To explicitly permit deer and elk baiting for hunting. This would be limited to 5 gallons of bait at each hunting site, with no piece of bait larger than a sugar beet. The bill is a response to a baiting ban imposed by a state Natural Resources Commission in 2018. Versions of the bill have passed both the state House and Senate, but news reports indicate Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is unlikely to sign it.
House Bill 4710, Impose occupational licensure mandate on acupuncturists: Passed 30 to 6 in the Senate
To convert a registration mandate now imposed on acupuncturists into a comprehensive licensure regime, including training and apprenticeship requirements, license fees, regulations specified in the bill plus additional ones that state licensure officials would be authorized to impose, and more.
Senate Bill 349, Let some liquor distillers get higher price from state: Passed 27 to 9 in the Senate
To allow liquor makers to get a higher wholesale price if 40 percent of the grain they use is grown in Michigan. Under Michigan's extraordinarily detailed "liquor control" regulatory regime, the state government is the sole statewide wholesaler of all distilled liquor, and sells to retailers at uniform statewide prices. Fiscal analysts project the bill would reduce state revenue by $9.4 million.
Senate Bill 369, Increase allowable pawnbroker interest rate: Passed 24 to 12 in the Senate
To increase the maximum interest rate a pawnbroker may charge on merchandise-backed loans from 3 percent per month to 4 percent per month. Reportedly this would be the first increase in the rate allowed by a state law since 1917.
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By Jack McHugh
