Romeo Area Tea Party

April 13, 2012

Weekly local legislator roll call report for the Romeo Area Tea Party

The House and Senate are in the midst of a two-week break, so rather than votes, this report instead contains several newly introduced bills of interest.

Y = Yes, N = No, X = Not Voting

Senate Bill 943: Authorize extra punishment for threats to politicians and judges
Introduced by Sen. Darwin Booher (R), to authorize additional prison time for threats made to state elected officials and judges, over and above the penalties authorized for making a threat to non-politicians or judges. Specifically, the bill would authorize an enhanced sentence of up to an additional year in prison for threats made in relation to an elected official’s official duties. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Bill 975: Recognize health care payer and provider exercise of conscience
Introduced by Sen. John Moolenaar (R), to prohibit forcing an individual or employer who purchases health insurance or pays for health care in some other way, or a health care provider or facility, to pay for or provide any service that that violates the payer’s or provider’s conscience. The bill was introduced in response to an Obama administration ruling that Catholic and other religious social service agencies must include coverage for contraception, sterilization and “morning after” pills in any health care benefits they provide to employees. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Bill 985: Authorize $900 million state borrowing from insurance companies
Introduced by Sen. Mike Kowall (R), to grant a 10 percent tax break to insurance companies that “pre-pay” future years’ state business tax. In effect, the bill would authorize $900 million in state government borrowing from insurance companies, arranged in the form of a discounted corporate tax prepayment. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Bill 998: Recognize in statute that college isn’t for everyone
Introduced by Sen. Howard Walker (R), to add to the state school code: “It is the role of parents and legal guardians and pupils to determine the best postsecondary educational opportunity to fit … the individual pupil. All postsecondary educational opportunities, including internships, apprenticeships, 2-year degrees, 4-year degrees, and advanced degrees should be considered depending on the career sought by the pupil.” In other words, to explicitly recognize in statute that college is not for everyone. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Bill 1015 and House Bill 5471: Give tuition subsidies to all high school grads
Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) and Rep. Marcia Hovey-Wright (D), respectively, to give all Michigan high school graduates up to five years of grants covering tuition in a state college or university. Funding would come from repealing $1.8 billion worth of current state tax deductions, exemptions and credits listed on a so-called “tax expenditures” report, which includes both targeted corporate welfare subsidies and tax breaks, and regular deductions and exemptions used by individuals and businesses. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Bill 1035 and House Bill 5503: Limit electric utility monopolies (expand competition)
Introduced by Sen. Arlan Meekhof (R) and Rep. Mike Shirkey (R), respectively, to partially roll-back a 2008 law that itself mostly undid an electric utility competition law enacted in 2000. Under the 2008 law, utility companies that until 2000 were regulated monopolies got back most of their regional monopolies, except that alternative producers could provide up to 10 percent of the demand in their region. The bill would gradually raise that cap to 28 percent over three years, plus up to 3 percent more per year thereafter. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Bill 909 and House Bill 5309: Create Detroit regional mass transit authority
Introduced by Sen. Tom Casperson (R) and Rep. Jim Townsend (D), respectively, to create a new Detroit area regional transportation authority (previously called DARTA) covering Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties, and potentially others. The authority could levy property taxes (special assessments) and higher local vehicle registration taxes with the approval of a majority of all votes cast in a regional election (meaning a particular community could not “opt out”). This is part of Gov. Rick Snyder’s road and transit tax proposal, which also includes a 9.3 cent fuel tax increase. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 5318: Authorize school district FOIA scofflaw lawsuits
Introduced by Rep. Ken Goike (R), to allow a citizen or a prosecutor to sue the local school official responsible for responding to Freedom of Information Act requests if that official fails to respond in a timely manner. A court could order the official to produce the requested records, and the plaintiff would be entitled to recovery of court costs and actual attorney fees. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 5325: Exempt residential repair trades from state licensure mandates
Introduced by Rep. Ray Franz (R), to exempt individuals and contractors who do home and commercial rehabbing, and those in certain building trades, from licensure mandates currently imposed by the state (or ones that have been proposed). Homebuilders would still be subject to licensure, but those who make a living doing specified repair work would not. Individuals who rehab and sell “fixer-uppers” for a profit also would be exempt. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 5347: Exempt road commissions from employee health benefit copay requirements
Introduced by Rep. Peter Pettalia (R), to exempt county road commissions from the new law requiring government and school employees to contribute at least 20 percent toward the cost of their health insurance fringe benefits (with many exceptions). Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 5402: Establish “animal abuse registry” background checks
Introduced by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D, to mandate that animal shelters run background checks on individuals wanting to adopt an animal, using the “animal abuse registry” proposed by a related bill. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 5411: Require utilities provide customer “smart meter” opt-out
Introduced by Rep. Tom McMillin (R), to require electric utilities to allow customers to “opt out” of having “smart meters” installed capable of storing and reporting usage. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 5416: Cap municipal pension board travel expenses and more
Introduced by Rep. John Walsh (R), to cap municipal pension board spending on board members travel and training expenses at $150,000 per year, and $30,000 per board member. The bill also proposes specific pension system transparency and conflict of interest provisions. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 5454: Ban “photo-cop” traffic tickets
Introduced by Rep. Roy Schmidt (D), to prohibit the use of automated, unmanned traffic monitoring devices (“photo-cops”) for issuing traffic citations for speeding, violating red lights or stop signs, etc. The devices would be allowed to police overweight trucks. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 5476: Pay part of motorists’ gas expense
Introduced by Rep. George T. Darany (D), to give individuals with annual incomes below $50,000 a per-vehicle fuel subsidy of $100, payable in the form of a “refundable” state income tax credit, and lower subsidies for higher incomes. The bill does not specify which government spending would be cut or taxes raised to provide these subsidies. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 5517: Repeal barber licensure mandate
Introduced by Rep. Tom McMillin (R), to repeal the law that prohibits an individual from earning a living as a barber unless he or she gets a state license that, among other things, requires completing a 2,000-hour course of study at a licensed barber college, paying fees, and meeting other requirements imposed by a board comprised of incumbent barbers who have received political appointments to this board. This and House Bill 5518 would also repeal licensure mandates on barber shops and barber colleges. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

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 http://www.MichiganVotes.org.

Romeo Area Tea Party presents Paul Kersey, Director of Labor Policy at the
Mackinac Center for Public Policy in a discussion of “Right to Work.”

Paul Kersey became director of labor policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in September 2007, having served as the Center’s senior labor policy analyst since December 2006. As director, Kersey leads the Center’s Labor Policy Initiative and researches labor and employment issues.

Kersey holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. In 1993, he received his Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois.

After practicing law in Livonia, Mich., for several years, Kersey served on the staff of the U.S. House of Representatives Government Reform and Oversight Committee. He then spent three years at the National Right to Work Committee as director of state legislation. In that role, he analyzed and responded to labor legislation in all 50 states.

Come hear Paul’s presentation of the “Right to Work” issue on:

MONDAY

April 23, 2012 – 7:00 PM

The Palazzo Grande 54669 Van Dyke (south of 25 Mile Rd.)
Shelby Township, Michigan 48316

Admission: Free

Discover the forgotten and astounding story of our nation’s founding in Historian David Barton’s “The American Heritage Series.”

Realize the amazing calling upon Christian citizens to be light and salt in their communities and nation. In addition to the DVD presentation with related discussions, there will be essential study of our Declaration, our Constitution and related subjects.

Many Americans are uninformed or misinformed about the truth of our nation’s
history.

• Are we being told an altered view of history or has it altogether been rewritten?
• Are we a society that has forgotten the truth of its own past?
• What are the consequences if we have?

6:45—8:45pm for Six Tuesday Evenings
April 17 through May 22, 2012
Rooms 10/11/12

Passing along an invitation from the “Rattle With Us” TEA Party!

“Rattle With Us!” on Sunday, April 15th at our Tax Day TEA Party.

Please join us from 2:00 – 4:00 PM at Kellogg Park in downtown Plymouth. Kellogg Park is located on the corner of Main Street and Ann Arbor Trail. Speakers include: Senator Patrick Colbeck, “We’ve Been Had” author James Keena, Rev. Levan Yuille and Thayrone X from WAAM 1600 AM. Music provided by the Alexander HamilTONES.

Bring your lawn chairs, your any-kind-of-weather gear, picnic blankets, and coolers. And most of all, bring your patriotism and your love of freedom!

Questions? Please contact us as rattlewithus.com

April 5, 2012

Weekly local legislator roll call report for the Romeo Area Tea Party

The House and Senate are in the midst of a two-week break, so rather than votes, this report instead contains several newly introduced bills of interest.

Y = Yes, N = No, X = Not Voting

Senate Bill 893: Impose children’s products regulatory regime
Introduced by Sen. Rebekah Warren (D), to require manufacturers and distributors of children’s products that contain substances deemed harmful by the Department of Environmental Quality to submit detailed annual reports to the state. The bill contains various exceptions and authorizes penalties of up to $150,000. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Bill 900: Post legislator missed votes on legislature website
Introduced by Sen. Glenn Anderson (D) to require the legislature to post the names of each member who misses a vote or session, and the total number of missed votes and sessions for each member. Note: MichiganVotes.org currently provides this information, with links to plain-English descriptions of each vote (missed or otherwise). Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Bill 904: Require drug testing of welfare applicants
Introduced by Sen. Joe Hune (R) to require drug testing of applicants for various state welfare benefits if a welfare caseworker has a reasonable suspicion, and prohibit benefits if a person tests positive. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Bill 939: Special treatment for firms entering “environmental leader” process
Introduced by Sen. Arlan Meekhof (R), to give special treatment in government contracts, “cap and trade” mandates, state subsidies, environmental permit processing, and more, if the firm submits to a government “environmental leader” process. A company would have to demonstrate it has no serious past environmental violations, submit to certain additional reporting mandates, participate in “workshops,” etc. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Bill 875 and House Bill 5215: Authorize new local taxing districts
Introduced by Sen. Tupac Hunter (D) and Rep. Harvey Santana (D), to authorize new means by which local governments can incur new debt for projects chosen by a board of political appointees, and pay the debt with $300 “special assessment” property taxes in a specified area. This version would be called “neighborhood improvement districts” (current law already authorizes several similar schemes). A vote of the people would not be required to impose these. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 5168: Back small businesses loans with state trust fund money
Introduced by Rep. Vicki Barnett (D), to allow up to 5 percent of the available money in some state trust funds (including the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund) to back loans to small businesses denied by commercial lenders and which have been selected to receive certain other government “economic development” benefits. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 5196: Require high-cost government & school employee disclosures
Introduced by Rep. Tom McMillin (R), to require schools and local governments to file annual reports listing all employees whose annual wages and benefits cost more than $100,000, and also the terms of any employee severance payment agreements. The bill comes in the wake of a Wayne County political-appointee severance pay scandal. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 5200: Authorize business tax breaks for hiring unemployed person
Introduced by Rep. Phil Cavanagh (D), to give tax breaks of up to $3,000 to businesses for each employee they hire for at least a year who affirms that he or she has been unemployed for at least 60 days, subject to various conditions and restrictions. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 5219: Require local tax hike votes be in even-year November
Introduced by Rep. Marty Knollenberg (R), to require all local property tax millage elections to be on the general election ballot in November of even years. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 5227: Give $220 million to Detroit
Introduced by Rep. David Nathan (D), to give an extra $220 million in state tax revenue to Detroit, which would be styled as “payments previously authorized but not paid” under the state’s statutory revenue-sharing law. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 5238: Ban most government employees “severance pay” deals
Introduced by Rep. Patrick Somerville (R), to prohibit the state, schools or local governments from providing severance pay for government employees and contractors, with some exceptions. The bill comes in the wake of a Wayne County “severance pay” scandal. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

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 http://www.MichiganVotes.org.

Presented by:  Eagle Forum

April 2, 2012

In this MegaVote for Michigan’s 10th Congressional District:

Recent Congressional Votes

• Senate: 21st Century Postal Service Act of 2011
• Senate: Repeal Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act
• House: Federal Communications Commission Process Reform Act of 2011
• House: Surface Transportation Extension Act
• House: Democratic Alternative Budget
• House: Fiscal 2013 House Budget Resolution

Editor’s Note: Congress is in recess this week and next. The Senate and House both return on April 16.

Monday, April 9, 2012 @ 7 p.m

presents…

Logan Darrow Clements shows what happens when “the government becomes your doctor” using licensed news footage from Canadian TV, interviews with doctors, patients, journalists, a health minister, a Member of Parliament, a doctor who went on a hunger strike as well the producer’s own Canadian relatives. Clements even rents a hospital to show the mismatch between supply and demand in a medical system run by politicians!

SICK and SICKER puts ObamaCare on ice with cold hard facts from Canada.

Check out the movie trailer below:

The Romeo Area Tea Party will be showing this eye-opening documentary
Monday, April 9, 2012 @ 7 p.m. at the Washington Township Offices
(senior activity center) 57900 Van Dyke, Washington, Michigan 48094

Admission: Free

March 30, 2012

Weekly local legislator roll call report for the Romeo Area Tea Party

Y = Yes, N = No, X = Not Voting

Senate Bill 291, Final vote on repeal motorcycle operation: Passed 24 to 14 in the Senate
To repeal the mandatory helmet requirement for a motorcycle operator who is age 21 or older, has been riding for at least two years or passes a safety test, and has a personal injury insurance policy providing at least $20,000 in benefits. This vote sends the measure to Gov. Snyder for approval or veto.

Senate Bill 351, Earmark some sales tax money to roads: Passed 26 to 11 in the Senate
To earmark a specified portion of sales tax revenue to road projects. Depending on the average price of fuel, this would provide between $100 million and $140 million annually for road projects (or more if prices go higher).

Senate Bill 135, Revise abortion parental authority waiver: Passed 28 to 10 in the Senate
To require a court considering a petition from a minor for authority to get an abortion over the objection of her parents to consider the rebuttable presumption that a minor is not capable of providing informed consent for medical treatment. A waiver of parental denial could only be granted if the girl demonstrates a level of maturity based on various specified factors, or if her parents are neglectful or abusive. A girl whose petition was denied could not seek a waiver in another court division, but could appeal to a higher court. Gov. Jennifer Granholm vetoed a very similar bill in 2004.

House Bill 4803, Sell state fairgrounds: Passed 34 to 4 in the Senate
To transfer the state fairgrounds in Detroit to a Michigan “Land Bank Fast Track Authority” created by the legislature in 2003, which has extensive powers to assemble and dispose of tax reverted property. Alternatively, the state could sell the property itself at fair market value, or give it to a local government. The property could not be used for a horse or auto race track, casino, prison or railroad freight yard. Part of the sale is in Senate Bill 515.

House Bill 4601, Limit certain asbestos liability: Passed 25 to 13 in the Senate
To limit the liability of a company that had acquired another company which may have produced or sold asbestos in the past. The bill would prohibit a court from imposing asbestos damage judgments that exceed the value of the acquired company. Under current law a court can order damages up to the value of the entire enterprise, even if the acquired subsidiary represents only a small part of the overall firm’s value.

Senate Bill 712, Ban welfare for big lottery winners:
To include money won in lottery or other gambling as part of “countable income” and/or assets for purposes of determining eligibility for food stamps and other state welfare benefits. With this week’s votes on this bill, Senate Bill 711 and House Bill 5033, bans on welfare for big lottery winners go to Gov. Rick Snyder for approval or veto.

House Bill 5061, Require photo I.D. when applying in person for absentee ballot: Passed 65 to 45 in the House
To require a person to have photo identification when applying in person for an absentee ballot. A person with no I.D. could still get a ballot, but it would be considered “challenged” (meaning subject to confirmation of identity).

House Bill 5009, Exempt senior center poker from (private) gambling ban: Passed 106 to 4 in the House
To exempt low stakes card games (25-cent maximum “ante” and $5 maximum “pot” and initial “buy-in”) in government (but not private) senior centers from state prohibitions on (private) gambling. Under current law the exemption applies only to senior citizen housing facilities.

Senate Bill 981, Authorize autism-mandate insurance company subsidies: Passed 84 to 26 in the House
To authorize state government subsidies to health insurance companies to compensate for the new coverage mandate proposed by Senate Bill 414, which would require insurers to include autism coverage in all policies. Any actual subsidy payments would have to be added to annual appropriations passed by the legislature.

Senate Bill 414, Impose autism insurance mandate: Passed 91 to 19 in the House
To impose a new coverage mandate that would require health insurance policies to include coverage for treatments related to autism, and ban higher deductibles or lower benefit levels for this than for other ailments. Senate Bill 981 would authorize state subsidies to insurance companies to cover the extra cost.

Senate Bill 1018, Ban unionization of contractors paid with government subsidies: Passed 63 to 46 in the House
To establish that a person whose private employment compensation comes from a direct or indirect government subsidy is not considered a government employee, and so is not subject to being inducted into a government employee union. Such a scheme involving home day care providers was ended by the Snyder administration subsequent to a Mackinac Center legal challenge, and the bill would (eventually) end a still-ongoing one extracting SEIU union dues from home health care providers who are mostly relatives of disabled individuals.

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 http://www.MichiganVotes.org.

Presented by:  Eagle Forum 

March 26, 2012

In this MegaVote for Michigan’s 10th Congressional District:

Recent Congressional Votes

• Senate: Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act
• House: Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2011

Upcoming Congressional Bills

• Senate: Repeal Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act
• Senate: 21st Century Postal Service Act of 2011
• House: Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012
• House: 2013 budget resolution

Recent Senate Votes

March 23, 2012

Weekly local legislator roll call report for the Romeo Area Tea Party

Y = Yes, N = No, X = Not Voting

Senate Bill 1018, Ban unionization of contractors paid with government subsidies: Passed 25 to 13 in the Senate
To establish that a person whose private employment compensation comes from a direct or indirect government subsidy is not considered a government employee, and so is not subject to being inducted into a government employee union. Such a scheme involving home day care providers was ended by the Snyder administration subsequent to a Mackinac Center legal challenge, and the bill would (eventually) end a still-ongoing one extracting SEIU union dues from home health care providers who are mostly relatives of disabled individuals.

Senate Bill 821, Reduce rental boat inspection mandates: Passed 33 to 5 in the Senate
To eliminate a requirement that rental boats which are non-motorized, including canoes and kayaks, must get government inspections. The bill would slightly increase the fees for mandated annual inspections of rental motorboats, and revise other details of boat rental regulations.

Senate Bill 596, Criminalize teacher sex with adult student: Passed 36 to 2 in the Senate
To make it a crime for a teacher, school official, employee or volunteer to have sex with a student even if the student is not a minor and it is consensual. Under current law, this is illegal only if the student is under 18.

House Bill 4803, Sell state fairgrounds: Passed 101 to 7 in the House
To transfer the state fairgrounds in Detroit to a Michigan “Land Bank Fast Track Authority” created by the legislature in 2003, which has extensive powers to assemble and dispose of tax reverted property. Alternatively, the state could sell the property itself at fair market value, or give it to a local government. The property could not be used for a horse or auto race track, casino, prison, or railroad freight yard. Part of the sale is in Senate Bill 515.

House Bill 4289, Lund “Obamacare statement” amendment: Failed 47 to 62 in the House
To add $9.8 million to an unrelated appropriations bill to create a state “Obamacare exchange,” which would administer the health insurance subsidy entitlement created by the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” Note: The amendment and roll call vote were done at this time to allow representatives to make a “statement” on the federal health care law prior to U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments on it next week.

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 http://www.MichiganVotes.org.