Every week, MichiganVotes.org sends a report to newspapers and TV stations showing how just the state legislators in each publication's service area voted on the most important and interesting bills and amendments of the past seven days. The version shown here instead contains a link to the complete roll call tally in either the House or Senate. To find out who your state senator is and how to contact him or her go here; for state representatives go here.
Senate Bill 1238, Authorize transit development
debt and spending, passed in the Senate (36 to 0)
To give local "tax increment financing authorities" the power to borrow and
spend on infrastructure projects and subsidies that promote the use of mass
transit and are within a half mile of a transit station. The debt is paid by
"capturing" a portion of increased property taxes that would
otherwise be available to local governments to pay for their own operations (or
for tax cuts).
Senate Bill 1152, Appropriate $14.1 billion for
Medicaid and more, passed in the Senate (28 to 10), passed in the House (68 to 39)
The House-Senate conference report for the 2011 Community Health (Medicaid)
budget. This would appropriate $14.124 billion in gross spending, compared to
$13.092 billion this year. $9.473 billion is federal money, including $650.3
million of "stimulus" deficit spending.
Complete Senate Roll Call Vote Tally
Complete House Roll Call Vote Tally
Senate Bill 884, Authorize tax amnesty window,
passed in the Senate (33 to 4), passed in the House (57 to 48)
To open a delinquent tax payment amnesty period from May 15 to June 30, 2011,
during which all penalties would be waived for delinquent state taxes if paid
in a lump sum or through an installment plan. The House version would have hired collection agencies to go after delinquent taxpayers on a commission basis, but this was stripped-out in the Senate and final versions. This is one of several one-time
revenue sources proposed to close the gap between expected state revenue and
desired spending.
Complete Senate Roll Call Vote Tally
Complete House Roll Call Vote Tally
House Bill 6426, Revise liquor sale
restrictions, passed in the Senate (30 to 7), passed in the House (77 to 28)
To allow rebate coupons and other liquor sales promotions; authorize $50,000
wine auction licenses; and increase bootlegging penalties and enforcement
measures. This is one of the revenue sources proposed to close the gap between
expected state revenue and desired spending.
Complete Senate Roll Call Vote Tally
Complete House Roll Call Vote Tally
SOURCE: MichiganVotes.org, a free, nonpartisan website created by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, providing concise, nonpartisan, plain-English descriptions of every bill and vote in the Michigan House and Senate. Please visit https://www.michiganvotes.org.
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.