House of Representatives Week in Review: February 4th - 6th

Hello Friends,

Below please find an update on legislation passed by the House of Representatives this week (February 4th through 6th).  Please feel free to contact me (517.373.0826; andyschor@house.mi.gov) if you have questions or thoughts about any of the below bills. 

Thank you! 

Andy Schor

State Representative
68th District

Creation of the “Trampoline Court Safety Act”

SB 475 (Hildenbrand), Passed: 57-53
Next: Sent to Senate for reconsideration
SB 475 would create the “Trampoline Court Safety Act” to do the following: (1) Specify requirements that a trampoline court operator and a trampoliner would have to meet; (2) Provide that a person who participated in trampolining would accept the dangers inherent in that activity, insofar as the dangers were obvious and necessary; and (3) Specify that a trampoliner, spectator, or operator who violated the Act would be liable for damages that resulted from the violation.

Addition of “Other School Employees” to Those Capable of Child Abuse and Neglect

HB 4493 (Kesto), Passed: 109-1
Next: Sent to Senate for consideration
HB 4493 would add “other school employees” to the definition of those capable of child abuse and neglect, and to mandate “other school employees” within the reporting requirements of suspected incidents of child abuse or neglect.

Exception for Applying for a Neighborhood Enterprise Zone Certificate

SB 146 (Young), Passed: 93-17
Next: Sent to Governor for signature
SB 146 adds a new exception to the current list of circumstances in which a person may apply for a Neighborhood Enterprise Zone certificate after a building permit has already been issued. Under the bill, a certificate could be obtained for a property in an area that was designed as a Neighborhood Enterprise Zone (NEZ) by the local government in September 2012 and if the building permit was issued for the property after December 1, 2004 and before December 30, 2004.

Amendment to the Brownfield Redevelopment Financing Act

SB 533 (Kahn), Passed: 98-12
Next: Sent to Senate for reconsideration
SB 533 would amend the Brownfield Redevelopment Financing Act to change, for 2013 only, the deadline in the process whereby brownfield redevelopment authorities apply to the Department of Treasury for approval to receive State Education Tax revenues to be used to meet certain debt obligations. The bill would allow, for 2013 only, a brownfield authority to apply for Treasury approval by no later than 30 days after the bill’s effective date instead of the June 1st deadline currently in statute. The bill also changes the standard deadline to June 15th of each year.

Amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure

HB 5157 (Banks), Passed: 97-13
Next: Sent to Senate for consideration
HB 5157 amends MCL 777.37 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to clarify the level of conduct that a defendant must act with in order for a court to score 50 points toward his or her minimum prison sentence under Offense Variable 7 (aggravated abuse).

Elimination of Mandatory Life in Prison for Juvenile Criminal Defendants

SB 318 (Jones), Passed: 62-48
Next: Sent to Governor for signature
SB 318 would eliminate mandatory life in prison without parole sentences (LWOP) for juvenile criminal defendants.

Increase of the Statutory Maximum Penalties for Driving Under the Influence

HB 4567 (Kowall), Passed: 101-7
HB 4568 (Kowall), Passed: 100-8
Next: Sent to Senate for consideration
HB 4567 and HB 4568 increase the statutory maximum penalties for driving while under the influence of alcohol or a schedule I controlled substance. The bill also enhances penalties those drivers who have prior convictions for the same offense or blood alcohol content (BAC) of .17 at the time of the offense.

Requirement that a Candidate Identify Convicted Felonies

HB 4825 (Kesto), Passed: 105-3
Next: Sent to Senate for consideration
HB 4825 would amend the Michigan Election Law to require a candidate to indicate on his or her affidavit of identity whether he or she has been convicted of a felony within the immediately preceding ten years.

Amending Definition of a “Victim” under the William Van Regenmorter Crime Victim’s Rights Act

HB 5262 (Schmidt), Passed: 108-0
HB 5263 (O’Brien), Passed: 108-0
Next: Sent to Senate for consideration
Collectively, this package (which also includes SB 628), amends the definition of “victim” under the William Van Regenmorter Crime Victim’s Rights Act to include a parent of a minor victim for the purposes of making an impact statement only at sentencing, after the victim reaches the age of majority.

Revision to School Disaster Drill Protocol

HB 4713 (Graves), Passed: 81-27
Next: Sent to Governor for signature
HB 4713 amends 1941 PA 207, the Fire Prevention Code, by adding more specificity to the timing of various disaster drills to be performed by schools, requiring a record of the completed disaster drills to be posted on the internet and requiring schools to provide information regarding their scheduled drill days to the County Emergency Management Coordinator appointed under section 9 of the Emergency Management Act who will then disseminate the information to the various local authorities.