I'm Just a Bill
A Sampling of Proposed New State Laws, as Described on MichiganVotes.org
House Bill 4173
(Name US-127 “Annie Oakley Trail”)
Introduced by State Rep. Marie Donigan, D-Royal Oak
Name portions of US-127 in Lenawee and Gratiot counties the “Annie Oakley Memorial Trail.”
House Bill 4085
(Revise recall petition rules)
Introduced by State Rep. Richard Ball, R-Bennington Township
Would require the reasons cited for an official’s recall and determined by the county board of elections to be of sufficient clarity to be affixed to the recall petition. Under current law, the boards are required to determine whether the reason is sufficiently clear to enable voters and the official to identify the course of conduct that is the basis for the recall. The bill also would prohibit collecting recall signatures until an official had been in office for six months and would impose a $50 fee when the petition was filed. Current law prohibits filing the petition in the first six months, but not collecting signatures.
House Bill 4752
(Pay Detroit School Board members $61,890 salary plus pension)
Introduced by State Rep. George Cushingberry, D-Detroit
Would authorize salaries for Detroit School Board members equal to 90 percent of what Wayne County Commission members are paid, plus a pension benefit equal to 90 percent of the commissioners’ pension. Commissioners get an annual salary of $68,767. Note: Wayne County commissioners also get a $500 per month auto allowance and an $86,000 annual office budget.
Senate Bill 788
(Require licensure of massage therapists)
Introduced by State Sen. Gilda Jacobs, D-Huntington Woods
Would require licensure and regulation of massage therapists and impose a $75 annual license fee. The bill would require 500 hours of training and would create a Michigan Board of Massage Therapy to establish licensure and competence assessment requirements for the practice of massage therapy.
Senate Bill 626
(Ban dog racing and simulcasting)
Introduced by State Sen. Valde Garcia, R-Howell
Would ban dog racing and dog-race simulcasting.
Senate Bill 139
(Restrict local elected official recalls)
Introduced by State Sen. Gerald Van Woerkom, R-Muskegon
Would prohibit the recall of an elected official, even if a majority of those voting in the recall election approved it, unless the number of votes in favor were greater than the votes received by the official when he or she was elected. The bill applies to elected local government and school officials only, not to state official.
House Bill 5111
(Revise cigarette fire safety law)
Introduced by State Rep. Michael Sak, D-Grand Rapids
Would revise and make more specific various duties of the Department of Treasury related to the enforcement of Michigan law on the fire safety standards of cigarettes.
Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.