In order to keep you and your neighbors better informed about the legislation we discuss, I am posting the agenda for any scheduled committee meetings at the beginning of the week and an update with any votes that were taken that week in committee or on the House floor. I hope you find this information helpful and please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance.
Week of June 1, 2015
Floor Votes
The following is a summary of legislation that recently passed the House. I have listed the analyst who worked on each issue and his/her telephone number. Feel free to contact staff directly with any questions or if you need additional information.
Mandatory school attendance in order to remain eligible for assistance.
HB 4041 (S-2) (Pscholka), RC 207, 6/2/15, Passed 74-34
Next: Sent to Governor
HB 4041 requires school attendance for all children in a Family Independence Program (FIP) group in order to remain eligible for assistance. The Senate S-2 adds language requiring DHS to implement a policy within one year of enactment that it must follow prior to terminating a family’s FIP assistance or removing a child from a FIP group due to the child’s truancy.
Eliminates the Complete Streets Advisory Council within the Michigan Department of Transportation.
HB 4458 (Runestad), RC 208, 6/2/15, Passed 90-18
Next: Sent to Senate for Consideration
House Bill 4458 eliminates the Complete Streets Advisory Council within the Michigan Department of Transportation. The Complete Streets Advisory Council was established through Public Act 135 of 2010 as part of a bill package aimed that required the State Transportation Commission to adopt a complete streets policy related to MDOT road projects and encouraged the development of complete streets policies by local road agencies for local road projects.
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Highway Designations
HB 4047 (Johnson), RC 209, 6/2/15, Passed 108-0
HB 4562 (Bumstead), RC 210, 6/2/15, Passed 108-0
Next: Sent to Senate for Consideration
HB 4047 designates portion of M-18 between the city of Gladwin and the city of Beaverton as the “Veterans Memorial Highway.” HB 4562 amends the Memorial Highway Act to designate the portion of M-37 in Newaygo County between the southern city limit of White Cloud and the intersection at 3 Mile Road as the “Brian Derks Memorial Highway.” As with all designations under the Act, private funds are required to erect and maintain the signs needed to mark the designation.
Committee Subpoena Reforms
HB 4522 (H-2) (McBroom), RC 211, 6/2/15, Passed 69-39
HB 4523 (H-3) (McBroom), RC 212, 6/2/15, Passed 74-34
Next: Sent to Senate for Consideration
HB 4522 (H-2) amends PA 46 of 1952 to allow the House Oversight and Ethics Committee and its Senate counterpart committee to subpoena for records and files of any department, board, institution, or agency of local governments. The subpoena would need to be supported by a majority vote of the members of that committee, with at least one vote needing to come from a member of the minority party. HB 4523 (H-3) amends Act 118 of 1931 to allow each house of the legislature, by resolution of that house, to authorize committees and commissions of or appointed by that house to administer oaths, subpoena witnesses, or examine the books and records of any person or entity involved in a matter before that committee or commission.
School Omnibus Appropriations for FY 2016
HB 4115 (Pscholka), RC 213, 6/3/15, Passed 99-10
Next: Sent to Senate for Consideration
HB 4115 is the School Omnibus Appropriations for FY 2016
General Omnibus Appropriations for FY 2016.
SB 133 (Hildenbrand) RC 214, 6/3/15, Passed 70-39
Next: Re-Returned to Senate
SB 133 is the General Omnibus Appropriations for FY 2016
Michigan Campaign Finance Act Reforms for Judges
HB 4596 (Lyons), RC 215, 6/3/15, Passed 109-0
HB 4597 (Lyons), RC 216, 6/3/15, Passed 109-0
Next: Sent to Senate for Consideration
House Bill 4596 and House Bill 4597 would allow incumbent judges or justices to qualify for automatic compliance with the Michigan Campaign Finance Act without filing a waiver for a campaign filing when a campaign committee does not expect to spend $1,000 for an election.
The bill would seek to increase the number of satellite SmartZones that can capture school taxes from three to nine and would set a hard deadline to create a satellite.
HB 4226 (H-1) (Garcia), RC 217, 6/3/15, Passed 70-39
Next: Sent to Senate for Consideration
HB 4226 would amend provisions of the Local Development Financing Act under which a municipality with a LDFA in which a certified technology park has been designated, may enter into an agreement with another LDFA to designate a distinct geographic area within the authority district as a certified technology park.
Flint Mayoral Election Fix
SB 329 (H-3) (Ananich), RC 218, 6/3/15, Passed 95-14
Next: Returned to Senate
The bill would permit a city clerk to accept nominating petitions from mayoral candidates, even if those petitions were turned in past the deadline, in certain circumstances. The bill also contain a subsection that places training and oversight requirements on the city clerk of a city that utilizes this section of law. Additionally, the Secretary of State will be required to provide added oversight and audits of a community that chooses to use this section of law. These additional requirements are waived if a new clerk is placed in the clerk’s position.
Drug Forfeiture and Public Nuisances Evidence Standards
HB 4499 (H-1) (Glenn), RC 299, 6/4/2015, Passed 104-5
HB 4505 (H-1) (Lucido), RC 220, 6/4/2015, Passed 103-6
HB 4508 (H-2) (IRWIN), RC 226, 6/4/15, Passed 81-28
House Bill 4499 (Glenn), House Bill 4505 (Lucido) and House Bill 4508 (IRWIN) would amend various statutes to raise the evidentiary standard for drug forfeiture and public nuisances from the “preponderance of the evidence” to “clear and convincing.”
Uniform Forfeiture Reporting Act
HB 4500 (Runestad), RC 221, 6/4/2015, Passed 107-2
HB 4503 (Cole), RC 222, 6/4/15, Passed 107-2
HB 4504 (H-1) (Kesto), RC 223, 6/4/15, Passed 107-2
HB 4506 (Sheppard), RC 224, 6/4/15, Passed 107-2
HB 4507 (Iden), RC 225, 6/4/15, Passed 108-1
Next: Sent to Senate for Consideration
House Bill 4500 (Runestad), House Bill 4503 (Cole), House Bill 4506 (Sheppard), and House Bill 4507 (Iden) all amend various other statutes to include the reporting requirements that would be mandated by the “Uniform Forfeiture Reporting Act.” House Bill 4504 (H-1) (Kesto) is the main bill in a five-bill package to establish the “Uniform Forfeiture Reporting Act,” which would require local law enforcement agencies and certain state departments and agencies to provide annual reports to the Michigan State Police on property that is seized and forfeited when it is connected to a crime.