Michigan Legislature Roll Call Report

House Bill 4434, Require unemployment bureau communications use plain language: Passed 19 to 16 in the Senate To end further state participation in the $300 weekly "supplemental" unemployment benefits authorized by a federal "stimulus" spending bill. News reports indicate 25 other states have refused the benefits due to concerns they incentivize people not to work while jobs are plentiful. The bill would also require the state unemployment agency to use clear and concise plain language in its communications and determinations. • 33 Sen. Rick Outman R - Six Lakes Y • 35 Sen. Curt VanderWall R - Ludington Y Senate Bill 379, Prohibit governor from unilaterally increasing state’s road debt: Passed 19 to 16 in the Senate To prohibit a governor from adding to the state’s long term debt by borrowing money for road repairs (“bonding”) without consent from two-thirds of the House and Senate. The bill comes after the legislature refused to enact a 45 cent per gallon gas tax proposed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who then authorized $800 million in new road debt in 2020, and eventually up to $3.5 billion. Money to service these debts comes out of future gas taxes and other transportation tax revenue. • 33 Sen. Rick Outman R - Six Lakes Y • 35 Sen. Curt VanderWall R - Ludington Y House Bill 4204, Authorize automated "photo cop" school bus passing citations: Passed 35 to 0 in the Senate To permit school districts to install cameras on school buses the purpose of prosecuting motorists who illegally pass a stopped school bus. • 33 Sen. Rick Outman R - Six Lakes Y • 35 Sen. Curt VanderWall R - Ludington Y House Bill 4603, Permanently allow "virtual only" commodity marketing board meetings: Passed 34 to 1 in the Senate To permit members of the agricultural commodity marketing boards to meet electronically. The bill would permit this on a permanent basis, not just in epidemics. These entities allocate money collected through mandatory assessments levied on growers; examples include commissions for growers of apples, asparagus, potatoes, cherries, beans, beef and others. • 33 Sen. Rick Outman R - Six Lakes Y • 35 Sen. Curt VanderWall R - Ludington Y House Bill 4980, Permit drag races in the sand at Silver Lake State Park: Passed 96 to 12 in the House To make an exception to the state law banning drag racing for “an activity at Silver Lake State Park authorized by the Department of Natural Resources.” This would apply to a 450-acre section of sand dunes park managers have set aside as a "scramble area" for ORVs. • 97 Rep. Jason Wentworth R - Clare Y • 100 Rep. Scott VanSingel R - Grant Y • 102 Rep. Michele Hoitenga R - Manton Y House Bill 4411, Authorize K-12 school budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year: Passed 105 to 3 in the House To appropriate $16.742 billion for K-12 public schools in the 2021-22 fiscal year, of which $1.943 billion is federal money. The budget would raise the per-pupil state "foundation allowance" target to $8,700. This would be the first year since voters authorized this complex distribution formula in the 1994 Proposal A school funding initiative that its goal was reached of equalizing this amount between all of Michigan's 537 conventional public school districts. • 97 Rep. Jason Wentworth R - Clare Y • 100 Rep. Scott VanSingel R - Grant Y • 102 Rep. Michele Hoitenga R - Manton Y House Bill 4725, Mandate binding arbitration with jail unions: Passed 97 to 10 in the House To impose a binding arbitration mandate on local governments in union labor negotiations with corrections officers (jail guards). A similar mandate has long applied to local police agencies, and more recently fire departments, and reportedly increases costs and complicates contract negotiations. • 97 Rep. Jason Wentworth R - Clare Y • 100 Rep. Scott VanSingel R - Grant Y • 102 Rep. Michele Hoitenga R - Manton N — SOURCE: MichiganVotes.org, a free, nonpartisan website created by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, providing concise, nonpartisan, plain-English descriptions of every bill and vote in the Michigan House and Senate. Permission to reprint this legislative summary in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that MichiganVotes.org is properly cited. Y = Yes, N = No, X = Not Voting

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