Michigan Business Tax
SB 94 (Cassis), Passed 75-34
Next: Returned to Senate for enrollment and presentation to the Governor
This bill creates a new act to impose an income and a modified gross receipts tax on businesses and provide tax relief for commercial and industrial personal property owners. Note: before passing the Conference Report on SB 94, the House unanimously rejected the bill as returned to the Senate in order to send the bill to conference committee.
Commercial and Industrial Personal Property Tax Reduction
HB 4369 (Brown), Passed 109-0
HB 4370 (Griffin), Passed 109-0
HB 4371 (Corriveau), Passed 109-0
HB 4372 (Ebli), Passed 109-0
Next: Bills ordered enrolled for presentation to the Governor
House Bills 4369-4372 are tie-barred to each other and to the main bill in the package, SB 94. These four bills amend the following acts to provide a 12 mill reduction in commercial personal property taxes and a 24 mill reduction in industrial personal property taxes.
Department of Community Health Budget
HB 4344 (McDowell),Passed 59-50
Next: Bill sent to Senate for consideration
The Department of Community Health (DCH) provides the following services: Medicaid/Physical Health, Mental Health, Substance Abuse, Maternal and Child Health, Public Health, Services for the Elderly and Disabled, Crime Victims Services. The DCH also has responsibilities for: Health Care Facilities and Professional Licensure and Regulation, and the Developmental Disabilities Council. The bill includes a $100 million appropriation of federal funds for the Michigan First Healthcare that would provide affordable health insurance to approximately 550,000 uninsured Michigan residents.
Department of Corrections Budget
HB 4348 (A. Smith),Passed 59-50
Next: Bill sent to Senate for consideration
The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) budget funds operation of the state prison system, supervision of parolees and felony probationers, and the Michigan Prisoner Reentry Initiative (MPRI) which is a program that focuses on a prisoner's successful transition back into society after incarceration and a variety of other offender programs both in prison and in the community. It also funds training of corrections officers and centralized functions of administration, research, and financial operations.
Prohibit Lead in Children's Jewelry
HB 4132 (Gaffney), Passed 107-0
Next: Bill goes to Senate for consideration
This bill would limit the amount of lead that can be applied to children's jewelry and sold in Michigan to 0.06%, and establish civil fines for violations.
Prohibit Lead in Children's Toys
HB 4240 (Coulouris), Passed 107-0
Next: Bill goes to Senate for consideration
This bill would limit the amount of lead that can be applied to children's toys and children's products and sold in Michigan to 0.06%, and establish civil fines for violations.
Prohibit Lead in Lunch Boxes
HB 4399 (Wojno), RC 230, 6/26/2007, Passed 106-1
Brenda Lawson (35017)
Next: Bill goes to Senate for consideration
This bill would limit the amount of lead in a lunch box sold in Michigan to 0.06%, and establish civil fines for violations.
Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention and Control Commission
HB 4936 (Coulouris), Passed 103-4
Next: Bill goes to Senate for consideration
This bill would extend the sunset and increase the number of Commissioners, and identify the term of office for appointments to the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention and Control Commission, housed within the Department of Community Health (DCH).
Require Child Safety Booster Seats for Children under 4-feet 9-inches Tall
HB 4536 (Angerer),Passed 101-7
Next: Bill is sent to Senate for consideration
This bill requires child safety booster seats for children between four and nine-years old who are under 4-feet 9-inches tall.
Establish Child Safety Education Fund
HB 4537 (Corriveau),Passed 102-6
Next: Bill is sent to Senate for consideration
This bill establishes a Child Safety Education Fund. This fund can accept grant dollars and private donations to help fund booster seat education.
Allow Fines to Be Waived for Child Booster Seat Violations
HB 4538 (Byrum),Passed 108-0
Next: Bill is sent to Senate for consideration
Establishes that the fines proposed by House Bill 4536 for violation of the law requiring seat belts or car seats for minors in vehicles would be waived if the driver acquired the mandated car seat before the court date.
Require Rear Seat Child Restraint Seats
HB 4939 (Ebli),Passed 104-4
Next: Bill is sent to Senate for consideration
Require drivers to place children under age four in child restraint safety seats which are in the rear seat, if a vehicle has a rear seat. The bill also removes from current law a provision that exempts nursing children from being secured in child restraint systems.
CountyJail Population Management
HB 4234 (Wenke), Passed 96-9
HB 4725 (Condino), Passed 89-19
Next: Bills go to Senate for consideration
These bills authorize the adoption and implementation of a written county jail population management to reduce or prevent chronic jail overcrowding, upon the agreement of the county sheriff and a majority of the circuit judges and district judges who sit within the affected county or judicial district. HB 4725 provides that on the third consecutive day on which the jail population exceeds 95% of the jail's rated design capacity in a county where a jail population management plan has not been approved the sheriff shall release prisoners who are in for failure to provide child support, and those who have served at least 85 percent of their time for other crimes but are not in for assaultive or sex crimes, serious drug crimes, or drunk driving.
Prohibit School Operation Outside of School District
HB 4924 (Melton),Passed 84-23
Next: Bill sent to Senate for consideration
This bill would prohibit the board of a school district from operating a school or any other educational program outside the boundaries of that school district without the written permission of the board of the school district in which the school or program is located.
Delay Instruction Requirement for Teachers
SB 70 (Cassis), Passed 107-0
Next: Returned to Senate for consideration with new substitute
This bill would delay from July 1, 2007 to July 1 2008 the beginning date of a requirement that a certified teacher receive instruction on reading disabilities within the first six years of classroom teaching. The bill would also permit a person to complete the required course either as part of his or her teacher preparation training or during the first six years of classroom instruction.
IntermediateSchool District Career and Technical Education
SB 188 (Van Woerkom), Passed 102-5
Next: Returned to Senate for consideration with substitute
The bill would allow an intermediate school district (ISD) to acquire equipment necessary for the operation of career and technical programs, and expands the purposes for which an ISD may spend career and technical education funds. The bill also requires an ISD to have its program approved and establish a program advisory committee for its career and technical education program. Further, the bill requires the Department of Education to develop a process for expediting state approval of programs that recognize local workforce needs. Finally, the bill increases the threshold at which ISDs must obtain competitive bids from $17,932 to $19, 211.
Tobacco Securitization
HB 4884 (Jackson), Passed 74-33
Next: Bill is sent back to the Senate for concurrence with amendments
This bill works in conjunction with House Bill 4850, which allows the state to securitize additional tobacco settlement revenues as part of the effort to balance the budget. House Bill 4884 clarifies that this additional securitized money will not go into the 21st Century Jobs Trust Fund.
Multi-Departmental Supplemental Appropriations Bill
HB 4493 (Cushingberry), RC 247, 6/28/2007, Passed 82-25
Next: Bill is retransmitted to Senate
This bill is a multi-department supplemental appropriations bill for the departments of Human Services, Corrections, Community Health, Natural Resources, Environmental Quality, State Police, and other state departments. The overwhelming majority of the supplemental appropriations in the bill are from non-General Fund sources. As enrolled the bill contains several major categories of FY 2006-07 supplemental appropriations:
- All currently-pending non-GF/GP Executive supplemental requests, along with several pending GF/GP items.
- GF/GP appropriations for consensus caseload and expenditure adjustments related to projected shortfalls in the Community Health, Corrections, and Human Services budgets.
- Federal and restricted fund appropriations in the Capital Outlay budget that were previously included in the FY 2006-07 Capital Outlay budget bill vetoed in December 2006 (with some technical adjustments). Major items include $16.2 million for boating projects, $18.9 million for MDOT building construction/maintenance, and $6.7 million for DMVA maintenance projects.
- Fund source shifts in the Higher Education and Treasury budgets to realize $160.0 million in GF/GP savings through the use of restricted funding sources.
- Restoration or partial restoration of three previously-enacted budget reductions in the Community Health and State Police budgets.
License Mortgage Brokers
SB 290 (Richardville), Passed 109-0
Next: Returned to Senate for enrollment and presentation to the Governor
This bill would exempt employees of professional employer organizations who are solely acting as a secondary mortgage loan originator of only one broker or lender from the act's license and registration requirements.
Delinquent Trash Collection Fees in Detroit
HB 4376, Passed 57-52
Next: Bill ordered enrolled for presentation to the Governor
This bill would allow the city of Detroit to count delinquent trash collection fees along with delinquent property taxes. The CountyTreasurer would be able to include a delinquent solid waste collection fee in the County's delinquent tax revolving fund. The delinquent fee would be treated as any other taxpayer obligation deposited into the revolving fund. The delinquent solid waste collection fee could only be treated as described if the taxpayer also owed delinquent property taxes under the act.
Corridor Improvement Authority
SB 588 (Thomas), Passed 108-0
Next: Bill returned to the Senate for enrollment and presentation to the Governor
This bill aims to encourage retail development by creating a "qualified development area" which would have the authority to capture taxes for development. The bill will assist in the development of a shopping area located at 8 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue in Detroit, with JC Penney as its flagship store. The shopping center would have 494,000 people within a 5 mile radius.
Extend Revenue Sharing Act Sunset
SB 561 (Pappageorge), Passed 107-0
Next: Bill returned to the Senate for enrollment and presentation to the Governor
This bill would extend a sunset in one section of the Revenue Sharing Act from June 30, 2007 until the end of the fiscal year. This would make the sunsets in all sections of the act uniform, and allow time for a budget agreement for FY 08 to be reached, at which time the sunsets will all likely be extended one more year.
Allow Public Access to InlandLakes at Road Ends
HB 4463 (Gillard),Passed 61-48
Next: Bill sent to Senate for consideration
This bill allows local governments to pass ordnances to provide public access to bodies of water via public roads that terminate at a lake or stream (a road end), and it establishes a process for the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to issue permits to local units of government to allow a marina or dock to be located at the end of a road under their jurisdiction that terminates at a lake or stream.
Create Rebuttable Presumption for Public Access to InlandLakes at Road Ends
HB 4464 (Gillard),Passed 62-47
Next: Bill sent to Senate for consideration
This bill establishes in law a rebuttable presumption that when a land plat is recorded, any dedication, gift, or grant to the public of a road, street of alley terminating at a stream or body of water (a road end) is considered to be for the purposes of seasonal boat docking, sunbathing and lounging.
Prevent Insurance Fee Increases for Armed Service Members
HB 4177 (Spade), Passed 106-0
Next: Bill ordered enrolled for presentation to the Governor
The bill would allow members of the Armed Forces to avoid paying reinstatement fees and other costs if their auto insurance lapsed due to their having been on active duty.
Transfer from Higher Education Student Loan Authority Fund
HB 4851 (Meisner), Passed 97-9
Next: Bill ordered enrolled for presentation to the Governor
This bill would allow the Michigan Higher Education Student Loan Authority to transfer money to the Merit Award Trust Fund for any scholarship program (or the Tuition Incentive Program) fund. This bill allows a transfer of money to avoid a cut to current year public school funding.
Divestment of State Retirement Funds from Sudan
HB 4854 (A. Smith),Passed 103-2
Next: Bill is sent to the Senate for consideration
This bill prohibits the investment of any state pension funds in any publicly traded companies that are actively involved with the Sudanese governement, and requires any currently held investments to be divested within 15 months.
Divestment of State Retirement Funds from Iran
HB 4903 (Knollenberg), Passed 104-2
Next: Bill is sent to the Senate for consideration
This bill prohibits the investment of any state pension funds in any publicly traded companies that are actively involved with the Iranian petroleum industry, and requires any currently held investments to be divested within 15 months.
Cormorant Control Fund
HB 4614 (Sheltrown), Passed 106-0
Next: Bill ordered enrolled for presentation to the Governor
This bill establishes a state fund to hold money to be used for the double-crested cormorant control program proposed by another bill.
Non-Instructional School Employee Collective Bargaining
HB 4533 (Meisner),Passed 60-46
Next: Bill is sent to Senate for consideration
This bill will remove language from the Public Employee Relations Act that allows public schools to subcontract non-instructional employees without collectively bargaining with the employee representatives. An amendment offered by Representative Rick Jones was defeated (49-57) which would have kept the prohibition on outsourcing of jobs from becoming a subject of collective bargaining, and would have added language to clarify that the current employees could submit competitive bids to continue working at the school district.
Allow Mixed Martial Arts in Michigan
HB 4869 (Farrah),Passed 94-14
HB 4870 (Farrah),Passed 93-13
Next: Bill is sent to Senate for consideration
These two bills would allow allow mixed martial arts events (such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship), which are defined as unarmed combat involving a combination of techniques from different disciplines of the martial arts including grappling, kicking, jujitsu, and striking. The bill retains many of the provisions that are currently applicable to boxing and amends the act to include both boxing and mixed martial arts.
Revise Food Law of 2000
HB 4956 (Mayes), RC 271, 7/25/07, Passed 106-0
Next: Bill is sent to Senate for consideration
This bill is an update to the Food Law of 2000. It adopts many of the provisions in the Federal Food Code of 2005. Key changes include a requirement that food service establishments have managers that have been certified in food safety; adopting a risk-based food inspection schedule; tighter controls on bare hand contact with food; and clarification of procedures and rights relating to ill workers. Representative Gonzales offered an amendment that would allow restaurants to post on their menus whether or not items on their menu contain trans-fats. The Gonzales amendment was adopted 65-41.
Permanent Absentee Voter List
HB 4553 (Corriveau), Passed 96-12
Next: Bill is sent to Senate for consideration
This bill would allow municipal clerks to maintain a permanent absentee voter list for senior citizens (voters that are 60 years of age or older). The clerk could mail the qualified voter an absentee application for each election, even if they did not request one. Representative Ward offered an amendment that would have required clerks to mail absentee ballot applications to all registered voters that are 60 years or older. The amendment was defeated 48-58.
Allow Different Address for Driver License and Voter Registration
HB 4447 (Warren),Passed 58-50
HB 4448 (Warren), Passed 57-51
Next: Both bills are sent to Senate for consideration
These two bills repeal a law that requires a person to use the same address for voting registration and for his or her driver's license or state personal identification card.
Department of Natural Resources FY 08 Budget
HB 4354 (Lahti),Passed 58-50
Next: Bill sent to Senate for consideration
This bill is the 2008 fiscal year budget for the Department of Natural Resources. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages, and protects the state's forests, parks, harbors, wildlife, fish and other natural resources. Programs include forest management, land and minerals management, wildlife and fisheries management, conservation law enforcement, and state parks, campgrounds and public access sites. This budget is generally a continuation budget to maintain existing programs at existing levels, but relies on game and fishing fee increases to maintain programs in FY '08 and beyond. The bill also appropriates $20 million from the Michigan Strategic Fund for the Forest Finance Authority.
Republicans offered three amendments to the budget:
- Representative Elsenheimer offered an amendment to distribute general fund money earmarked for marking of trees for harvest by the DNR on quarterly basis, pro-rated on the basis of how much timber is marked each quarter. The amendment was defeated 51-56.
- Representative Meltzer offered an amendment that would eliminate all funding in the budget that is predicated on increases in hunting and fishing license fees. This language was unnecessary because the budget was written to automatically cut certain funds if there is no increase in license fees. The amendment was defeated 50-58.
- Representative Moore offered an amendment to freeze campground fees at their current level. The amendment was defeated 51-57, because Michigan State Parks are almost exclusively user financed and restricting fees could result in closures or a decline in services.
Natural Resources Trust Fund
HB 4829 (Valentine),Passed 100-8
Next: Bill sent to Senate for consideration
This bill appropriates $36.1 million from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund to 61 projects that acquire land for resource preservation and development of recreational opportunities.
Department of Environmental Quality FY 08 Budget
HB 4358 (Bennett),Passed 59-49
Next: Bill sent to Senate for consideration
This bill represents the 2008 fiscal year budget for the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). In general, the bill maintains existing programs at existing (2007) levels, but uses
$16.3 million in additional general fund revenue rather than relying on fee increases and new fees, as were included in the executive recommendation.