Column Descriptions
Senate Bill 1198: Ban telemedicine abortion to extend indefinitely a 2012 law that prohibits a physician from diagnosing and prescribing a medical abortion by remote means including an internet web camera. Doctors would have to personally performs a physical examination, and be physically present at the location of the medical abortion when the prescription drug used to initiate it is dispensed • House Roll Call 841 on December 13, 2018. • Senate Roll Call 633 on November 29, 2018.
Senate Bill 1197: Enbridge oil pipeline [Authorize Straits of Mackinac pipeline and utility tunnel] to create a new Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority governed by a three member board appointed by the governor with the duty of
entering into agreements for the construction, maintenance, operation, and decommissioning of a utility tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac, which among other things would contain a controversial oil pipeline. This is contingent on Gov. Rick Snyder finalizing a deal that has been in the works with Enbridge, the current oil pipeline owner, by the end of 2018 • House Roll Call 772 on December 11, 2018. • Senate Roll Call 680 on December 5, 2018.
House Bill 4205: No stricter than federal to prohibit a state department from promulgating rules more stringent than required by federal standards, unless specifically required by state statute, or if the department director determines "the preponderance of the evidence" shows a need to do so. Republican Gov. Rick Snyder has vetoed previous versions of this proposal. • House Roll Call 820 on December 12, 2018. • Senate Roll Call 831 on December 13, 2018.
Senate Bill 1211: Wetland protection [Revise restrictions on owners of property deemed “wetland”] to revise many rule and process details related to enforcement of restrictions imposed on owners of property deemed to be a wetland. The bill is said to give state officials less discretion in interpreting regulations in a way that restricts use or subjects landowners to sanctions. Among other things it would authorize damage awards to property owners harmed by such actions unless the state demonstrated that its position was "substantially justifiable" • Senate Roll Call 676 on December 4, 2018.
Senate Bill 1250: SOS campaign finance power grab [Create an FEC-like “Fair Political Practices Commission” to oversee election law] to create an independent, bipartisan commission within the Secretary of State department that would prescribe rules and definitions related to many campaign finance and election law provisions, including the political redistricting process and commission created by voter passage of 2018 Proposal 2. The commission would consist of three Republicans and three Democrats named by their state parties, in a manner similar to the Federal Election Commission. This and Senate Bill 1254 are reportedly intended to prevent an future Secretary of State from potentially making partisan choices in the many parts of these laws where important details are left to the discretion of state officials • Senate Roll Call 724 on December 6, 2018.
House Bill 6553: AG power grab [Empower legislature to intervene in legal challenges to state laws] to authorize and empower the state legislature, including either the House or Senate on their own, to intervene in any court of this state whenever they deem it necessary to protect a right or interest of this state, or of that body. The bill is reportedly intended to allow the incoming Republican legislature to pursue the legal defense of previously passed laws it favors should an incoming Democratic Attorney General, Secretary of State or Governor choose not to defend a particular law in court • House Roll Call 701 on December 4, 2018.
House Bill 6595: Petitioning restrictions to impose additional rules and restrictions on petition gathering for constitutional amendments, initiatives, and referendums. Not more than 10 percent of signatures could come from one of Michigan’s current 14 congressional districts; petitions would have to have a brief summary of the proposal; paid petition gatherers would have to sign an affidavit that indicates this; and petitions on which the circulator provided his or her wrong address would be invalidated • House Roll Call 819 on December 12, 2018.
Senate Bill 1176: Dark campaign money to prohibit government agencies in Michigan, including courts, tribunals, and judicial or quasi-judicial bodies, from imposing a donor disclosure mandate on nonprofit organizations organized under section 501 of the federal tax code, meaning a duty to disclose to government authorities or others the identity of or personal information on contributors or members. Agencies and their staff would also be prohibited from disclosing such information if they already possess it, with violators subject to misdemeanor penalties, and to civil fines of up to $2,500, or $7,500 if done deliberately • Senate Roll Call 636 on November 29, 2018.
House Bill 5526: District A-F grading To require the Department of Education to develop a system that assigns each public school building a series of letter grades between A and F based on different academic measures, including success and growth rates on the state’s math and reading tests, as indicated by specific metrics the department would determine. Also, schools would be assigned ratings based on their statewide rankings compared to other schools on student absenteeism, proportion of students who take state assessment tests, and performance of socio-economic different subgroups compared to their peers in other schools • House Roll Call 848 on December 13, 2018.
House Bill 6314: Board of Ed Oversight to authorize rules for a type of school district to be styled as “public innovative districts,” which among other things would have to assign each student a mentor and award credits based on “competencies” rather than class hours. The schools could hold year-round classes, and House Bill 6315 would exempt them from the requirement to provide 1,094 hours of instruction over 180 school days. Essentially, the schools would be able to do more things without seeking specific permission ("waivers") from the state Department of Education • House Roll Call 756 on December 6, 2018.
House Bill 6315: Board of Ed Oversight to exempt the “public innovative school districts” House Bill 6314 would authorize from the requirement to provide 1,094 hours of instruction over 180 school days. House Bill 6014 allows but does not require these schools to hold classes all year round • House Roll Call 757 on December 6, 2018.
Senate Bill 795: No union pension credits [No pension credit for school employee union work on school time] to prohibit public schools from granting pension credits to union officials who are on their payrolls and get paid for doing union work on school time. These employees would only get state pension credits for the time they spend on school work, and not for time spent on union work. Note: Senate Bill 796 would prohibit such "release time" arrangements in future school union contracts • Senate Roll Call 597 on November 27, 2018.
Senate Bill 906: School bus tax exemption [Exempt sale of school's bus to contractor from sales tax] to exempt from sales tax the purchase or lease of a school bus by a company that is under contract to provide bus service to a public school district. This is projected to benefit these companies by around $3.8 million • Senate Roll Call 510 on June 12, 2018.
Senate Bill 907: School bus tax exemption [Exempt sale of school's bus to contractor from use tax] to exempt from use tax the purchase or lease of a school bus by a company that is under contract to provide bus service to a public school district. This is projected to benefit these companies by around $3.8 million • Senate Roll Call 511 on June 12, 2018.
Senate Bill 1188: Ban tree cutting rules [Restrict local restrictions on property owner tree removal] to preempt local governments from restricting residents in trimming or cutting down trees that are located on private property with an agricultural, business, commercial, or industrial zoning classification, except for “heritage trees” as defined in the bill. Locals would also be restricted from imposing a “mitigation” mandate on property owners that requires them to plant other trees or pay a fee. “Heritage trees” are defined as those of specified species with a specified trunk diameter • Senate Roll Call 612 on November 29, 2018.
Senate Bill 1244: Weaken contamination cleanup to revise some rule and process details related to regulations on hazardous substance cleanups. The bill is said to give state officials less discretion in interpreting regulations in a way that subjects regulated persons to sanctions. Among other things, the bill would require regulators to base cleanup standards for various chemicals on federal toxicity values • Senate Roll Call 677 on December 4, 2018.
House Bill 6269: coal ash disposal to provide for assumption by the state of a federal permit program for coal ash disposal and landfills. The bill proposes many revisions to a comprehensive state environmental regulatory regime to accommodate this proposal. This would align state law and regulations with provisions of a 2015 federal law • House Roll Call 662 on December 4, 2018.
Senate Bill 1196: Radioactive waste disposal [Impose tax, expand regulation of radioactives in hazardous waste landfills] to prohibit radioactive materials that exceed specified radiation levels from being deposited in Michigan landfills, and increase the regulations and restrictions on depositing less radioactive materials, including “technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials,” called “tenorms” • House Roll Call 816 on December 12, 2018. • Senate Roll Call 827 on December 13, 2018.
House Bill 6465: Ballast water discharge [Adopt Coast Guard ballast water discharge permit standards] to adopt the U.S. Coast Guard standards for ballast water discharges from oceangoing vessels. Michigan adopted its own permit requirement and standards in 2006, which was before the Coast Guard finalized theirs in 2012, and the bill would make compliance with the federal rules sufficient to get the state permit, which would still be required • House Roll Call 695 on December 4, 2018.
Senate Bill 1238: Guts prop 3 [Prescribe rules for early voting, same-day registration, more] to prescribe details of rules needed to implement the election-day registration and early voting provisions enacted by voter approval of 2018 Proposal 3. That measure eliminated the requirement to register to vote at least 30 days before an election; authorized “no reason” absentee ballot voting for all voters; mail-in voter registration; automatic registration with drivers license or state ID interactions; and a straight-ticket voting option. The bill is part of a package comprised of Senate Bills 1238 to 1244, and is reportedly intended to prevent a future Secretary of State from potentially making partisan choices in the many parts of state election laws where important details are left to the discretion of state officials and agency-promulgated rules • Senate Roll Call 717 on December 6, 2018.
Senate Bill 1022: Transfer campaign money [Revise disbursements of liquidating campaign committee] to expand the allowable recipients of money held by a candidate’s campaign finance committee when the individual is no longer running for another office and the committee is being shut down. Under current law candidate committees cannot transfer money to other committees that have lower contribution limits. The bill would allow this, which is said to benefit senators with money in their Senate campaign committee but debts in their previous House campaign committees, which have lower contribution limits • Senate Roll Call 590 on November 8, 2018.
House Bill 5916: Supports puppy mills to prohibit animal shelters and pet shops from selling or transferring a dog unless it is at least eight weeks old, has a health certificate and implanted microchip ID, and unless the seller can document it was obtained from an animal control shelter, animal protection shelter, dog retailer, or a USDA-approved breeder that is not an unlicensed “large-scale dog breeding kennel" • House Roll Call 656 on November 29, 2018. • Senate Roll Call 800 on December 13, 2018.
House Bill 5917: Supports puppy mills to permit local government to regulate pet shops, but prohibit them from imposing an "arbitrary ban" on them. See also House Bill 5916 • House Roll Call 657 on November 29, 2018. • Senate Roll Call 801 on December 13, 2018.
Senate Bill 660: Delay phase-in of chicken and livestock rules to revise a 2009 law that imposed additional farm animal care regulations and fees on producers to be phased-in over several years, by delaying enforcement of rules on egg-laying hens from April 1, 2020 to Oct. 12, 2025. The bill would also establish a legislative "finding" that the rules against narrow chicken confinement are needed to protect consumers "from increased risk of food borne illness" • House Roll Call 700 on December 4, 2018. • Senate Roll Call 46 on January 31, 2018.
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