Sept. 17 Michigan Legislature Roll Call Report

Every week, MichiganVotes.org sends a report to newspapers and TV stations showing how just the state legislators in each publication's service area voted on the most important and interesting bills and amendments of the past seven days. The version shown here instead contains a link to the complete roll call tally in either the House or Senate. To find out who your state senator is and how to contact him or her go here; for state representatives go here.

Senate Bill 1267, Impose .875-cent gas tax extension and "fund raid," passed in the Senate (37 to 0)
To continue to impose a .875-cent-per-gallon gasoline and refined petroleum tax scheduled to expire on Dec. 31, 2010. The tax was originally imposed to clean up leaking underground fuel tanks, but was diverted to other government spending following a 2004 "fund raid" enacted to avoid state spending cuts and reforms. The bill would extend the tax through 2012.

Complete Roll Call Vote Tally

House Bill 5888, 2011 State Police budget, passed in the Senate (35 to 2)
The House-Senate conference report for the 2010-2011 State Police budget. This would appropriate $529.3 million in gross spending, compared to $527.3 million this year. The budget also includes $5 million from a "fund raid" on a cell phone and land-line tax intended to pay for local 911 services (see House Bill 5599 below).

Complete Roll Call Vote Tally

House Bill 5888, 2011 State Police budget, passed in the House (107 to 0)
The House-Senate conference report for the 2010-2011 State Police budget. This would appropriate $529.3 million in gross spending, compared to $527.3 million this year. The budget also includes $5 million from a "fund raid" on a cell phone and land-line tax intended to pay for local 911 services (see House Bill 5599 below).

Complete Roll Call Vote Tally

House Bill 4837, Allow community college to grant certain bachelors degree, passed in the House (55 to 49)
To allow community colleges to grant bachelor degrees in nursing, cement technology, maritime technology or culinary arts.

Complete Roll Call Vote Tally

House Bill 6421, Let state take unclaimed property sooner, passed in the House (60-43)
To let the state government take any unclaimed property that falls under its control if the owner does not claim it within three years. Under current law an owner has five years before the government takes his or her property. This is one of the one-time revenue sources proposed to avoid spending cuts and reforms in the next fiscal year. The bill also appropriates $4.8 million for a public awareness campaign. Note: Parts of this may be an unconstitutional taking under a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a 1996 case.

Complete Roll Call Vote Tally

House Bill 4098, Repeal "bad driver tax," passed in the House (105 to 0)
To repeal most of the "driver responsibility fees," except for ones on serious infractions like drunk driving or violations causing injury or death. The fees would end in 2012; individuals with current "bad driver tax" liability could clear their account by paying half the tax by the end of 2011. This tax was adopted in 2003 to avoid spending cuts and reforms.

Complete Roll Call Vote Tally

House Bill 5599, Authorize 9-1-1 phone tax "fund raid," passed in the House (63 to 44)
To take $7 million in each of the next two fiscal years from telephone tax money levied to pay for 9-1-1 emergency phone service infrastructure, and use it instead to avoid spending cuts and reforms. The infrastructure was completed several years ago, but in 2008 the tax was extended through 2014 anyway. This phone tax revenue was previously "raided" in 2004, and again in 2006.

Complete Roll Call Vote Tally

SOURCE: MichiganVotes.org, a free, nonpartisan website created by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, providing concise, nonpartisan, plain-English descriptions of every bill and vote in the Michigan House and Senate. Please visit https://www.michiganvotes.org.

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