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By Jack McHugh
House Bill 5220, Appropriate money for Flint water contamination response: Passed 38 to 0 in the Senate
To appropriate $28 million to pay for response activities related to the contamination of the Flint water supply, of which $2.8 million is federal money. The Senate revised details of the House-passed spending plan after consulting with on-the-ground experts in the city.
Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”
Senate Bill 328, Authorize more State Police officer grades: Passed 35 to 0 in the Senate
To create two new grades of State Police officer, called "inspector" and "recruit." The current grades are colonel, lieutenant colonel, major, captain, lieutenant, sergeant and trooper.
Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”
Senate Bill 539, Add more “promise zone” transparency: Passed 98 to 9 in the House
To impose additional reporting requirements on “promise zone” tax increment financing authorities located in low income areas, and provide a means for dissolving them. These entities “capture" a portion school property tax revenue to partially subsidize college tuition for local students.
Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”
Senate Bill 220, Waive fee for animal abuse background check: Passed 37 to 1 in the Senate
To allow animal shelters to access a government database called the Internet Criminal History Access Tool (ICHAT) at no charge for purposes of checking whether an individual who wants to adopt an animal has been convicted of an animal abuse offense.
Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”
Senate Bill 394, Streamline rental housing inspection regulations: Passed 73 to 34 in the House
To revise local government rental housing registration and inspection details. Among other things the bill would allow rather than require communities of a certain size to mandate that landlords must register themselves and their rental units. Also, a local government would not be required to inspect a multiple dwelling or rooming house unless it received a complaint from an occupant.
Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”
House Bill 4783, Increase landfill permit violation penalties: Passed 77 to 29 in the House
To increase the fines a state agency can impose on landfill operators for not meeting state environmental law standards or permits requirements to $75,000 per day for second or subsequent violations, and $25,000 per day the first time. These are civil not criminal penalties, which means the procedural safeguards available to a criminal defendant do not apply.
Who Voted “Yes” and Who Voted “No”
House Bill 4868, Ban using drones to interfere with public safety, or for surveillance: Passed 89 to 17 in the House
To make it a crime to fly a drone in a way that interferes with public safety or public utility activities. The bill would define flying a drone over private property without authority as trespassing, and prohibit using a drone for eavesdropping or surveillance.
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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