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Senate Bill 280, Ban schools and governments paying union officials to do union work: Passed 20 to 17 in the Senate

To prohibit the state and local governments, including public schools, from carrying union officials on their payroll for doing union work, on either a full time or part time basis. Under these so-called “release time” arrangements many public school districts pay a local union official a teacher's salary to do union work on school time. All Democrats and six Republicans voted "no."

Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”

Senate Bill 279, Ban public school/union pension spiking scheme: Passed 25 to 12 in the Senate

To prohibit public school districts from adopting arrangements in which a school employee goes to work full time for a teachers union but remains a school employee for purposes of collecting a government pension. Recent news reports have exposed how the recent presidents of the state’s largest teachers union were paid by the union but remained school employees "on leave" for many years, thereby "spiking" their government pension payouts to six-figure amounts.

Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”

Senate Bill 492, "Push back" against Obama NLRB franchise unionization rule: Passed 27 to 10 in the Senate

To establish that the owner of a local business franchise is the sole employer of its employees, rather than being a "joint employer" alongside the franchisor, with some specified exceptions. The bill was introduced after President Obama’s appointees on the National Labor Relations Board ruled that all franchise employees are actually employed by the franchiser for purposes of union organizing. This would mean that employees at local stores franchised by a national chain (like McDonald’s) could be unionized on a nationwide basis.

Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”

Senate Bill 13, Eliminate straight ticket ballot option: Passed 23 to 13 in the Senate

To eliminate the straight party ticket option from election ballots.

Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”

Senate Bill 552, Increase groundwater discharge permit fees: Passed 25 to 12 in the Senate

To increase groundwater discharge permit fees, and revise some details of this regulatory regime on enterprises that discharge wastewater onto the ground or into groundwater. The bill would authorize a different fee category for car washes, laundromats, seasonal RV parks and camps, and certain other small commercial facilities.

Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”

House Bill 4159, Exempt retired corrections officials from concealed pistol law's “gun free zone”: Passed 28 to 8 in the Senate

To repeal a prohibition on active and retired local and state corrections officers who have concealed pistol licenses from the “gun free zone” provision of the concealed pistol permit law. Along with Senate Bill 516 (see below) this would allow these individuals to carry a concealed pistol in a school, bar, stadium, etc.

Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”

Senate Bill 516, Exempt retired corrections officials from concealed pistol law's “gun free zone”: Passed 83 to 23 in the House

To repeal a prohibition on active and retired local and state corrections officers who have concealed pistol licenses from the “gun free zone” provision of the concealed pistol permit law. Along with House Bill 4159 (see above) this would allow these individuals to carry a concealed pistol in a school, bar, stadium, etc.

Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”

House Bill 5023, Establish more “dark sky preserves”: Passed 88 to 18 in the House

To designate the Rockport State Recreation Area, Negwegon State Park, and Thompson's Harbor State Park as “dark sky preserves,” which means state authorities must restrict outdoor lighting to only that needed for safety, security, or reasonable use and enjoyment.

Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”

House Bill 4854, Waive motorcycle license test if safety course completed: Passed 101 to 5 in the House

To waive the requirement that an applicant for a driver's license motorcycle “endorsement” must take a written knowledge test, road sign test, and driving skills test, if the person has successfully passed a motorcycle safety course approved by the state.

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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