August 24, 2012, MichiganVotes.org Weekly Roll Call

The House and Senate are in the midst of a summer break, so rather than votes, this report instead contains several newly introduced bills of interest.

Note: There will be no roll call report in the next two weeks. The next report will be Sept. 14.

Y = Yes, N = No, X = Not Voting

Senate Bill 1224: Mandate employer grant leave for parent school events

Introduced by Sen. Bert Johnson (D), to mandate that employers must grant an employee up to 10 hours of unpaid leave per child, per academic year to attend academic activities. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Bill 1229: Create crime of gaining access to livestock with ill intent

Introduced by Sen. Judy Emmons (R), to create a new crime of attempting to gain access to "agricultural production facility” through false statements, including trying to get a job there, with the intent of causing damage, disrupting operations or removing (“liberating”) animals, subject to penalties of up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Bill 1230: Impose performance bond mandate on mobile home park owners

Introduced by Sen. Judy Emmons (R), to mandate that mobile home park operators must post a bond against the costs of a potential closure, including the removal and disposal of abandoned mobile homes, scrap material and waste. The bill does not specify the bond amount, but instead authorizes a state agency to establish this through administrative rulemaking. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Bill 1231: Mandate motorist turn on dome light when stopped at night

Introduced by Sen. Judy Emmons (R), to require a motorist stopped by police at night to turn on vehicle’s the interior lights, subject to a $100 fine, which would be divided between the courts, the state and the local government. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Bill 1237: Create government database of residents’ health care use

Introduced by Sen. Jim Marleau (R), to create a government “medical care database” to compile statewide data from health insurance companies and HMOs on the cost of all health care services provided in the state. This would not include personal information but would include patient demographic characteristics, diagnoses, health care services provided, the amounts charged and paid, medications prescribed, and more. The state insurance commission would be required to publish an annual report on the data. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 5761: Revise cash welfare time limits

Introduced by Rep. John Olumba (D), to eliminate a current cap of 48 months on the time a person can collect cash welfare benefits (which under current law has many exceptions). Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 5768: Prohibit Michigan National Guard executing federal “indefinite detention”,

Introduced by Rep. Tom McMillin (R), to prohibit members of the Michigan National Guard or other state and local government officials from helping to execute a recent federal law ("NDAA") giving the current or a future President the power to order the indefinite detention of persons arrested on U.S. soil, without charge or trial. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 5769: Give savings account money to low income workers

Introduced by Rep. Jim Ananich (D), to give up to $150 in matching grants to an Earned Income Tax Credit recipient who places at least $50 in a “qualified savings account.” The bill would also increase the state EITC from 6 percent to 20 percent of the federal EITC. This is a “refundable” credit for low income workers (meaning that a check is sent to the taxpayer for the balance of the credit exceeding taxes owed, if any). Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 5770: Authorize state grants to certain doctors

Introduced by Rep. Jim Ananich (D), to pay the full cost of medical school for a student who agrees to provide primary care services for three years in an area with a doctor shortage. Also, to distribute up to $80,000 in student loan repayment money to a health care professional for providing services in such an area, depending on how long the person stays there. Up to $4 million annually for three years would be given to up to 40 individuals. The proposal contains “clawback” provisions if a recipient does not stay the required time. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 5774: Impose home health care agency licensure mandate

Introduced by Rep. Kurt Heise (R), to impose a new licensure mandate on agencies that offer “skilled home health services or personal care services” to a consumer in the person’s home or residence. The bill would also mandate that home care placement agencies that refer providers of these services must register with the Department of Community Health, which would post a list of the registered agencies online. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 5776: Require parents permission to place student with "ineffective" teacher

Introduced by Rep. Maureen Stapleton (D), to require a public school district to get the written consent of a parent or guardian before placing a child in a classroom with a teacher who is rated “ineffective” on his or her most recent year-end evaluation, as defined by a system the state is developing following enactment of a 2011 teacher tenure reform law. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

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

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