enate Bill 566: Waive liability for breaking into car to save sweltering child
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on February 23, 2016, to waive liability for damages caused by an individual who breaks into a locked car to rescue a child or animal he or she believes to be in danger, subject to limits and conditions specified in the bill.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=726774
House Bill 4493: Mandate Holocaust and genocide instruction
Passed 105 to 1 in the House on February 23, 2016, to mandate that public schools must provide high school students with instruction about genocides, including the Holocaust. Also, to create a new government commission to research and make recommendations on how to teach this better.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=726798
House Bill 4727: Restrict “meteorological towersâ€
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on February 23, 2016, to prohibit the state aeronautics commission from allowing construction of a tower that does not comply with local zoning restrictions, and impose regulations and restrictions on “meteorological towers†erected to measure wind for commercial wind generation turbines. Owners of existing towers would be required to register them, paint them and place lights on the according to specifications in the bill, and meet other regulations. The National Safety Aviation Board has asked states to regulate these towers because they are hard for airplane pilots to see.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=726772
House Bill 4793: Revise mental treatment commitment procedures
Passed 106 to 0 in the House on February 23, 2016, to require that the petition filings and “clinical certificates†in cases of a person seeking to have someone committed by a court for mental health treatment must be held by the court as a “confidential recordâ€.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=726797
House Bill 4888: Permit electronic property tax rolls
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on February 23, 2016, to allow property tax assessor offices to maintain the assessment roll in electronic form.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=726773
House Bill 5219: Permit local tax hike electioneering if “reasonable”
Passed 60 to 46 in the House on February 23, 2016, to repeal the prohibition established by a 2015 law on governments and school district communications referencing their own property tax hike or other ballot measures in a taxpayer-funded communication during the 60 days before the election. The bill instead would permit mailings and other communications with “factual and neutral information concerning the purpose or direct impact†of a proposal, as long as a judge or state elections bureau official has not decreed that their language can be “reasonably be interpreted as an attempt to influence the outcome”.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=726796
House Bill 4408: Impose continuing education mandate on veterinarians
Passed 36 to 2 in the Senate on February 24, 2016, to impose a continuing education mandate on veterinarians as a condition of being allowed to practice their profession.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=726861
House Bill 4999: Let out of state veterinarians write Michigan prescriptions; raise fees
Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on February 24, 2016, to allow veterinarians licensed in other states to have their prescriptions filled in Michigan (and let Michigan pharmacies fill them). The bill also raises veterinary licensure fees.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=726862
House Bill 5105: Extend Medicaid health insurance claims tax
Passed 21 to 17 in the Senate on February 24, 2016, to extend until 2020 the 2017 sunset on a 0.75 percent tax on health insurance claims, which is designed to “game†the federal Medicaid program in ways that result in higher federal payments to Michigan’s medical welfare establishment.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=726860