BILL PACKAGE HB 4438 & HB 4439:  Would change the definitions section of the act. The bill would amend MCL 423.232 to change the definition “public police or fire department employee” to include not only police officers and firefighters, but also “a corrections officer employed by a county sheriff in a county jail, work camp, or other facility maintained by a county that houses adult prisoners.” Would amend MCL 423.235 and 423.237a to make the statutory language gender neutral, changing the word “chairman” to “chair” and changing “he” to “the chair,” along with some other very minor language changes.

Sponsors: Reps. Breen (D) & Bezotte (R)
HB 4438 Passage: 88-18 with Immediate Effect

HB 4439 Passage: 90-16 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO:  The Michigan Public Employment Relations Act already provides for bargaining rights without tying the hands of the county in binding arbitration. I feel this should be a local level issue.

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HB 4555:  Designates June 12th of each year as “Women Veterans Recognition Day”.

Sponsor: Rep. Rogers (D)
Passage: 104-3 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES:  It is important to recognize women, and all veterans, for their service to our nation.

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HB 4071:  Amends the Michigan Insurance Code of 1956 (MCL.500.100 to 500.8302), adding a new section creating a parity provision for IV and orally administered chemotherapy treatments.

Sponsor: Rep. Steckloff (D)
Passage: 70-37 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO:  Michigan law already requires that chemotherapy treatments be covered. This would be a new mandate on Michigan health insurance products.

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BILL PACKAGE HB 4121 & 4122:  Includes a conviction for sexual penetration under the pretext of medical treatment in the list of grounds requiring sanctions to be imposed on a person licensed or registered under the Public Health Code. Requires a health professional license or registration to be permanently revoked for a violation involving sexual penetration under the pretext of medical treatment.

Sponsors: Reps. Breen (D) & Hope (D)

Passage: Unanimous with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES:  The sexual assault scandal surrounding the actions of Larry Nassar brought to light several aspects of the laws governing the conduct of licensed health professionals. These bills address the gap that exists regarding license sanctions for sexual penetration under the pretext of medical treatment.

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HB 4123:  Makes it criminal for an individual to intentionally use their professional position of authority to

prevent, or attempt to prevent, another from reporting criminal sexual conduct.

Sponsor: Rep. Filler (R)
Passage: 102-5 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES:  The crime is narrowly tailored to child abuse and criminal sexual conduct, thus limiting the number of individuals it could affect.

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HB 4124:  Makes it a 1-year misdemeanor for an individual to intentionally use his/her professional

position of authority to prevent, or attempt to prevent, another from reporting criminal sexual conduct or certain

other crimes to a Title IX coordinator at a college or university.

Sponsor: Rep. Glanville (D)
Passage: 102-5 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted YES:  The bill expands current law to encompass the reality that in most cases use of physical force is not utilized to prevent individuals from reporting. The use of authority over another is typically the deterring factor.

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HB 4125:  Prohibits a school from suspending a sexual assault victim, or suspending the victim for more than 10 days, for an action that the victim took “arising out of” an incident in which the victim was sexually assaulted.

Sponsor: Rep. Rheingans (D)
Passage: 97-10 with Immediate Effect

Why I voted NO:  We should not be requiring staff members to refer students to the Title IX coordinator when they simply believe that a sexual assault occurred without knowing all of the facts. This may cause undue stress and social ostracism on the student simply based on a staff member’s uninformed inkling.