HB 4820:  Allows the inclusion of personnel decisions for teachers in collective bargaining agreements

Sponsor: Rep. Skaggs (D)
Passage: 56-53 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO:  If we want the most qualified educators teaching in our classrooms, administrators must be able to evaluate teachers based on their qualifications and place them where they are best suited. Teachers who are trained to teach special education should be working with students who have special needs, for example.

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SB 359:  Modifies factors that can or cannot be considered by a community district when determining compensation for teachers or administrators.

Sponsor: Sen. Chang (D)
Passage: 56-53 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO: The old DPS district put themselves in an unworkable position due to bad financial management, jeopardizing the education of thousands of kids. Another district following the same path harms both the city of Detroit and the children’s future.

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SB 289:  Expands the Transformational Brownfield Program, which assists Michigan communities in transforming obsolete and vacant properties into mixed-use developments.

Sponsor: Sen. Moss (D)
Passage: 90-19 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO:  We should not be expanding state incentive programs for private industry.

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SB 35:  Would remove the requirement that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) apply an asset test to determine eligibility for the Food Assistance Program (FAP), the state-level program that administers the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Sponsor: Sen. Irwin (D)
Passage: 56-53 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO: The people trust us to run their government effectively and efficiently. That’s what I came to Lansing to do. That’s why I’m fighting this plan to open up taxpayer-funded assistance to people who don’t need the help. This is wasteful, and this is wrong.

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BILL PACKAGE HB 4474-4477:  Redefine “Ethnic Intimidation” as a “Hate Crime” and Criminalize Institutional Desecration.

Sponsors: Reps. Arbit (D), Grant (D), & Puri (D)
HB 4474-4475 Passage: 59-50 with Immediate Effect
HB 4476 Passage: 83-26 with Immediate Effect
HB 4477 Passage: 82-27 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO: There is nothing wrong with current law, and that no change is necessary. 

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HB 4354:  Would delete many current prohibited subjects of collective bargaining for schools making them subject to contract negotiations. These include topics such as personnel decisions, performance evaluations, merit pay, notifications to parents on teacher performance and district consolidations.

Sponsor: Rep. Weiss (D)
Passage: 56-53 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO:  By allowing teacher placement to be determined by CBA, we will return to a system where senior teachers dominated the best positions. With teacher recruitment being a major problem, this will only exacerbate that issue.

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BILL PACKAGE HB 4356-4357:  Would repeal the prohibition on including contracting of noninstructional services to a third party by a school from collective bargaining agreements.

Sponsors: Reps. Carter & Hood (D)
Passages: 56-53 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO:  Allowing unions to decide when and how teachers are evaluated removes all accountability. An evaluation should accurately reflect how well teachers connect with students and present learning material to their classrooms each and every day. Telling them the exact time and material they are being evaluated on will not show how well they work with our kids on a daily basis.

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HB 4689: Designates a portion of highway US-127 in Ingham County as the “Trooper Starr Memorial Highway”.

Sponsor: Rep. Hope (D)
Passage: 109-0 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES:  This highway naming allows us to express our gratitude and appreciation for Trooper Caleb Starr for his service to Michigan.

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HB 4044:  Would repeal the prohibition on step increases when a contract between a school district and an employee union has expired. Employees would also no longer be required to pay any increase in their health care benefits during the negotiation period. Finally, it would also repeal the prohibition on increases becoming retroactive.

Sponsor: Rep. Koleszar (D)
Passage: 56-53 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO:  This bill creates an uneven playing field at the bargaining table by taking us back to the previous law that saw long contract disputes.

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HB 4233:  Amends Public Employment Relations Act (PERA) to remove the prohibition on public school employers from utilizing public school resources to collect union dues. 

Sponsor: Rep. Churches (D)
Passage: 56-53 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO:  Public school funding continues to face pressures from expenses that are not contributing to the classroom. Asking school districts to use their funds for union dues collection takes more money out of the classroom.

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BILL PACKAGE HB 4293-4302:  This is a 10-bill package that eliminates the ability to become married under the age of 18. Many of the tag-along bills eliminate references to underage marriages in other sections of law, like the Probate Code.

Sponsors: Reps. Hope (D), Farhat (D), Coffia (D), Edwards (D), Brixie (D), Grant (D), Hill (D), Young (D), & Andrews (D)
HB 4293, 4295-4302 Passages: 104-5 with Immediate Effect
HB 4294 Passage: 98-11 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES on HB 4293, 4295-4302:  These bills prevent sexual, emotional, and financial abuse against children and coercive marriages set up by parents for selfish reasons.

Why I voted NO on HB 4294:  This bill allows one county (Wayne County) to charge more for marriage licenses.

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SB 66-68:  Would require the Department of Education to develop informational material relating to sexual assault and sexual harassment appropriate for pupils in grades 6 through 12. SB 67 (Lauwers) would prohibit sexual assault under the guise of medical treatment. SB 68 (Geiss) would amend the sentencing guidelines in the Code of Criminal Procedure to include the felonies proposed by SB 67 and to delete the guidelines for the offense that bill would eliminate.

Sponsors: Sens. Chang (D), Lauwers (R), & Geiss (D)
Passages: 105-4 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES:  The lack of education about sexual assault leads to its higher prevalence, and therefore the MDE should be required to develop age-appropriate informational material related to the topic for pupils in grade six through 12.

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SB 69-71:  Part of a larger package that would makes changes across several different acts to prevent sexual assault and harassment particularly for minors. These bills were in response to the Larry Nassar incident.

Sponsors: Sens. Theis (R), Johnson (R), & Hauck (R)
Passages: 105-4 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES:  Individuals or entities who use their position in the health care profession to sexually assault or harass minors should face higher and stiffer fines.

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SB 72:  Would amend the criminal sentencing guidelines.

Sponsor: Sen. McDonald Rivet (D)
Passage: 105-4 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES:  This bill and SB 69 & 71 which it’s tie-barred to will help prevent a repeat of the misconduct involved in the Larry Nassar scandal.

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SB 73:  Would amend the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to exempt from disclosure information about the identity of a party who proceeds anonymously in a civil action alleging sexual misconduct.

Sponsor: Sen. Shink (D)
Passage: 105-4 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES:  This change in law and its additional privacy protections would reduce the number of people who fail to report sexual assaults for fear of retaliation.

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SB 236:  Would redefine the phrase “mentally incapacitated” in the Michigan Penal Code to criminalize sexual relations between voluntarily intoxicated individuals.

Sponsor: Sen. Irwin (D)
Passage: 105-4 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES:  The Michigan Penal Code’s current definition of “mentally incapacitated” in our criminal sexual conduct laws is too narrow, and needs to be broadened to protect more victims.

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BILL PACKAGE SB 129-132:  Would amend the Brownfield Redevelopment Financing Act to allow tax revenues captured from an eligible property to be used for certain housing activities with MSHDA’s approval. SB 130 (McDonald Rivet) – Amends the General Property Tax Act by updating references in the act to reflect changes made in the Brownfield Redevelopment Financial Act and proposed changes in SB 129. SB 131 (Cavanagh) – Amends the Use Tax Act by updating references in the act that reflect the proposed changes in SB 129. SB 132 (Shink) – Amends the Sales tax act by updating references in the act that reflect the proposed changes in SB 129.

Sponsors: Sens. Singh (D), McDonald Rivet (D), Cavanagh (D), & Shink (D)
SB 129 Passage: 71-38 with Immediate Effect

SB 130-132 Passages: 72-37 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO:  These bills do nothing to address the issue with the lack of housing inventory available. Lack of qualified builders, increased supply costs, and zoning regulations still remain large factors that prevent the development of new homes.

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HB 4375:  Amends the Land Bank Fast Track Act by expanding the ability to form a land bank to cities with a population over 50,000 and located in a county that does not have a land bank authority at the time the city establishes one.

Sponsor: Rep. Grant (D)
Passage: 61-48 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO:  Land banks provide unfair competition in the private sector. This will allow for more unfair competition with properties located in qualified cities.

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HB 4343: The Deferred Presentment Service Transaction Act regulates the “payday lending” industry and other deferred presentment lenders. The bill would require the Department of Insurance and Financial Services to submit a report to the legislature on “payday lending” institutions licensed under this act.

Sponsor: Rep. Conlin (D)
Passage: 97-12 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES:  This would give the legislature more oversight on how businesses are operating under the law.

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BILL PACKAGE HB 4377 & 4378:  Amends the General Sales Tax Act and Use Tax respectively by specifying which foods are taxed under the acts.

Sponsors: Reps. B. Carter (D) & Neeley (D)
Passages: 56-53 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO:  This makes compliance too difficult for sellers to follow. The rules and laws on what food is taxable and not taxable should be simple and easy to comply with.

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BILL PACKAGE SB 137 & 138:  Amends and expands eligibility standards MDHHS must use for the Guardianship Assistance Program, adding references to tribal welfare agencies and other child placing agencies. SB 138 (Irwin) – Further amends the conditions required for the Guardianship Assistance Program (which are a prerequisite of federal funding) to ensure certification before the child’s 18th birthday, and more.

Sponsors: Sens. DaMoose (R) & Irwin (D)
Passages: 105-4 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES:  Guardianship in the state should be treated the same regardless of what court ordered it. We cannot discriminate against tribal children and families.

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SB 161:  Modifies various requirements that individuals must meet to be issued a teaching certificate, as well as requirements pertaining to professional development for certified teachers and easing reciprocity for teachers with out-of-state certificates.

Sponsor: Sen. Geiss (D)
Passage: 109-0 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES:  Many states, in response to their own teacher shortages, have begun attempting to capitalize on teacher mobility by reciprocating credentials from other states.

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SB 162:  Modifies various requirements that individuals must meet to serve as a school counselor and easing reciprocity for counselors with out-of-state licenses.

Sponsor: Sen. McCann (D)
Passage: 109-0 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES:  Providing proper mental health resources to students helps address the increasingly frequent mental health problems in schools.

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HB 4066:  Creates the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office within the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.

Sponsor: Rep. Coleman (D)
Passage: 56-53 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO:  This expands the size and authority of the state government with little legislative oversight.

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BILL PACKAGE HB 4454 & SB 164:  Amends Business Improvement Zones to provide for proportional voting for the creation and operation of zones

Sponsors: Rep. T. Carter (D) & Sen. Shink (D)
HB 4454 Passage: 77-32 with Immediate Effect

SB 164 Passage: 75-34 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO:  The change back to a proportional weighted model will allow large property owners to determine how these zones are created and operated.

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BILL PACKAGE HB 4317 & 4318:  HB 4317 creates the Solar Energy Facilities Taxation Act and Solar Energy Facilities Tax. HB 4318 (Neeley) amends the General Property Tax Act by exempting solar energy facilities from personal property tax.

Sponsors: Reps. VanderWall (R) & Neeley (D)
HB 4317 Passage: 93-16 with Immediate Effect

HB 4318 Passage: 92-17 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO:  This allows land to be used for solar that could be better served for agricultural or residential use.

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SB 326:  Exempts a vehicle sale from the Use Tax if the vehicle was purchased by a dealer for resale and was not registered in the name of the dealer prior to the customer purchase.

Sponsor: Sen. Singh (D)
Passage: 106-3 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES:  The bill provides a technical fix to address changes in the way the SOS processes vehicle transfers.

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SB 288:  Eliminates the sunset of September 30, 2023 from the Michigan Energy Assistance Act.

Sponsor: Rep. Singh (D)
Passage: 87-22 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO:  Instead of outright eliminating the sunset, we could extend it by another 10 years and revisit the program in the future to ensure it is still meeting the needs of residents.

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HB 4561:  Eliminates the sunset of September 30, 2023 from the Michigan Energy Assistance Act.

Sponsor: Rep. Liberati (D)
Passage: 100-9 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO:  There should be no restrictions on electronic coupons at all.

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BILL PACKAGE HB 4132 & 4133:  Amends the Michigan Vehicle Code by allowing tickets to be issued for speeding in construction zones based only on camera evidence. HB 4133 (Mueller) amends the Revised Judicature Act of 1961 by specifying fines from civil infractions in HB 4132 are properly deposited and distributed.

Sponsors: Reps. Snyder (D) & Mueller (R)
HB 4132 Passage: 67-42 with Immediate Effect

HB 4133 Passage: 68-41 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO:  It is unclear who will mail tickets to the people cited, which court or courts would handle these tickets, or how out-of-state drivers will be identified.