Legislative Action Report April 24, 2017
Michigan Legislative Action Report,
by Linda Pepper, Monday April 24, 2017
Bill Passed by Senate
OPPOSE:
SB 245 repeals a ban on switchblade knives was passed by the Senate, 36 to 1 in favor, and has been sent to the House Judiciary Committee.
Bills Introduced in Senate
SUPPORT:
SB 281 expands political speech regulation has been introduced by Steve Bieda (D). It would impose Michigan campaign finance regulatory regime on entities under Section 527 of the federal tax code (called super-PAC’s). It was referred to the Elections & Government Reform Committee.
SB 292 was introduced by Rick Jones (R) and would ban new underwater pipelines in Great Lakes waters. Existing pipelines would have 90 days to submit a risk analysis. It was referred to the Natural Resources Committee.
SB 293 & 294 involve criminalizing leaving guns where a minor can get it. These were introduced by Rebekah Warren (D) and referred to the Judiciary Committee.
SB 311 introduced by Morris Hood (D) would cap rainy day fund and spend money instead on schools and municipals. It would cap it at $612 million as it was at the end of last budget year. The money budgeted for that fund would go to schools.
Watch: SB 295 & 296 were Introduced by Rebekah Warren and would impose a graduated income tax. They were referred to the Finance Committee and no financial analysis is available yet.
OPPOSE:
SB 290 would revise election recount deposit requirements. It was introduced by David Robinson (R) to increase the deposit that a candidate must make to get a recount to $250 per precinct if the winner’s margin was greater than 5%. It was referred to the Elections and Government Reform Committee.
SB 304 was introduced by Joe Hune (R) to reduce the cigarette tax from $2 to $1. It was referred to the committee on Finance.
Bills Introduced in the House
SUPPORT:
HB 4478 was introduced by Abdullah Hammoud (D) and it mandates disclosure of legislator tax returns. I would have new legislators submit their tax returns for the previous year. This would be posted online as part of campaign finance reports.
OPPOSE:
HB 4481 was introduced by Rep. Martin Howrylak (R) on April 19, 2017. It requires a plaque honoring the Second Amendment’s recognition of the right of individuals to keep and bear arms to be placed on the Capitol grounds. This plaque was created by the "Brass Roots" organization, reportedly by melting down brass cartridge cases donated by citizens who gathered at the Capitol in 1994 to protest federal and state infringements on the rights recognized by the Second Amendment.
From Michigan Resistance:
Their posting this week is mostly about the state budget and its current negative effect on homeless shelter, Meals on Wheels and water testing. They urge you to contact your representatives and said that an “executive recommendation” is less harmful. I would refer you to their website for more information.
From Michigan Action:
Thank you for subscribing to receive weekly updates from miactionlist.org. Our April 25 newsletter is now live! This week they talk about vaccines, tampons, and more about license plates. And one of our suggested reads is for the whole family. Look for an array of budgetary feedback actions in next week's May 2 newsletter.
