News Story

I'm Just a Bill

Due to a data-entry error, Rep. Dave Agema, R-Grandville, was listed on www.MichiganVotes.org as the sponsor of House Bill 5593, now Public Act 216 of 2009, which increased the state licensure fees imposed on nurses. This error was printed in “Just a Bill” in the last edition of Michigan Capitol Confidential. House Bill 5593 was actually sponsored by Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith, D-Salem Township. There were no co-sponsors. Rep Agema voted “no” on the bill when it passed the House on Dec. 10, 2009.

MichiganVotes.org and Michigan Capitol Confidential apologize to Rep. Agema for the error. Below are some of the real bills Rep. Agema has sponsored.

HOUSE BILL 5523
Repeal “prevailing wage” law

Introduced by state Rep. Dave Agema, R-Grandville

The bill would revise references in the state school code to reflect the repeal of the state “prevailing wage” law proposed by House Bill 5522. The “prevailing wage” law which prohibits awarding government contracts, including school building and repair projects, to contractors who submit the lowest bid unless the contractor pays “prevailing wages,” which are based on union pay scales in a particular part of a geographic region. These wage rates may be above the market rate in other parts of the region.

HOUSE BILL 6285
Narrow allowable film subsidy secrecy

Introduced by state Rep. Dave Agema, R-Grandville

The bill would narrow the scope of a Freedom of Information Act exemption in the state film subsidy law. Under current law the state Film Office can keep secret information, records or other data submitted on commercial and financial operations submitted by a production company. The bill removes this part the FOIA exemption, limiting it to just intellectual property or information whose release may put the company at a competitive disadvantage.

HOUSE BILL 5594
Mandate public schools privatize non-instructional services

Introduced by state Rep. Dave Agema, R-Grandville

The bill would require public school districts to contract out custodial, transportation and food services. They would have to use competitive bidding to award contracts more than $20,000.

HOUSE BILL 6286
Require proof of citizenship to register to vote

Introduced by state Rep. Dave Agema, R-Grandville

The bill would require a person to provide proof of United States citizenship when registering to vote.

HOUSE BILL 4903
Ban environmental cleanup standards more stringent than federal

Introduced by state Rep. Dave Agema, R-Grandville

The bill would prohibit state hazardous substance environmental cleanup standards or regulations than are more stringent than required by federal law.

HOUSE BILL 6114
Cut MBT, replace revenue by eliminating selective tax breaks, subsidies

Introduced by state Rep. Dave Agema, R-Grandville

The bill would eliminate any future selective Michigan Business Tax business tax breaks being granted by government “economic development” agency officials to firms that also enjoy “renaissance zone” tax exemptions. 

HOUSE BILL 6259
Create incentive for state employees to spend less than appropriated

Introduced by state Rep. Dave Agema, R-Grandville

The bill would give employees in a state agency 30 percent of the savings realized in a given fiscal year between the amount that was appropriated for the agency’s annual budget and how much less than this was actually spent.

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.