October 4, 2013, MichiganVotes Weekly Vote Report

House Bill 4786, Increase vital records fees: Passed 20 to 18 in the Senate
To increase the fees for obtaining copies of vital records such as birth and death certificates. The fee increases range from $4 to $15 per record, and the bill also authorizes an extra $25 fee for “expedited” service.

Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"

House Bill 4787, Increase CON health facility rationing fees: Passed 23 to 14 in the Senate
To increase from $1,500 to $3,000 the “base” fee for a hospital or other health care providers seeking government permission to open or expand a health care facility, or add certain capital-intensive equipment (like MRIs), under an existing state “Certificate of Need” rationing regime. The bill would also authorize additional fees of $12,000 for large projects, $3,000 for “complex” projects, $500 for “letter of intent” reviews, and more.

Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No" 

Senate Bill 428, Ban governments buying foreign-made American flags: Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate
To prohibit local governments from buying American flags made outside this country to place on veteran’s graves, unless no competitively-priced American-made flags are available.

Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No" 

Adjourn 2013 legislature immediately so Medicaid expansion can begin Jan. 1: Failed by voice vote in the Senate
To adjourn the 2013 legislative session immediately (rather than the usual time in the last week of December, so that the federal health care law ("Obamacare") Medicaid expansion can go into effect at the start of 2013. When the legislature approved the expansion in August they did not give the measure "immediate effect," which means it cannot go into effect until three months after the legislature adjourns for the year. No roll call available, "voice vote" only.

Senate Bill 25, Revise principal residence property tax exemption appeal detail: Passed 102 to 6 in the House
To provide property owners with a process to appeal to the Department of Treasury for any past year that a principal residence property tax exemption was erroneously not applied, regardless of when the exemption was claimed. Under current law appeals can only cover the past three years, and this would still apply if an owner erroneously received the credit due to an error by the local government.

Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No" 

Senate Bill 351, Clarify farm fertilizer use penalties: Passed 94 to 14 in the House
To clarify that use of fertilizers and other soil conditioners prior to a 1981 law, and which followed “generally accepted” agricultural and management practices at the time of use, does not constitute a “release” of hazardous substances in violation of state regulations, which could trigger extremely burdensome cleanup requirements.

Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"

House Bill 4633, Mandate license plate replacement after 10 years: Passed 74 to 33 in the House
To mandate that vehicle owners must replace their license plate after 10 years, even if it is still legible. Under current law the state imposes a $5 extra charge to replace a plate.

Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"

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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