September 16 MichiganVotes.org Weekly Roll Call Report

MichiganVotes.org sends a weekly report to newspapers and TV stations around the state showing how state legislators in their service area voted on the most important or interesting bills of the past week.

House Bill 4929, Ban using public school resources to deduct union dues: Passed 55 to 53 in the House
To prohibit school districts from using taxpayer resources (including their payroll processing systems) to deduct union dues or fees from employees’ pay, and then sending the money to a union. This practice is the current norm, so the bill would require unions to collect dues or fees from school employees on their own. Under a recent Michigan Supreme Court ruling (MEA vs. Land), districts are already prohibited from deducting employee pay and sending it to a union political action committee.

Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"

House Bill 4770, Ban government benefits for “domestic partners”: Passed 64 to 44
To prohibit the state, public schools, colleges and universities and local governments from providing medical benefits or other fringe benefits to an employee’s “domestic partner,” defined as someone who is not married to the employee and not a dependent or survivor.

Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"

House Bill 4771, Ban government union bargaining over “domestic partner” benefits: Passed 64 to 44 in the House
To make “domestic partner” benefits a prohibited subject during government employee collective bargaining. House Bill 4770 bans domestic partner benefits for government employees.

Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"

Senate Bill 473, Revise "bioreactor landfill” regulation: Passed 24 to 13 in the Senate
To eliminate the requirement that a "bioreactor landfill" must have a secondary liner and leachate collection system to monitor the effectiveness of the primary liner. In these landfills certain bulk liquids are added to accelerate breakdown of the solid waste.

Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"

Senate Bill 584, Authorize “closed” GOP presidential primary on Feb. 28: Passed 25 to 12 in the Senate
To authorize a Republican presidential primary election on Feb. 28, 2012. This would be a “closed” primary, meaning voters would have to “declare” that they want a Republican ballot. The voter lists would become public information.

Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"

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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