Senate Bill 269: Make permanent $75 million in annual corporate subsidy spending
Passed 33 to 4 in the Senate on October 31, 2013, to extend through 2019 a sunset on an annual $75 million earmark to a “21st Century Jobs Fund” created by the previous administration, which provides various subsidies to particular firms or industries chosen by a board of political appointees. (The subsidies can include the state taking partial ownership of selected companies.) This money comes from a tobacco company lawsuit settlement, which the legislature may otherwise appropriate for any state spending, or use for tax cuts.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674633
Senate Bill 372: Exclude certain farm property sales from property tax assessment basis
Passed 103 to 4 in the House on October 31, 2013, to require tax assessors to exclude sales of certain agricultural property that will be used by the new owner for non-agricultural use from the “sales ratio studies” that determine the property tax assessments for other farm property.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674598
Senate Bill 553: Extend already-extended renaissance zone tax breaks longer
Passed 36 to 1 in the Senate on October 31, 2013, to allow an eight year extension of the extensive tax breaks granted to residents and businesses in a particular “renaissance zone” located in Saginaw County. This would be in addition to a previous seven-year extension.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674639
Senate Bill 580: Revise renaissance zone details
Passed 31 to 6 in the Senate on October 31, 2013, to revise various details of the law authorizing the extensive tax exemptions of a “renaissance zone” to better accommodate “Next Michigan Development Corporations,” authorized by a 2010 law to give tax breaks and subsidies to particular corporations or developers for projects meeting extremely broad “multi-modal commerce” criteria (basically, any form of goods-related commerce). In addition to allowing more businesses to receive these benefits, the bill would make changes intended to facilitate actually generating eligible “multi-modal” projects, which apparently have not come about since that 2010 law was passed. The bill is also related to Senate Bill 397, which would authorize creation of a sixth “Next Michigan Development Corporation” to be located in the Upper Peninsula.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674640
Senate Bill 611: Increase penalty on delinquent hotel convention tax
Passed 36 to 1 in the Senate on October 31, 2013, to require a hotel or motel owner who is late paying a room tax of up to 5 percent imposed to pay for regional marketing schemes to also pay the attorney and court costs incurred collecting the tax, in addition to the 1.5 percent “delinquency charge” and 1.5 percent per month interest charge already authorized under current law.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674648
Senate Bill 629: Allow local governments to extend debt refinancing duration
Passed 36 to 1 in the Senate on October 31, 2013, to allow local governments to refinance debt with new loans that have maturities extending through 2043, rather than 2039 as currently, and exempt refinancings done before 2020 from a 2001 law that restricts these if they increase the total debt service payments over the life of the loan.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674649
Senate Bill 630: Allow local governments to extend debt refinancing duration
Passed 36 to 1 in the Senate on October 31, 2013, to allow certain “tax increment finance authorities” to refinance debt with new loans that have maturities extending through 2043, rather than 2039 as currently, and exempt refinancings done before 2020 from a 2001 law that restricts these if they increase the total debt service payments over the life of the loan.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674652
House Bill 4593: Expand scrap metal regulatory regime
Passed 98 to 9 in the House on October 31, 2013, to expand a scrap metal dealer regulatory regime authorized by a 2008 law that imposed new regulations and record keeping requirements on sales of nonferrous scrap metal, so that it also applies to sales of scrap iron (ferrous metals). This and House Bill 4595 would also add new regulations, including a three-day delay on payments to individuals selling “scrapped” catalytic converters, air conditioners and stripped copper wire; require dealers to examine the identification of individual sellers; require dealers to keep photographs of the purchased scrap metal; and more.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674600
House Bill 4595: Expand scrap metal theft law scope
Passed 99 to 8 in the House on October 31, 2013, to expand penalties authorized for stealing nonferrous metals such as copper, brass, aluminum, bronze, lead, zinc, or nickel, so they apply to any scrap metal theft.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674601
House Bill 4704: Restrict legal challenges to county budget
Passed 29 to 8 in the Senate on October 31, 2013, to restrict legal challenges to the spending levels in a county’s annual budget, establishing that only “an elected official heading a branch of county government” and the chief judge of a court funded by a county have standing to bring such a challenge in court. Also, to establish that the state Court of Appeals is the only venue for such suits, and establish a legal presumption that the amount appropriated is sufficient. This relates to a recent challenge by the Wayne County Prosecutor over the amount of money the county board appropriated for that office.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674636
Senate Bill 654: Mandate front and rear license plates
Introduced by Sen. Tupac Hunter (D) on October 29, 2013, to mandate that vehicles have both a front and rear license plate starting in 2016.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161230
Senate Bill 655: Impose licensure on “applied behavioral analysis”
Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) on October 29, 2013, to impose licensure and regulation on the practice of “applied behavioral analysis,” with $90 annual license fees, apprenticeship mandates and more. Among others this would impact individuals who provide treatment for autism spectrum conditions.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161231
Senate Bill 656: Require certain drug price limits in medical welfare programs
Introduced by Sen. Bruce Caswell (R) on October 29, 2013, to require the state’s medical welfare programs to use a “maximum allowable cost” scheme to limit reimbursement rates for generic drugs.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161232
Senate Bill 657: Establish rental unit bedbug procedures
Introduced by Sen. Dave Hildenbrand (R) on October 29, 2013, to prohibit a landlord from renting a unit that he or she knows is infested with bedbugs; prohibit tenants from moving items out of an infested unit or attempting to apply control treatments to the unit; and require tenants to grant reasonable access to professional pest management personnel and comply with the control protocols established by the landlord. Tenants who cause an infestation would be responsible for treatment costs.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161233
Senate Bill 658: Impose “Amazon tax” on internet purchases
Introduced by Sen. Jim Ananich (D) on October 31, 2013, to essentially impose sales tax on many catalog or internet purchases made from sellers outside the state, by placing in statute a broad definition of “nexus,” or affiliation with a different business that located in Michigan, in the manner pioneered by internet retailer Amazon.com.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161290
Senate Bill 659: Impose “Amazon tax” on internet purchases
Introduced by Sen. Jim Ananich (D) on October 31, 2013, to essentially impose use tax on many catalog or internet purchases made from sellers outside the state, by placing in statute a broad definition of “nexus,” or affiliation with a different business that located in Michigan, in the manner pioneered by internet retailer Amazon.com.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161291
Senate Bill 660: Authorize and regulate medical marijuana cultivation and distribution
Introduced by Sen. Roger Kahn (R) on October 31, 2013, to establish a comprehensive regulatory regime for the cultivation, distribution, and sale of “pharmaceutical-grade cannabis,” and for issuing purchase permits to individuals with a debilitating medical condition. Reportedly this would apply should the federal government repeal prohibition of medical marijuana.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161292
Senate Bill 661: Increase political contributions limits
Introduced by Sen. Arlan Meekhof (R) on October 31, 2013, to increase the maximum campaign contributions allowed by state election law, index these to inflation, and require additional finance reports from candidates.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161293
House Bill 5101: Ban smoking in car with minor
Introduced by Rep. Sam Singh (D) on October 29, 2013, to ban smoking in a vehicle with a minor present, subject to a $500 civil fine.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161235
House Bill 5102: Replace paper tax rolls with electronic
Introduced by Rep. Sam Singh (D) on October 29, 2013, to eliminate a requirement that local governments keep a hard (paper) copy of tax rolls if the information is maintained on computerized database.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161236
House Bill 5103: Stagger snowmobile council member terms
Introduced by Rep. Bruce Rendon (R) on October 29, 2013, to stagger the ending dates of political appointees on a state “snowmobile and trails advisory council”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161237
House Bill 5104: Authorize medical “marijuana infused products”
Introduced by Rep. Eileen Kowall (R) on October 29, 2013, to authorize the use of “marijuana infused products” under the state’s medical marijuana law, Initiated Law 1 of 2008 .
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161238
House Bill 5105: Extend legal liability to martial arts contest doctors
Introduced by Rep. Harvey Santana (D) on October 29, 2013, to extend liability from lawsuits to doctors and emergency medical technicians who give emergency treatment to a contestant in a boxing and mixed martial arts contest, except for gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161239
House Bill 5106: Increase auto insurance tax
Introduced by Rep. Kurt Heise (R) on October 29, 2013, to increase from $1 to $2 a tax imposed on auto insurance policies to pay for an anti-theft program, and extend the tax to commercial truck policies.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161240
House Bill 5107: Revise seawall repair permit mandate
Introduced by Rep. Joseph Graves (R) on October 29, 2013, to authorize less restrictive permit requirements for the repair or replacement of a failed seawall than the requirements which apply to erecting a new seawall.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161241
House Bill 5108: Repeal ban on ticket scalping
Introduced by Rep. Tim Kelly (R) on October 29, 2013, to repeal a state law that bans ticket “scalping” at sports and entertainment events.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161242
House Bill 5109: Revise electric utility regulation detail
Introduced by Rep. Kenneth Kurtz (R) on October 29, 2013, to establish that for purposes of state utility regulation, the money paid for electric service by campground or marina customers is considered a “reimbursement” to the proprietor.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161243
House Bill 5110: Mandate cell phone providers disclose user location info in emergencies
Introduced by Rep. Kurt Heise (R) on October 29, 2013, to require cell phone companies to disclose call location information when requested by law enforcement because the information is needed in an emergency situation that involves the risk of death or injury. The bill would grant legal immunity to cell phone companies for making the disclosures.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161244
House Bill 5111: Ban social promotions of third graders
Introduced by Rep. Amanda Price (R) on October 29, 2013, to prohibit public schools from advancing third grade students to the next grade unless the student has achieved a score of “proficient” on the state reading test.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161245
House Bill 5112: Create “letter grade” rating system for schools
Introduced by Rep. Lisa Lyons (R) on October 29, 2013, to require the Department of Education to create a system of assigning letter grades (“A” to “F”) to each public school, based on its performance and student growth. The bill would also allow districts to make a particular school exempt from the rating by designating it as an “alternative education campus,” if most of the students are very low performing, have a history of serious psychological behavioral disorders, are homeless, or meet certain other criteria.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161246
House Bill 5113: Authorize university employee contract self-dealing exception
Introduced by Rep. Amanda Price (R) on October 29, 2013, to add exceptions to a law prohibiting self-dealing by government employees in contracts with a government entity for which they are an officer or employee. Specifically, employees of state colleges and universities would be allowed to benefit from a contract for “the purchase of goods or services that are available for purchase at the same price by the general public”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161247
House Bill 5114: Dock pay of lawmakers until Medicaid expansion begins
Introduced by Rep. Jon Switalski (D) on October 30, 2013, to “dock” or suspend the pay of legislators and the Governor until federal health care law’s (”Obamacare”) Medicaid expansion authorized by House Bill 4714 goes into effect in late March or early April (depending on when the 2013 legislative session ends). The expansion does not begin on Jan. 1 because the Senate did not provide sufficient votes for “immediate effect”.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161249
House Bill 5115: Require school tax votes be in August or November
Introduced by Rep. Lisa Lyons (R) on October 30, 2013, to require that school elections on measures which impose a higher property tax millage rate to create a “sinking fund” or to pay for increased borrowing (“bonding”) must be held on the regular August or November election dates.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161250
House Bill 5116: Require school tax votes be in August or November
Introduced by Rep. Lisa Lyons (R) on October 30, 2013, to require that school elections on measures which impose a higher property tax millage rate to create a “sinking fund” or to pay for increased borrowing (“bonding”) must be held on the regular August or November election dates.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161251
House Bill 5117: Eliminate sunset on road commission eliminations
Introduced by Rep. Roger Victory (R) on October 31, 2013, 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.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161281
House Bill 5118: Eliminate sunset on road commission eliminations
Introduced by Rep. Roger Victory (R) on October 31, 2013, 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.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161282
House Bill 5119: Revise consumer loan law details
Introduced by Rep. Rob VerHeulen (R) on October 31, 2013, to revise and update definitions and details of a law that governs consumer loans and related transactions.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161283
House Bill 5120: Expand “consumer protection” law regulations to health care
Introduced by Rep. Joseph Haveman (R) on October 31, 2013, to revise the state Consumer Protection Act in a way that apply its many regulations, mandates and restrictions to medical goods and services. Specifically, this law exempts professions that are already governed by a comprehensive state regulatory regime, and the bill would create an exception to that so it would apply to health care.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161284
House Bill 5121: Revise judgeships
Introduced by Rep. John Walsh (R) on October 31, 2013, to increase the number of judgeships in the 16th circuit court in Macomb County.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161285
House Bill 5122: Revise judgeships
Introduced by Rep. Klint Kesto (R) on October 31, 2013, to increase the number of judgeships in the sixth circuit court in Oakland County.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161286
House Bill 5123: Revise judgeships
Introduced by Rep. Kevin Cotter (R) on October 31, 2013, to increase the number of judgeships in the 17th circuit court in Kent County and the fifth district court in Berrien County.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161287
House Bill 5124: Revise judgeships
Introduced by Rep. Tom Leonard (R) on October 31, 2013, to consolidate and reduce the number of judgeships in a number of circuit and district courts around the state.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161288
House Bill 5125: Revise judgeships
Introduced by Rep. Kurt Heise (R) on October 31, 2013, to consolidate and reduce the number of judgeships in a number of district courts around the state.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=161289
Senate Bill 68: Create new ORV regulation category
Passed 36 to 1 in the Senate on November 5, 2013, to create a new category of off-road vehicle in the statute authorizing ORV regulations, to be called an “ROV,” defined as “a vehicle with four or more wheels that is designed for off-road use, has nonhighway tires, is more than 50 inches but not more than 65 inches in width, and is powered by a 50cc to 1,000cc gasoline engine, an engine of comparable size using other fuels, or an electric motor of comparable power.” Current law bans travel on designated forest pathways by vehicles wider than 50 inches.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674689
House Bill 4996: Exempt some small stock offerings from state registration
Passed 108 to 0 in the House on November 5, 2013, to exempt certain small company stock offerings from state registration requirements if they meet various conditions specified in the bill.
See Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No” at http://www.michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=674723