The legislature is on break through July, with no votes until at least August. Rather than votes this report contains some interesting or noteworthy recent bill introductions.

Senate Bill 342: Ban police use of face recognition technology

Introduced by Sen. Peter Lucido (R), to prohibit law enforcement officials to obtain, access, or use any face recognition technology or any information obtained from the use of face recognition technology to enforce the law. Evidence gathered with this technology could not be admitted in court. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Bill 347: Establish marijuana blood level driving threshold

Introduced by Sen. Betty Jean Alexander (D), to prohibit driving with a blood level of at least 5 nanograms of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol and related chemicals (i.e. marijuana). Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Bill 351 and House Bill 4688: Expand civil rights law “protected class” status to sexual orientation and “gender expression”

Introduced by Sen. Jeremy Moss (D) and Rep. Jon Hoadley (D), respectively, to add “gender identity or expression” and sexual orientation to the characteristics that define membership in a protected class, against whom it is a crime to discriminate under the state’s Elliott-Larsen civil rights law. This would make it a crime to deny employment, housing, use of public accommodations, public services, and educational facilities to another person on the basis of an individual’s assertion of a particular sexual orientation or gender identity. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 4599: Create crime of summoning police for false “law enforcement emergency”

Introduced by Rep. John Reilly (R), to create a new crime of summoning armed law enforcement officers to a residence with an intentional false report of a serious law enforcement emergency. Violations would be a felony subject to up to life in prison, and life with no chance of parole if an officer is killed. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 4602: Cut tax on electric and hybrid cars

Introduced by Rep. David LaGrand (D), to cut by 50 percent a vehicle registration tax surcharge that is levied on electric and hybrid vehicles. This tax was authorized as part of a 2015 increase in the gas tax and vehicle registration tax, with the purpose of apportioning road repair costs onto cars whose owners use roads but pay no motor fuel tax. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 4610: Mandate schools with low vaccination rates post warnings

Introduced by Rep. Brian Elder (D), to require that if a local school board determines that more than 5 percent of the students enrolled in a particular school have not been tested for and immunized against specified diseases, the school must post a signs at each entrance stating this fact, and also post it on their website. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Bill 4614: Mandate FAFSA submission as condition of public school diploma

Introduced by Rep. Darrin Camilleri (D), to mandate that students in Michigan public schools complete and submit the federal Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as a condition of getting a high school diploma. School districts would be allowed but not required to grant individual exceptions upon request. The FAFSA is an eligibility determination form that the federal government requires from individuals seeking federal higher education grants or loans; applicants may be required to disclose extensive family financial information. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

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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.