The Legislature had limited sessions this week with no roll call votes of general interest. Rather than votes, this Roll Call Report describes some recent constitutional amendment proposals of general interest.

Senate Joint Resolution Q: Ban banning state employees from communicating with a legislator

Introduced by Sen. Tom Barrett (R), to place before voters in the next general election a constitutional amendment establishing that a state department or agency may not take disciplinary action against an employee because the employee communicates with a member of the legislature or a member's staff. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Joint Resolution T: Repeal state constitution’s same sex marriage ban

Introduced by Rep. Jon Hoadley (D), to place before voters in the next general election a constitutional amendment to repeal a provision of the Michigan constitution approved by voters in a 2004 ballot initiative that states the following: “To secure and preserve the benefits of marriage for our society and for future generations of children, the union of one man and one woman in marriage shall be the only agreement recognized as a marriage or similar union for any purposes." Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Joint Resolution V: Add two new Civil Service Commission members in 2020

Introduced by Rep. John Chirkun (D), to place before voters a proposal to add two additional members to the four-member state Civil Service Commission, which regulates the conditions of employment for civil servants in the state. This would allow Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to immediately appoint the two new members, which would likely tilt the majority to individuals more friendly to government employee unions.The commission was in the news this year for adopting new rules requiring government employee unions to get affirmative consent from each employee annually before charging fees or dues, bringing the state in compliance with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2019 Janus ruling. (The ruling prohibited requiring government employees to pay union dues as a condition of employment.) Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Joint Resolution S: Exempt first $50,000 of pension income from income tax

Introduced by Rep. John Cherry (D), to place before voters in the next general election a proposal to exempt from state or local income tax the first $50,000 of retirement or pension benefits per individual who is 65 years of age or older. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

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