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By Jack McHugh
House Bill 4605, House GOP road package: Passed 62 to 47 in the House
To earmark a portion of state income tax revenue to road funding, starting with $192 million in 2016 and increasing to $717 million in 2019.
According to the House Fiscal Agency, this and other bills in the House package would generate an additional $1.163 billion in annual road repair funding by 2019 with just modest tax increases (see House Bill 4615 below). Given projected increases in income tax revenue over that period, with the road funding package the amount of general fund dollars available for other (non-road) spending would increase by $355 million in 2019, versus an increase of $1.137 billion without the package.
Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”
House Bill 4609, House GOP road package (EITC repeal): Passed 57 to 52 in the House
To eliminate the state earned income tax credit, which grants recipients an amount equal to 6 percent of the federal EITC. The EITC is a "refundable" tax credit that sends checks to low income workers totaling around $115 million annually, which would be reallocated to road funding (see previous bill).
Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”
House Bill 4607, House GOP road package (corporate subsidies repeal): Passed 60 to 49 in the House
To no longer spend $75 million annually on various direct and indirect subsidies granted to corporations and developers under the “21st Century Jobs Fund” rubric, and instead use this money on road repairs. House Bill 4608 defunds other subsidies, but both bills require spending to continue for government tourism industry promotion ("Pure Michigan" ads).
Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”
House Bill 4615, House GOP road package (diesel tax increase): Passed 58 to 51 in the House
To increase the current 15 cents per gallon diesel fuel tax to 19 cents per gallon, and index future diesel and gasoline tax rates to inflation. Also, to tax natural gas and other “alternative fuels” burned by vehicles at an equivalent rate. This is part of a House package that by 2019 generates $1.163 billion more for road repairs by reprioritizing current spending, except for this bill's $78 million tax increase.
Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”
Senate Bill 351, Ban divorce lawyer “ambulance chasing”: Passed 36 to 2 in the Senate
To prohibit a lawyer from soliciting business from a party to a divorce action within 21 days after proof of service in the action was filed with the court, punishable by fines of $1,000, and $5,000 for subsequent violations.
Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”
Senate Bill 336, Authorize "Amber Alert" type system for at-large cop killer: Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate
To establish procedures for rapidly disseminating useful information to radio and television stations when a person suspected of killing or seriously injuring a police officer is on the loose and dangerous. This would be called a “blue alert.”
Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”
Senate Bill 211, Authorize uncensored public school American heritage instruction: Passed 30 to 8 in the Senate
To require public school boards to “permit” instruction and reading of “America's founding documents” including those related to the country’s “representative form of limited government, the Bill of Rights, our free-market economic system, and patriotism.” School districts would be prohibited from censoring or restraining reading that includes “religious references in original source documents, writings, speeches, proclamations, or records.”
Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”
House Bill 4101, Try to "buy-back" state venture capital investment guarantees: Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate
To appropriate $45 million for an effort to buy-back at a discount some $50 million worth of investor return guarantees the state gave out under an "early stage venture capital investment" scheme authorized by a 2003 law.
Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”
House Bill 4189, Let adoption agencies refuse adoptions that violate moral convictions: Passed 26 to 12 in the Senate
to establish that a private adoption or foster care agency is not required to assist or participate in an adoption or placement that violates its written religious or moral convictions, including adoptions of a child by a homosexual. State agencies would be prohibited from discriminating or taking an “adverse action” against an agency for this reason.
Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”
House Bill 4052, Preempt local employer wage, benefit or labor law mandates: Passed 22 to 16 in the Senate
To preempt local governments, public schools, state colleges and universities, and other governmental authorities from imposing mandatory wage, benefit, leave time and other requirements on employers that exceed those required by state or federal law.
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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