Please note that the following legislative actions have been taken: House Joint Resolution UU: Increase sales tax to 7 percent Passed 26 to 12 in the Senate on December 19, 2014, to place before voters in a May 5, 2015 election a constitutional amendment that would increase the state sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent. The proposal would also prohibit using money earmarked to the state School Aid Fund to support state universities, and earmark a specified portion of the state Use Tax to this fund. If voters do not approve the ballot measure then a large fuel tax increase (House Bill 5477) and several related measures would not go into effect. The complete package represents a net tax increase of $1.945 billion, of which $1.2 billion would go to road projects. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699213 Senate Bill 423: Require schools teach American foundational principles; SCHOOL SPENDING ADEQUACY STUDY Passed 20 to 18 in the Senate on December 19, 2014, to require the state budget agency to contract for a study to determine how much money per student is needed for a public school to educate students sufficiently well to meet state graduation requirements. Reportedly the bill was adopted Republican-controlled legislature in return for Democratic votes on a sales tax increase that is part of a $1.945 billion tax hike for road repairs and other spending. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699221 Senate Bill 847: Expand homestead property tax credit Passed 23 to 15 in the Senate on December 19, 2014, To increase the state Earned Income Tax Credit, which makes payments to low income wage earners. The measure will not become law unless voters approve an increase to the state sales tax in a May 5, 2015 election; reportedly the bill was passed to gain Democratic votes for the two-thirds majority required to place that on the ballot. This was added to the original provisions of the bill, which increase the property tax credit a homeowner or renter can claim against the state income tax, by lowering the income threshold in the formula used to calculate this “homestead” or principle residence exemption. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699219 Senate Bill 926: Ban using a drone to interfere with hunters Passed 108 to 0 in the House on December 16, 2014, to prohibit using an aerial drone to interfere with or harass a person who is hunting. This would expand an existing law that bans interfering with or harassing hunters. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=698663 House Bill 4001: Cap FOIA charges and increase government FOIA scofflaw penalties Passed 30 to 8 in the Senate on December 19, 2014, to limit the costs a government body may charge to fulfill a Freedom of Information Act open records request. Among other things the bill would prohibit charging more than the wages of the lowest paid employee capable of meeting the request (or of deleting information exempt from disclosure), whether or not that person does the actual work. “Overhead” or overtime costs could not be included. A government body could choose to provide bulky information in electronic format (on CD), and if the requested information is on its website could just reference this in its reply. FOIA requestors would have to be given an itemized list of the costs, and a government bodys procedures, guidelines and fees would have to be posted on its website (if it has one). Tardy responses would be subject to a discount of up to 50 percent. The penalty and damages for wrongfully denying a request would increase from $500 to $1,000 (with fines of up to $7,500 if this is “willful and intentional”). More rigorous sanctions previously adopted by the House were stripped out in this final Senate-passed version. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699216 House Bill 4251: Revise local road project contracting details Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 19, 2014, to establish that if a township contributes 50 percent or more to the cost of a road project and certain other conditions apply, it can require the county road commission contract for the work through competitive bidding. This is part of a House road funding package. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699232 House Bill 4539: Stop imposing sales tax on fuel sales Passed 23 to 15 in the Senate on December 19, 2014, to exempt gasoline and diesel purchases from sales tax. This is part of a package that includes a large fuel tax increase (House Bill 5477),a ballot measure increasing the state sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent (House Joint Resolution UU), and several related measures. The package represents a net tax increase of $1.945 billion, of which $1.2 billion would go to roads, but none of this will happen if voters do not approve the sales tax hike in a May 5, 2015 election. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699239 House Bill 4630: Increase vehicle registration taxes Passed 23 to 15 in the Senate on December 19, 2014, to increase vehicle registration taxes on trucks, on cars more than three years old, and on electric vehicles. Vehicle owners would pay around $95 million more each year if the bill goes into effect. However, that will only happen if voters approve increasing the state sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent in a May 5, 2015 election (see House Joint Resolution UU). Both measures are part of a $1.945 billion tax hike package that would generate $1.2 billion more each year for road repairs. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699222 House Bill 4630: Increase vehicle registration taxes Passed 67 to 43 in the House on December 19, 2014, to increase vehicle registration taxes on trucks, on cars more than three years old, and on electric vehicles. Vehicle owners would pay around $95 million more each year if the bill goes into effect. However, that will only happen if voters approve increasing the state sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent in a May 5, 2015 election (see House Joint Resolution UU). Both measures are part of a $1.945 billion tax hike package that would generate $1.2 billion more each year for road repairs. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699056 House Bill 5167: Require competitive bidding on some road maintenance Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 19, 2014, to require road agencies to seek competitive bids for road maintenance projects greater than $100,000, unless they affirm a different system would serve the public interest better. Also, to require the Department of Transportation to develop performance based road project rating system, and allocate 20 percent of funds to local agencies based on its cost/benefit criteria. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699234 House Bill 5198: Revise child services worker discipline procedure Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 19, 2014, to allow access to confidential records contained in a state database of serious child abuse incidents to a state employee undergoing a disciplinary action. Access would be limited only to the individuals union representative, or the arbitrator or official conducting a hearing involving the employees dereliction or malfeasance. This access would be for use of records solely in connection with that action or hearing. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699224 House Bill 5341: Revise welfare application confidentiality details Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 19, 2014, to revise existing restrictions on releasing information related to an individuals’ applications for welfare and related programs, which are considered records open to the public. The bill would exclude public access to documents in an individuals records that come from another agency or organization, unless required by other state or federal laws, or in response to a court order. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699225 House Bill 5389: Revise nursing home feeding detail Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 19, 2014, to allow a nursing home to employ a trained person to provide feeding assistance to a resident who does not have complicated feeding problems, under the supervision of a nurse, and with consent of the resident or residents representative. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699257 House Bill 5418: Allow private employers to give preferences to veterans Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 19, 2014, to permit employers to give preference to veterans in hiring and promotion decisions, subject to conditions specified in the bill, and require the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs to maintain a registry of employers that do this. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699226 House Bill 5460: Require local road agencies get warranties on road projects Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on December 19, 2014, to expand to local road agencies a requirement to warranties from contractors for road construction and preservation projects valued at more than $1 million. Under current law the warranty requirement only applies to the state Department of Transportation. Also, to require the Department of Transportation to give extra assistance (possibly including grants and loans) to minority-owned and disadvantaged businesses that bid on state funded road projects; and to take other step to steer more state-funded road work to such firms, including annual consultations with certain ethnic- and race-bases organizations. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699256 House Bill 5460: Require local road agencies get warranties on road projects Passed 99 to 11 in the House on December 19, 2014, to expand to local road agencies a requirement to warranties from contractors for road construction and preservation projects valued at more than $1 million. Under current law the warranty requirement only applies to the state Department of Transportation. Also, to require the Department of Transportation to give extra assistance (possibly including grants and loans) to minority-owned and disadvantaged businesses that bid on state funded road projects; and to take other step to steer more state-funded road work to such firms, including annual consultations with certain ethnic- and race-based organizations. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699060 House Bill 5460: Require local road agencies get warranties on road projects The amendment passed by voice vote in the House on December 19, 2014, to require the Department of Transportation to give extra assistance (possibly including grants and loans) to minority-owned and disadvantaged businesses that bid on state funded road projects; and to take other step to steer more state-funded road work to such firms, including annual consultations with certain ethnic- and race-based organizations. michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=164067 House Bill 5477: Replace per-gallon fuel tax with higher wholesale tax Passed 23 to 15 in the Senate on December 19, 2014, to replace the current 19-cent per gallon gas tax and 15-cent diesel tax with a 14.9 percent wholesale fuel tax, which at current prices is 41.7 cents per gallon for gasoline and 46.4 cents for diesel. This tax hike would be mostly offset by exempting fuel sales from the state sales tax (House Bill 4539). However, neither bill will go into law unless voters approve House Joint Resolution UU in a May 5, 2015 vote, which would increase the state sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent. When combined with other tax hike bills related to this deal it comes to a net tax increase of $1.945 billion. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699214 House Bill 5492: Earmark some state use tax to roads Passed 88 to 22 in the House on December 19, 2014, to exempt fuel sales from the state use tax, and revise revenue distributions to incorporate a proposed increase of the state use tax from 6 percent to 7 seven percent. This is part of a package that represents a net tax increase of $1.945 billion, of which $1.2 billion would go to road repairs and the rest to other spending, but which is contingent on voters approving an increase in the state use and sales taxes from 6 percent to 7 percent in a May 5 election. See also House Bill 5477. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699106 House Bill 5492: Earmark some state use tax to roads Passed 24 to 14 in the Senate on December 19, 2014, to exempt fuel sales from the state use tax, and revise revenue distributions to incorporate a proposed increase of the state use tax from 6 percent to 7 seven percent. This is part of a package that represents a net tax increase of $1.945 billion, of which $1.2 billion would go to road repairs and the rest to other spending, but which is contingent on voters approving an increase in the state use and sales taxes from 6 percent to 7 percent in a May 5 election. See also House Bill 5477. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699217 House Bill 5513: Expand mobile home court environmental regulation Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 18, 2014, to expand the jurisdiction of the Department of Environmental Quality over mobile home parks; impose new licensure conditions; require the state Manufactured Housing Commission to notify local governments of any complaints from residents; impose a performance bond mandate on mobile home park owners; impose an annual inspection mandate; authorize placing a park under court-ordered receivership if conditions threaten residents health and safety; and more. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699145 House Bill 5667: Let clerks choose electronic voting system Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 18, 2014, to allow county clerks in cooperation with and local clerks to determine which electronic voting system to adopt, subject to certain requirements specified in the bill. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699164 House Bill 5714: Revise regulations on household movers Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on December 18, 2014, to revise details of the extensive regulatory regime and price controls imposed on household moving companies. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699152 House Bill 5792: Mandate insurance ownership divestment disclosures Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 18, 2014, to mandate that a person with a controlling ownership interest in a Michigan insurance company who plans to divest that interest must submit a statement of intent to the state insurance bureau at least 30 days before the divestment, along with a statement describing the “enterprise risk” of the transaction, defined in the bill as the chances it will have a “material adverse effect upon the financial condition or liquidity” of the insurer. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699162 House Bill 5823: Require insurance company risk assessments Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 18, 2014, to require larger insurance companies to regularly perform an “own risk and solvency assessment (ORSA), defined as a “confidential internal assessment…of the material and relevant risks associated with the insurers current business plan, and the sufficiency of capital resources to support those risks.” This would have to be submitted to the state annually. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699163 House Bill 5928: Create incarceration and sentencing study panel Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 18, 2014, to create a 15-member Criminal Justice Policy Commission to gather and analyze data on the effects of a number of criminal sentencing, incarceration and release practices and procedures. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699197 House Bill 5929: Revise “community corrections programs Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate on December 18, 2014, to make technical revisions to “community corrections programs created as alternatives to jail and prison, so as to reflect changes in the sentencing guidelines and other corrections-related statutes. See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699198 House Bill 6079: Revise securities law detail Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate on December 18, 2014, to delay until May 1, 2015 the effect of a “Uniform Securities Act” enacted in 2008 on an intrastate “Michigan investment market” (essentially a stock exchange). See Who Voted Yes and Who Voted No at michiganvotes.org/RollCall.aspx?ID=699159 MichiganVotes.org promotes Government Transparency and Government Accountability. Give instant feedback to legislators. The VoteSpotter mobile app is a simple phone app (or other mobile device app) that only alerts you about select votes of importance — and its easy to give your legislator feedback on his or her vote.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 21:38:59 +0000
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