an agreement with that team while the team is in Michigan, subject to various restrictions.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=722871
Senate Bill 219: Revise animal abuser ownership ban
Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on January 28, 2016, to revise a law that prohibits an individual convicted of animal abuse from owning a similar animal for five years after being sentenced, to instead extend the ban to five years after completing the sentence, or whichever is later.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=723007
Senate Bill 220: Waive fee for pet adoption criminal background check
Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on January 28, 2016, to allow animal shelters to access a government “internet criminal history access tool†(ICHAT) at no charge for purposes of checking whether an individual who wants to adopt an animal has been convicted of an animal abuse offense.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=723008
Senate Bill 632: Revise appeals court jurisdiction
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on January 28, 2016, to give the state court of appeals jurisdiction on appeals of probate court orders and judgments, with some exceptions (see Senate Bill 633).
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=723009
Senate Bill 633: Revise appeals court jurisdiction
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on January 28, 2016, to revise the state Estates and Protected Individuals Code to accommodate the procedures specified by Senate Bill 632.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=723010
House Bill 4783: Increase landfill permit violation penalties
Passed 77 to 29 in the House on January 28, 2016, to increase the fines a state agency can impose on landfill operators for not meeting state environmental law standards or requirements in their operating permits to $75,000 per day for second or subsequent violations, and $25,000 per day the first time. These are civil not criminal penalties, which means the procedural safeguards available to a criminal defendant do not apply.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=723058
House Bill 4868: Ban drone interference with public safety
Passed 89 to 17 in the House on January 28, 2016, to make it a crime to fly a drone in a way that interferes with public safety or public utility activities. The bill would define flying a drone over private property “without authority” as trespassing, and prohibit using one to subject someone to eavesdropping or surveillance.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=723059
House Bill 5220: Appropriate money for Flint water contamination response
Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on January 28, 2016, to appropriate $28 million to pay for response activities related to the contamination of the Flint water supply, of which $2.8 million is federal money. The Senate revised details of the spending after consulting with on-the-ground experts in the city.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=723006