Legislation watch
2011 Senate Bill 269: Raise small claims cap
Public Act 142 of 2012
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- Introduced by Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R) on March 16, 2011, to increase the maximum amount that may be recovered in small claims court from $3,000 to $10,000.
- Referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 16, 2011.
- Reported in the Senate on September 15, 2011, with the recommendation that the substitute (S-1) be adopted and that the bill then pass.
- Substitute offered in the Senate on October 11, 2011, to adopt version of the bill that raises the cap to $8,000. The substitute passed by voice vote in the Senate on October 11, 2011.
- Amendment offered by Sen. Steve Bieda (D) on October 19, 2011, to only allow the higher dollar amount limit for lawsuits against banks and other financial institutions. The amendment failed by voice vote in the Senate on October 19, 2011.
- Amendment offered by Sen. Glenn Anderson (D) on October 19, 2011, to change the proposed dollar amount cap to $5,000. The amendment failed 12 to 26 in the Senate on October 19, 2011.
Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
- Referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 16, 2011.
- Passed 31 to 7 in the Senate on October 19, 2011, to increase the maximum amount that may be recovered in small claims court from $3,000 to $8,000.
Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No" - Received in the House on October 19, 2011.
- Referred to the House Judiciary Committee on October 19, 2011.
- Reported in the House on April 19, 2012, with the recommendation that the substitute (H-1) be adopted and that the bill then pass.
- Substitute offered in the House on April 26, 2012, to replace the previous version of the bill with one that only increases the cap to $7,000, and does so gradually over a 12 year period. The substitute passed by voice vote in the House on April 26, 2012.
- Referred to the House Judiciary Committee on October 19, 2011.
- Passed 107 to 2 in the House on May 1, 2012, to gradually increase the maximum amount that may be recovered in small claims court from $3,000 to $7,000, with the increase coming in several steps from 2012 through 2024. In small claims court actions a lawyer is neither required or allowed, which makes them more accessible to regular people; as introduced the bill would have increased the cap to $10,000 immediately.
Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No" - Received in the Senate on May 2, 2012.
- Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on May 8, 2012, to concur with the House-passed version of the bill, which only increases the cap to $7,000, and does so gradually over a 12 year period.
Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No" - Signed by Gov. Rick Snyder on May 22, 2012.
Comments
1) Re: 2011 Senate Bill 269 (Raise small claims cap to $10,000 ) by victor88 on September 15, 2012I think this small clams cap definitely needs to be raised. The cap has been so low for a long time. It was never enough money to sue for in a lot of cases. pubs in London
This is a good bill. Thanks for doing something that was indeed necessary, but $10,000 would have been much more practical.
Introduced in the Senate on March 16, 2011, to increase the maximum amount that may be recovered in small claims court from $3,000 to $8,000
The vote was 31 in favor, 7 opposed and 0 not voting
(Senate Roll Call 583 at Senate Journal 0)
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