Dec. 2 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 4163, Require school bullying policies: Passed 35 to 2 in the Senate
To require schools to adopt a policy prohibiting harassment, intimidation, or bullying, but not one enumerating specific characteristics, including gender, race and sexual orientation. The bill does not include an exemption previously added by the Senate to its own bullying bill, Senate Bill 137, for "a statement of a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction." That bill will be allowed to die in the House.

Who Voted "Yes and Who Voted "No"

Senate Bill 484, Authorize state borrowing to pay off unemployment debt to feds: Passed 34 to 2 in the Senate
To authorize a state unemployment “obligation assessment” imposed on all employers to service the debt incurred through state borrowing to pay off some $3.2 billion owed to the federal government for unemployment benefits paid to residents over the past several years. Senate Bill 483 authorizes the borrowing ("bond sales").

Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"

Senate Bill 806, Revise unemployment insurance social welfare program: Passed 23 to 11 in the Senate
To revise various elements of the state unemployment insurance social welfare system. This is part of the package authorizing state borrowing to pay off some $3.2 billion in unemployment system debt, owed because benefit payments exceeded payroll tax revenues. The bill would revise the formulas for assessing these payroll taxes on employers; require beneficiaries to accept alternative work at lower pay than currently required; increase required job-search disclosures and reporting by beneficiaries; clarify factors making an employee ineligible for unemployment benefits (like stealing or absenteeism); and more. It would also make employees in a “work sharing” program eligible for unemployment benefits.

Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"

House Bill 5125, Authorize elimination of road commissions: Passed 66 to 40 in the House
To establish that a county road commission can be eliminated by a county board if its creation was originally authorized by the county board, and eliminated by a vote of the people if that's how it was originally authorized. If either happens, the county board would assume the duty of managing the county's road system.

Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"

Senate Bill 567, Create another corporate subsidy program: Passed 95 to 11 in the House
To authorize cash subsidies of up to $10 million for firms selected by political appointees on the board of the state government's “Michigan Strategic Fund,” who would have broad discretion to hand out these cash subsidies and subsidized loans to particular firms. This “Michigan Community Revitalization Program” would essentially replace subsidies provided through the Michigan Economic Growth Authority (MEGA), and also ones handed out under "brownfields" statutes, which were "open-ended," whereas this program will hand out around $100 million annually (that's the amount appropriated this year).

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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