Michigan Legislative update

November 10, 2017

LANSING — Here's a quick look at what has been happening in the Michigan Legislature:

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Senate Bill 584, Expand concealed pistol “no-carry zone” exemptions: Passed 25 to 12 in the Senate

To authorize an exemption from the “no-carry zone” restrictions in the law authorizing shall-issue concealed pistol licenses, if a licensee gets extra training. No-carry zones include schools, day care facilities, sports stadiums or arenas, bars, bar/restaurants, places of worship, college and university dorms and classrooms, hospitals, casinos, large entertainment facilities and courts. Under the bill private property owners, colleges and universities could still ban guns, schools could prohibit teachers and staff from carrying guns, and licensees could not openly carry a gun in a no-carry zone.

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House Bill 5095, Adopt Coast Guard ballast water discharge permit standards: Passed 25 to 11 in the Senate

To adopt the U.S. Coast Guard standards for ballast water discharges from oceangoing vessels. Michigan adopted its own standards in 2006, which was before the Coast Guard finalized theirs in 2012. The standards are intended to combat the threat of invasive species.

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House Bill 4787, Require personal data details on ice shanties: Passed 96 to 11 in the House Passed 96 to 11 in the House

To revise the requirement that ice fishing shanties must have the owner’s drivers name and address affixed to each side, by allowing either the owner's drivers license number or fishing license number instead. Also, to allow the Department of Natural Resources to determine the date each year when shanties must be removed from the ice based on actual weather and ice conditions. Current law sets fixed removal dates.

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House Bill 5165, Revise unemployment insurance rules to avoid impostors and fraud: Passed 107 to 0 in the House

To revise rules and procedures used by the state’s unemployment insurance program to address the problem of impostors claiming and getting unemployment benefits. The bill would create a process for employers and individuals to file an affidavit that a particular claim is fraudulent, and prescribe actions and timetables state officials must take. It is part of a legislative package comprised of House Bills 5165 to 5172.

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House Bill 4500, Define fetus as “person” in criminal sentencing: Passed 63 to 44 in the House

To revise a provision of the state’s criminal sentencing guidelines that includes the number of actual or potential victims among the factors on which sentences for violent crimes are assessed. The bill would define an embryo or fetus as a "person" and a victim for purposes of this provision.

 

 

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SOURCE: MichiganVotes.org, a free, non-partisan website created by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, providing concise, non-partisan, plain-English descriptions of every bill and vote in the Michigan House and Senate. Please visit www.MichiganVotes.org.