MichiganVotes.org June 18 Weekly Roll Call Report

Every week, MichiganVotes.org sends a report to newspapers and TV stations showing how just the state legislators in each publication's service area voted on the most important and interesting bills and amendments of the past seven days. The version shown here instead contains a link to the complete roll call tally in either the House or Senate. To find out who your state senator is and how to contact him or her go here; for state representatives go here.

House Bill 5889, Allow "DRIC" spending without legislative authorization, failed in the Senate (10 to 24)
To strip out a provision from the Senate version of the Department of Transportation budget prohibiting the department from spending any money or committing the state to any spending on the Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) project unless the legislature enacts specific enabling legislation to allow its construction.

Complete Roll Call Vote Tally

House Bill 4932, Revise vending machine game prize cap, passed in the Senate (28 to 8)
to revise a maximum prize value cap in a state law that regulates vending machine games where winning requires some player skill and winners get noncash prizes, toys, novelties, or coupons. Under current law the maximum prize value is $250. The bill would raise this to $500, ban cash prizes, and restrict gift card prizes. Prizes could also include lottery tickets, bingo or other games of chance plays. The bill was introduced to accomodate a Texas-based company that wanted to open an operation in Sterling Heights.      

Complete Roll Call Vote Tally

House Bill 5280, Exempt "cottage food" from licensure but require labeling, passed in the House (104 to 0)
To impose a new labeling mandate on "cottage food" products produced in a home kitchen that are sold. The labels would require much of the same information as is on regular commercial food labels. However, other bills in the package would exempt producers from the licensure and regulation mandates that apply to regular commercial food producers. The exemption would apply to home kitchen producers who sell less than $15,000 annually, and would only extend to "non-potentially hazardous" food. See also House Bills 5837 and 5843. 

Complete Roll Call Vote Tally

House Bill 5193, Authorize penalties for financial exploitation of vulnerable adult, passed in the House (86 to 18)
To establish that the financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult is "abuse" punishable by the same penalties as other forms of physical or mental abuse, and add explicit definitions to this statute for "financial exploitation" and "deception."

Complete Roll Call Vote Tally

Senate Joint Resolution V, Ban public corruption felons from seeking office, passed in the House (91 to 13)
To place a Constitutional amendment on the November, 2010 ballot that would prohibit a person from being appointed or elected to a public office who in the preceding 20 years was convicted of a felony involving dishonesty, deceit, fraud, or a breach of the public trust related to the person's official capacity while holding an elected or appointed local, state, or federal office. 

Complete Roll Call Vote Tally

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. Please visit MichiganVotes.org.

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