The House and Senate are on a two-week spring break. Therefore, this report contains several recently introduced bills of interest.

Senate Bill 512: Mandate schools teach sexual activity rules/etiquette

Introduced by Sen. Curtis Hertel, Jr. (D), to require public school sex education classes to teach this:
“…That in order for consent to be given by both parties to sexual activity it must be affirmative consent and that ‘affirmative consent’ means affirmative, conscious, and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity; that it is the responsibility of each individual involved in the sexual activity to ensure that he or she has the affirmative consent of the other to engage in the sexual activity; that lack of protest or resistance does not mean consent and that silence does not mean consent; that affirmative consent must be ongoing throughout a sexual activity and can be revoked at any time; and that the existence of a dating relationship between the persons involved, or the fact of past sexual relations between them, should never by itself be assumed to be an indicator of consent.” Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Bill 524: Revise big box store property tax assessments

Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R), to require property tax assessors to reduce assessments on big box retail stores and other retail store property whose real cash value if sold to another owner may be less than its value to the enterprise that currently operates the store as part of a “going concern.” Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Bill 526: Ban Great Lakes aquaculture

Introduced by Sen. Rick Jones (R), to ban fish farms in the Great Lakes and connecting waters. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Bill 527: Impose motorcycle helmet mandate

Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D), to mandate that motorcycle operators wear a helmet. The bill would re-impose a helmet mandate that was repealed in 2011 after 20 years of lobbying by motorcycle riders. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Bill 535: Make it a crime for ballot petitioners to lie

Introduced by Sen. Curtis Hertel, Jr. (D) to make it a crime for a ballot access petition circulator to misrepresent the contents of a ballot question or recall petition, or whether the circulator is paid or a volunteer. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Bill 550: Allow state scholarships for religious training

Introduced by Sen. Dale W. Zorn (R), to eliminate a prohibition on allowing students in theology or divinity programs to receive state college scholarships. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 4762: Impose annual mileage tax on all vehicles

Introduced by Rep. Robert Kosowski (D), to impose a new tax of $50 for every 10,000 miles a car, truck or motorcycle is driven, in addition to current vehicle registration (license plate) taxes. Owners would be required to appear annually in person at a Secretary of State office to pay the tax, and the SOS would have to verify and keep records of the mileage driven, which implies that the vehicle would have to be brought in also. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 4763: Authorize state poet laureate

Introduced by Rep. Sarah Roberts (D) to authorize the appointment by each governor of a state poet laureate, who would serve at the pleasure of the governor (meaning the governor could fire the individual at any time). The bill authorizes no compensation, but does allow government money to be used to reimburse travel expenses. The bill has 41 cosponsors from both parties. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 4766: Authorize a state “teen court”

Introduced by Rep. Andrea LaFontaine (R), to authorize a “teen court” for teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 who are charged with certain criminal misdemeanors. If a youth accepted responsibility for the crime met the conditions and terms imposed by the court then the charges would be dismissed and the record of the proceedings would not become a public record, although records would be visible to law enforcement officials. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 4781: Require school internet filters and “digital citizenship” promotion

Introduced by Rep. Robert Kosowski (D), to require public schools to have internet filters that prevent students from viewing “harmful content” on school computers. Also, to require schools to promote “digital citizenship,” defined as “norms of appropriate, responsible, and healthy behavior related to the use of a telecommunications access device or other technology, including digital literacy, ethics, etiquette, and security.” Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 4795: Sanction local gun ban preemption scofflaws

Introduced by Rep. Lee Chatfield (R), to authorize private lawsuits against a local government that violates a state preemption on local firearms ownership or use restrictions, which would allow plaintiffs to collect actual damages and costs if they prevail. Elected or appointed local officials who “knowingly and willfully” enact or enforce preempted restrictions would be subject to a $5,000 civil fine. Reported from committee, pending before the full House.

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.

Permission to reprint this blog post in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author (or authors) and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy are properly cited.