Senate Bill 27: Authorize refillable beer container sales
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on May 7, 2013, to allow merchants licensed to sell beer and wine for consumption off-premises, and bars or restaurants licensed to sell all legal forms of alcohol, to refill clearly labeled “growlers” (sealable containers of up to one gallon) with beer for consumption off-premises.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=662886
Senate Bill 79: Allow farmers market wine tastings and sales
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on May 7, 2013, to authorize a special liquor license allowing small winemakers to sell wine and hold wine tastings at farmers markets and special events. The license would $25 per day.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=662887
Senate Bill 279: Allow farmers market wine tastings and sales
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on May 7, 2013, to authorize a special liquor license allowing small winemakers to sell wine and hold wine tastings at farmers markets and special events. The license would $25 per day..
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=662888
House Bill 4264: Allow consecutive sentences for financial exploitation crime
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on May 7, 2013, to allow sentences imposed for committing certain “financial exploitation” crimes against a vulnerable or incapacitated adult to be served consecutively with sentences imposed for other violations of this statute. Consecutively means “back-to-back” sentences, as opposed to “concurrently,” which means sentences are served at the same time.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=662885
House Bill 4297: Give free state park admission to disabled veterans
Passed 107 to 2 in the House on May 7, 2013, to waive state park and campground admission fees for disabled veterans, or ones who were prisoners of war, or who were awarded the Medal of Honor. Specifically, the bill grants these veterans the vehicle registration “recreation passport” without the $11 charge. The foregone revenue would have to be paid to the parks from general fund tax revenues.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=662989
House Bill 4439: Give free state park admission to disabled veterans
Passed 107 to 2 in the House on May 7, 2013, to revise vehicle registration tax forms to reflect the proposal in House Bill 4297 to waive the state park and campground admission fees included in such forms for disabled veterans, or ones who were awarded the Medal of Honor or were prisoners of war.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=662990
House Bill 4694: Authorize “mental health courts”
Introduced by Rep. Kevin Cotter (R) on May 7, 2013, to authorize a type of alternative judicial proceeding for mentally disturbed or disabled individuals who commit minor crimes, similar to the state “drug courts” for minor drug use crimes. These “mental health” courts would allow dismissal of charges if the individual agrees to and abides by an agreement that includes a prescribed mental health treatment program. This bill establishes criteria for a defendant being allowed to participate; it is part of a package comprised of House Bills 4694 to 4697.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159151
House Bill 4695: Authorize “mental health courts”
Introduced by Rep. Gail Haines (R) on May 7, 2013, to authorize a type of alternative judicial proceeding for mentally disturbed or disabled individuals who commit minor crimes, similar to the state “drug courts” for minor drug use crimes. These “mental health” courts would allow dismissal of charges if the individual agrees to and abides by a prescribed mental health treatment program.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159152
House Bill 4696: Authorize “mental health courts”
Introduced by Rep. John Walsh (R) on May 7, 2013, to authorize a type of alternative judicial proceeding for mentally disturbed or disabled individuals who commit minor crimes, similar to the state “drug courts” for minor drug use crimes. These “mental health” courts would allow dismissal of charges if the individual agrees to and abides by a prescribed mental health treatment program. This bill establishes procedures and duties for both the defendant and the court, including making available and accepting related mental health services; it is part of a package comprised of House Bills 4694 to 4697.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159153
House Bill 4697: Authorize “mental health courts”
Introduced by Rep. Margaret O’Brien (R) on May 7, 2013, to authorize a type of alternative judicial proceeding for mentally disturbed or disabled individuals who commit minor crimes, similar to the state “drug courts” for minor drug use crimes. These “mental health” courts would allow dismissal of charges if the individual agrees to and abides by a prescribed mental health treatment program. This bill would require the state court administrative office to establish standards for such courts, and reporting requirements for the courts themselves; it is part of a package comprised of House Bills 4694 to 4697.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159154
House Bill 4698: Exempt disabled veteran’s home from property tax
Introduced by Rep. Scott Dianda (D) on May 7, 2013, to exempt the principal residence of a totally disabled veteran from property tax.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159155
House Bill 4699: Create scrap metal theft offenders registry
Introduced by Rep. Eileen Kowall (R) on May 7, 2013, to require an individual convicted for stealing scrap metal and related offenses to register on a state “scrap metal offenders registry” and pay an extra $50 for this. Scrap metal dealers would have to check sellers against this registry before buying metal from them, and would have a $1 fee per transaction imposed on their scrap metal purchases.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159156
House Bill 4700: Create scrap metal theft offenders registry
Introduced by Rep. Phil Cavanagh (D) on May 7, 2013, to revoke the parole of a convicted criminal who is on the “scrap metal offenders registry” proposed by House Bill 4699 and who tries to sell stolen scrap metal to a dealer.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159157
House Bill 4701: Create scrap metal theft offenders registry
Introduced by Rep. Eileen Kowall (R) on May 7, 2013, to revoke the “youthful trainee status” (deferred sentence or parole) for a minor who is on the “scrap metal offenders registry” proposed by House Bill 4699 and who tries to sell stolen scrap metal to a dealer.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159158
House Bill 4702: Require telecom equipment on utility pole report
Introduced by Rep. Ray Franz (R) on May 7, 2013, to require the state Public Service Commission to produce a report on the rates charged to telecommunications providers to attach equipment to utility poles.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159159
House Bill 4703: Revise unclaimed property law details
Introduced by Rep. Jeff Farrington (R) on May 7, 2013, to establish an appeals process for holders of unclaimed property who are found under administrative procedures to have under-reported the amount of unclaimed or abandoned property.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159160
House Bill 4704: Restrict legal challenges to county budget
Introduced by Rep. Peter Pettalia (R) on May 7, 2013, to restrict legal challenges to the spending levels in a county’s annual budget, establishing that only the county’s chief administrative officer has standing to bring such a challenge in court. Recent news reports have described a legal complaint by the Wayne County Prosecutor over the amount of money the county board appropriated for the prosecutor’s office.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159161
House Bill 4706: Mandate Michigan employers provide paid sick leave
Introduced by Rep. Rudy Hobbs (D) on May 8, 2013, to mandate that employers grant employees one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours annually for small businesses, and 72 hours annually for larger employers.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159211
House Bill 4707: Revise privatization procedural detail
Introduced by Rep. Greg MacMaster (R) on May 9, 2013, to require that if a state agency solicits bids from contractors to privatize services that are currently provided by state employees, it must disclose the current actual costs of providing the service, including all labor costs, retirement and other obligations, and associated administrative costs.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159301
House Bill 4708: Revise hazardous material regulatory regime detail
Introduced by Rep. Eileen Kowall (R) on May 9, 2013, to replace one state fund created to hold and disburse fee and fine revenue related to hazardous material permit mandates and regulations with another state fund.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159302
House Bill 4709: Revise beer brewer regulations
Introduced by Rep. Kevin Cotter (R) on May 9, 2013, to increase the maximum production level that subjects a brewer to state “microbrewer” regulations (vs. regular brewer regulations), from 30,000 barrels annually to 60,000.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159303
House Bill 4710: Revise beer brewer regulations
Introduced by Rep. Peter MacGregor (R) on May 9, 2013, to increase the number of “brewpubs” in which a single owner can have an interest, from three to six, with a maximum capacity between them of 18,000 barrels of beer per calendar year.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159304
House Bill 4711: Revise beer brewer regulations
Introduced by Rep. Andy Schor (D) on May 9, 2013, to revise a law that prohibits a brewer from having more than one brewery in the state that sells beer at retail for off-premises consumption. The bill appears to increase this to two, and to extend the same opportunity to microbrewers.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159305
House Bill 4712: Revise high school graduation language requirement
Introduced by Rep. Jeff Irwin (D) on May 9, 2013, to revise the foreign language requirement in the high school graduation requirements adopted in a 2006 law. The bill would increase this from two to four credits, but allow two of these to be granted for a “combination of other learning experiences and credits” that the state Department of Education deems to be “substantially equivalent”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159306
House Bill 4713: Require schools to post emergency drill info on website
Introduced by Rep. Joseph Graves (R) on May 9, 2013, to require public schools to post documentation of completed school safety drills on their websites within five business days, with details including whether the drill was a fire drill or a “lockdown” drill.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=159307