Budget Update

Legislative budget work continues to be underway. The Legislature has spent the last couple of months diving deep into their subcommittee budgets, hearing presentations from the state departments and agencies on the governor’s budget recommendation as well as hearing from stakeholders on important issues. The League submitted written comments to the House and Senate subcommittees covering the budget for the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services. 

The following subcommittee recommendations were released this week:

• Agriculture and Rural Development: House (HB 5511) and Senate (SB 758)
• Community Colleges: House (HB 5504)
• Corrections: Senate (SB 756)
• Environment, Great Lakes and Energy: Senate (SB 768)
• Higher Education: House (HB 5505)
• Insurance and Financial Services: House (HB 5513) and Senate (SB 765)
• Judiciary: Senate (SB 757)
• Licensing and Regulatory Affairs: House (HB 5514) and Senate (SB 764)
• Military and Veteran Affairs: Senate (SB 762)
• Natural Resources: House (HB 5512) and Senate (SB 759)
• School Aid (PreK-12): Senate (SB 751)
• State Police: Senate (SB 763)

The remaining subcommittee recommendations are expected to be released in the next few weeks and the May Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference will be held Friday, May 17, 2024 at 9 a.m. The May Conference will set the amount of state revenues that will be available for building the final Fiscal Year 2024-25 State Budget that will be negotiated between the Legislature and the administration. 

Legislative Update

The Legislature is also busy working through legislative priorities. Here are some of the highlights from this past week:

• The House Judiciary Committee took testimony on HB 4062–HB 4063 and SB 205, SB 206 and SB 207, a package of bills that would prohibit landlords from discriminating against tenants due to how they plan to pay for their rent (otherwise known as source of income), including through Housing Choice Vouchers. The League supports this legislation.
• The House Insurance and Financial Services Committee took testimony on HB 5290 and SB 632, which would cap the annual interest and fees levied on payday lending instruments to 36%. The League supports this legislation.
• The Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety Committee reported the following League-supported bills:
  • HB 4718, which would eliminate the ability for accused individuals to defend themselves in court by saying the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity drove them to violent actions (commonly called the “gay panic” or “trans panic” defense). 
  • HB 4948 and HB 4960, which would prohibit landlords and employers from requiring Michiganders from disclosing their expunged convictions. View testimony provided by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan (ACLU) here.
  • SB 599, which gives the parole board the flexibility and power it needs to find appropriate and safe placements for people who qualify for medically frail parole.

Budget Update

Budget development is still top of mind for the Legislature and there were a lot of subcommittee meetings this past week, including hearings on public transit, Early On, and housing, among others. 

The subcommittee recommendations continue to be expected to be released sometime this spring once the Legislature returns to Lansing after spring break.

Legislative Update

Policy committees and legislative sessions were busy this week as well. Here are some of the highlights:

• The Senate overwhelmingly passed Senate Bill (SB) 567 and SB 568, which provide for early screening of K-12 students for dyslexia and ensure teachers are receiving proper training and professional development to support and educate children with dyslexia. The League supports this legislation.
• The Senate passed SB 632, which would cap fees associated with payday loans, which currently average an APR of 370%, at an annual interest rate of 36%, with bipartisan support. The Senate also unanimously passed House Bill (HB) 4343, which would require increased transparency and reporting of several pieces of information regarding payday loans. The League supports both of these bills, and submitted written testimony and issued a statement in support of SB 632. 
• The Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety Committee took testimony on HB 4718, which would eliminate the ability for accused individuals to defend themselves in court by saying the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity drove them to violent actions (commonly called the “gay panic” or “trans panic” defense), on a party-line vote. The League supports this legislation.
• The Senate Health Policy Committee reported a telehealth parity insurance coverage package (HB 4131, HB 4213, HB 4579 and HB 4580). The League supports this legislation.

Budget Update

Legislative subcommittees are still working through the Fiscal Year 2024-25 budget process. The subcommittee recommendations are expected to be released sometime this spring and the statutory deadline for the full budget is July 1. 

In additional budget-related news, the Court of Appeals has unanimously affirmed that the triggered income tax rate cut in 2023 was temporary. Following the closure of the Fiscal Year 2021-22 budget, with the publication of the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report in early 2023, it was determined that the state would trigger a reduction in our income tax rate from 4.25% to 4.05%. However, the attorney general had issued an opinion that the rate reduction was temporary–for one year only–unless provisions of the law were met in future years. This meant that the rate would reduce for the 2023 tax year and then revert to the statutory 4.25% rate for the 2024 tax year. The state was then sued, but the Court of Claims agreed with the state, which was then appealed to the Court of Appeals. The non-prevailing parties have until March 25, 2024 to decide whether to appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court.

Legislative Update

Committees are continuing to work through legislative priorities. Here are a few highlights from the week:

• The Senate Finance, Insurance and Consumer Protection Committee reported out House Bill (HB) 4343 and Senate Bill (SB) 632, which would impact the payday lending industry. HB 4343 would require increased transparency and reporting of several pieces of information regarding payday loans. SB 632 would cap fees associated with payday loans–which can often average an APR of 370%–at an annual interest rate of 36%. The League supports both of these bills. We submitted written testimony in support of SB 632 and testified verbally in support of the legislation.
• The House Labor Committee and the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Economic Development and Lifelong Learning held a joint committee hearing on the child care workforce crisis.

Budget Update

The state’s budget continues to be a major discussion point. Subcommittees continue to be busy parsing their way through the governor’s budget recommendations for various state departments and agencies as well as hearing from statewide advocacy organizations and other stakeholders on budget priorities. 

Subcommittees will continue working on their budget recommendations over the next several weeks. The statutory deadline for the budget is July 1.

Also on the budget front, the League released The People’s Budget this week–a plan to make the state’s Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget truly transformational for the people of Michigan.

Legislative Update

Here are some of the policy issues being discussed in Lansing now:

• The Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee took up two bills:
  • HB 5103, which would eliminate the three-year required denial period for a driver’s license application for someone who has been cited for driving without a license, was reported to the Senate floor unanimously. Under current law, a person who is found responsible for moving violations before they have a valid driver’s license cannot be granted a license for at least three years. The League supports this legislation.
  • SB 706, which would remove the failure to pay a driver responsibility fee (DRF) from someone’s driving record, was taken up for testimony only. Driver responsibility fees, which were additional fines assessed on a person who was found responsible for certain moving infractions, were largely phased out in 2019. The bill also eliminates the driver’s license reinstatement fee for people who lost their driving privileges due to failure to pay an assessed DRF. The League supports this legislation.
• The Senate Education Committee reported SB 567–SB 568, which provides for early screening of K-12 students for dyslexia and ensures teachers are receiving proper training and professional development to support and educate children with dyslexia. The League supports this legislation.
• The House Criminal Justice Committee took testimony on HB 4427, which would provide limited access to the Freedom of Information Act for incarcerated individuals. The League supports this legislation. 
• The Senate Housing and Human Services Committee took testimony only on SB 486-490, which clarify licensure requirements for manufactured housing parks and the duties of the department to enforce those requirements. Essentially, the package increases protections for families living in manufactured housing parks. The League supports this legislation.
• The Senate Finance, Insurance and Consumer Protection Committee took testimony on HB 4343 and SB 632, which impact the payday lending industry. HB 4343 would require increased transparency and reporting of several pieces of information regarding payday loans, and SB 632 would cap fees associated with payday loans, which currently can exceed an APR of 370%, at an annual interest rate of 36%. The League supports both of these bills, and submitted written testimony in support of SB 632.

A couple of other things the League is watching:

• The Redistricting Commission submitted its recommendations for the revised maps for several Detroit-area House Districts. It’s important to have maps set prior to filing deadlines later this spring for the 2024 House of Representatives elections. 
• The Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for Fiscal Year 2022-23 was finalized and, based on revenues and statutory language, the state determined that there would be no income tax rate reduction triggered. Therefore, the rate has been set at 4.25% for the 2024 tax year. However, see the bullet below for more information.
• The income tax trigger issue—whether it’s permanent or temporary—is still pending before the Michigan Courts. Late last year, the Court of Claims agreed with the state that the triggered reduction was for one year only and that, unless revenue conditions existed that would maintain a rate reduction, the rate would revert to the 4.25% rate set by law. This decision has been appealed to the Court of Appeals, and a ruling is anticipated by March 11, 2024. 

Budget Update

The state’s Fiscal Year 2024-25 budget preparation was officially turned over to the Legislature as subcommittees started diving into the governor’s recommendations. Over the next several weeks, it’s expected that budget subcommittees will continue hearing from the administration, key stakeholders and other interested parties on their recommendations for crafting the FY 2024-25 budget.

Legislative Update

The Legislature’s policy committees are also continuing to be busy. Here are a few highlights from this past week:

• The Senate Education Committee continued taking testimony on Senate Bill (SB) 567–SB 568, which provides for early screening of K-12 students for dyslexia and ensures teachers are receiving proper training and professional development to support and educate children with dyslexia. The League supports this legislation.
• The Senate Housing and Human Services Committee reported to the floor House Bill (HB) 4676, HB 4677, and HB 4678, which would provide more oversight of and protections for the education of kids in foster care. The League supports this legislation.

Budget Update

On Wednesday, Feb. 7, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer presented her Fiscal Year 2024-25 budget proposal to a joint hearing before the House and Senate Appropriations Committee. Her proposal contains the details of her plan to allocate the state’s resources for the budget year that begins on October 1, 2024 and ends on September 30, 2025. 

The executive budget recommends $80.7 billion in total spending from state and federal sources. About $18.9 billion of School Aid Fund dollars are spent across pre-K-12 schools, community colleges, and colleges and universities. Spending from the state’s General Fund—the portion of the budget over which lawmakers have the most control—is expected to be $14.3 billion. Federal funds continue to make up the largest portion of the state budget, at nearly $33.9 billion or 42% of the state budget.

The governor’s budget focuses on balancing Michigan’s budget and cutting red tape; lowering costs for Michiganders; safe communities and keeping Michigan healthy; a better, more affordable education; growing Michigan’s economy and protecting its environment; and building a fairer and more equitable state. Within her proposal are investments that build on the current year’s historic budget that centers Michiganders’ diverse needs and ensures our dollars are spent in a way that reflects Michigan’s values. Some of the highlights include:

• Restructuring of the Temporary Aid for Needy Families funding and improving  the basic cash assistance program (the Family Independence Program);
• Creating a pilot program to allow eligible child care workers to benefit from state assistance for their own children in care;
• Equity-focused school funding investments;
• Improvements in healthy food access for school-aged children, including continuing the effective universal school meal program and the summer EBT program; and
• Investments in healthcare access and health equity, with a significant focus on maternal and child health.

You can read League President and CEO Monique Stanton’s statement on the governor’s budget proposal, and League staff are working on a more thorough analysis of the budget proposal. 

At this point, the Legislature begins its work. Subcommittees are already posting to hear presentations on the governor’s recommendations. We expect that subcommittees will continue to meet throughout the next couple of months, crafting their own budget recommendations. 

Legislative Update

Policy committees in both the House and the Senate were busy diving back into work around this year’s issues to advance. Here’s a rundown of what the League weighed in on this week:

• The House Judiciary Committee reported out House Bill (HB) 4924, which creates the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act. The Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act provides additional structure to and due process protections for the division of property when a person dies intestate (without a valid will or trust). It intends to help protect family wealth being passed on between generations in the form of real property. It’s been enacted into law by 23 states. The League supports this legislation.
• The Senate Health Policy Committee took testimony on a telehealth parity insurance coverage package (HB 4131, HB 4213, HB 4579–HB 4580). The League supports this legislation.
• The Senate Housing and Human Services Committee took testimony on HB 4676, HB 4677, and HB 4678, which would provide more oversight and protections of the education of kids in foster care. The League supports this legislation.
• The Senate Education Committee began taking testimony on Senate Bill (SB) 567–SB 568, which provides for early screening of K-12 students for dyslexia and ensures teachers are receiving proper training and professional development to support and educate children with dyslexia. The League supports this legislation.

Budget Update

The Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference (CREC) was held on Friday, Jan. 12. CREC occurs twice a year, in January and May, and brings together national and state economic and fiscal experts to forecast Michigan’s General Fund and School Aid Fund revenues for the current and upcoming fiscal years. CREC leadership includes the directors of the House and Senate Fiscal Agencies, the state treasurer, and the state budget director. The governor’s budget recommendation is based on the numbers projected at the January Conference, and the final budget (typically passed in June) is based on the revenues determined in May.

This January, state revenues were adjusted upward slightly as compared to the revenue projections agreed to in May 2023. 

*amounts in millions

The stable numbers are showing that the state has largely returned to a pre-pandemic “normal” in terms of the state’s economy and revenue growth trends.

The governor’s budget recommendation will be presented to a joint meeting of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 11 a.m. in Heritage Hall. 

In advance, the League has released its FY 2024-25 People’s Budget Overview. The League’s policy analysts will also prepare a first look analysis following the governor’s budget release.

Legislative Update & Other Notable Items

The Legislature reconvened on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, with the House and Senate slowly gearing up for what could be another busy year. 

The House Health Policy met and took testimony only on House Bill (HB) 4532, HB 5368 and HB 5369, which revise the elevated blood level threshold in children and change the requirements associated with abatement and remediation. The League supports this legislation.

The Governor’s 6th State of the State (SOTS) address was held on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at a joint legislative session. She highlighted all of the progress made in 2023–quintupling the EITC, expanding Elliott-Larsen, repealing the outdated and unconstitutional 1931 abortion ban, among others–and then looked to 2024. Her big initiatives include:

• a Michigan-made vehicle credit;
• a caregiver credit (for people who provide long-term care for a child, partner or parent);
• pre-K for all 4-year-olds, two years ahead of schedule;
• free Community College for all Michigan high school graduates; and
• economic development programs, including a research & development (R&D) Tax Credit and reinstatement of the Good Jobs for Michigan program as the HIRE Michigan Fund.

You can check out the League’s statement on the Governor’s address for more information.

In other news, the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission is making progress in redrawing the map of districts ruled unconstitutional late last year. They’re reportedly submitting a number of potential maps to be reviewed for compliance with the Voting Rights Act. These maps need to be redrawn for the House before the 2024 elections. 

And today, Friday, Jan. 26 is EITC Awareness Day–a day to highlight and celebrate the Michigan Earned Income Tax Credit and how it works to help Michigan working families make ends meet. You can read the League’s Five Fast Facts, urge 2022 claimants that are expecting supplemental checks to make sure their address is up-to-date with the Michigan Department of Treasury, make sure that filers understand the availability of free tax preparation services and encourage filers to avoid predatory tax preparers that claim to provide fast refunds at a cost.

Sine Die Update

The Legislature adjourned for the year on Tuesday, November 14, 2023. The Legislature will convene in 2024 on Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at noon, as required by Article IV, Section 13 of the Michigan Constitution (second Wednesday in January).

This adjournment date (also known as sine die) is important in determining the effective dates for laws that were passed without immediate effect. Article IV, Section 27 of the Michigan Constitution makes bills without immediate effect effective on the 91st day after the adjournment sine die for the year. Bills passed in 2023 that did not receive immediate effect will take effect around February 13, 2024. This includes a number of important pieces of legislation passed this year that were supported by the League, including the quintupling of the Earned Income Tax Credit and the repeal of the SNAP asset test requirement.

Readers can check out this article from Bridge Michigan for more information about sine die and some of the legislation that will take effect next February.

Legislative Update

The Legislature used last week to send a number of priorities to the governor for her signature. 

• The Legislature enrolled a trimmed-down version of the Reproductive Health Act. This package includes HB 4949, HB 4951, HB 4953, HB 4954, HB 4955, HB 4956, SB 474, SB 476 and SB 477. Two of the key components not included were the elimination of the 24-hour waiting period and the expansion of Medicaid coverage to abortions. While the piece that the League’s testimony largely focused on (the Medicaid expansion) was ultimately not part of the package, the League supports this legislation.
• The Legislature enrolled a package of bills to implement recommendations from the Task Force on Juvenile Justice Reform. This package includes the elimination of a number of juvenile fees and fines as well as provisions to help support justice-connected youth in their communities. This package includes HB 4625, HB 4626, HB 4628, HB 4629, HB 4633, HB 4636, HB 4637, HB 4639, HB 4640, HB 4643, SB 418, SB 421, SB 428 and SB 429. The League supports this legislation.
• The House passed SB 410, which would repeal Michigan’s sweeping drug immunity law, on a vote of 79-30. 
• The Legislature moved SB 613, SB 614, SB 615 and SB 616, a bipartisan package to implement financial disclosure requirements on certain elected officials, as required by the passage of Proposal 1 last November. These bills passed with bipartisan support.
• The Legislature passed a number of clean energy bills, including the Clean Energy package (SB 271, 273 and 502), SB 277, HB 5120–5121 and SB 588 (often called the siting bills). 
• The Legislature passed HB 4720 and SB 382, which will require the state to create and implement a plan to improve language access to individuals with limited English proficiency. The League supports this legislation.

Budget Update

The Legislature passed two book-closing/mid-year supplementals largely on party-line votes. 

House Bill (HB) 4292 was a Fiscal Year 2022-23 State Budget book-closing and a Fiscal Year 2023-24 mid-year General Fund supplemental. It appropriated approximately $600 million between the two years, mostly in federal funds. Fiscal Year book-closing appropriations were essentially to make budgeted figures align with expended funds. Some of the larger items in the General Fund supplemental included:

• Planning authorizations for various university and community college capital outlay projects. Planning authorization allows these specific institutions to start the planning process for capital outlay projects (such as renovating a building or building a new facility). Once planned, certain facilities will receive “construction authorization” and costs are typically split between the institution and the state. 
• Appropriations for drinking water safety, including the Filter First program, PFAS remediation and $30 million for the settlement between the Great Lakes Water Authority and Highland Park.
• About $114 million to help specific school districts pay off debt, including Muskegon Heights, Benton Harbor, Pontiac, Ypsilanti, Willow Run and the dissolved school district in Inkster.

Senate Bill (SB) 174 was a Fiscal Year 2022-23 State Budget book-closing and a Fiscal Year 2023-24 mid-year school aid supplemental. It was largely a book-closing supplemental with a few tweaks to FY 2023-24 spending and boilerplate authorizations.

Legislative Update

There were a number of long session days in the legislative chambers this week as the House and Senate tried to tee up action on a variety of legislative priorities. Here are some of the big things seeing momentum:

• League President & CEO Monique Stanton participated in a press conference with Sen. Sarah Anthony and Rep. Abraham Aiyash as they reintroduced legislation (SB 632, HB 5290) to cap payday loan rates at 36%. Currently, these short-term loans run an annual percentage rate of more than 350%. Our statement in support of the legislation can be viewed here.
• The Senate Housing and Human Services Committee held its first hearing on SB 549, SB 550, SB 551, SB 552, SB 553 and SB 554, which is a package of bills to help address water affordability. The League supports this legislation.
• The Senate Health Policy Committee held its first hearing on a package of bills to create a state-based health exchange (SB 633, SB 634, SB 635, SB 636, SB 637 and SB 638).
• The House Health Policy Committee reported the maternal and child health package (HB 5027, HB 5166, HB 5167, HB 5168, HB 5169, HB 5170, HB 5171, HB 5172 and HB 5173) to the House floor. The League supports this legislation.
• The House passed HB 4720 and SB 382, which would require the state to create and implement a plan to improve language access to individuals with limited English proficiency, on party-line votes. The League supports this legislation.
• The House passed a trimmed down version of the Reproductive Health Act on party-line votes. This package will include HB 4949, HB 4951, HB 4953, HB 4954, HB 4955, HB 4956, SB 474, SB 476 and SB 477. Two of the key components not included were the elimination of the 24-hour waiting period and the expansion of Medicaid coverage to abortions. The League supports this legislation.
• The House passed a number of clean energy bills, including the Senate Clean Energy package (SB 271, 273 and 502), SB 277, HB 5120 and HB 5121 (often called the local renewable energy siting bills). These bills were passed on party-line votes.
• The Senate moved SB 613, SB 614, SB 615 and SB 616, a bipartisan package to implement financial disclosure requirements on certain elected officials, as required by the passage of Proposal 1 last November. These bills passed with strong bipartisan support. Per news reports, more work needs to be done in the House. 

Budget Update

A supplemental to close the books on the Fiscal Year 2022-23 State Budget continues to be expected, but the timing is still unknown.

The House prepared a potential vehicle bill for a School Aid Fund supplemental (SB 174) earlier this week and a multi-department general fund bill that can be used as a vehicle (HB 4292) is already in conference committee.

Legislative Update

The Legislature is still busy attempting to get some of its priorities across the finish line before the end of this legislative year. Here are some of the big things that happened this week that the League supports or is following closely:

• The House Criminal Justice Committee took up the Senate bills for the Task Force on Juvenile Justice Reform recommendations (SB 418, SB 421, SB 425, SB 426, SB 428, SB 429, SB 432, SB 435 and SB 436). Here’s a recent article on the impact juvenile justice fees and fines have on Michigan families. The League supports this legislation. 
• The House Natural Resources, Environment, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Committee held its first hearing on HB 5088, HB 5089, HB 5090, HB 5091, HB 5092 and HB 5093–a package of bills to help address water affordability. The League supports this legislation.
• The House Health Policy Committee continued taking testimony on the maternal and child health package (HB 5027, HB 5166, HB 5167, HB 5168, HB 5169, HB 5170, HB 5171, HB 5172 and HB 5173), which the League supports. Additionally, the Committee reported a telehealth parity insurance coverage package (HB 4131, HB 4213, HB 4579 and HB 4580), which the League supports.
• The Senate Economic and Community Development Committee reported to the floor SB 559, SB 560, SB 561 and SB 562, which would reform Michigan’s largest economic development incentive to provide more transparency and accountability, ensure the state is considering additional factors when determining which projects to fund and provide a specific carveout to support the communities in which projects would be located. These bills do not create or increase existing state economic development incentives, and the League supported this legislation because it reforms and provides more structure to a large economic development program. The House Committee on Economic Development and Small Business also held its first hearing on the corresponding House package (HB 5095, HB 5104, HB 5105, HB 5106 and HB 5107). For additional context, view the League’s testimony on this legislation.
• The Senate Oversight Committee held its first hearing on SB 613, SB 614, SB 615 and SB 616, a bipartisan package to implement financial disclosure requirements on certain elected officials, as required by the passage of Proposal 1 last November.
• The Senate passed its clean energy package (SB 271, SB 273, SB 502 and SB 519) on party line votes.

Budget Update

The Legislature continued its work by passing a number of budget implementation bills, including updates to fees and statutory language. These bills are necessary to both balance the Fiscal Year 2023-24 state budget as well as give the departments the authority to do some of the budget program changes. 

A supplemental to close the books on the FY 2022-23 state budget continues to be anticipated, but the timing is still unknown.

Legislative Update

Here’s a rundown of some of the things that happened this week that the League supported or is continuing to follow closely:

• The package of bills to codify into Michigan law important provisions and protections provided under the federal Affordable Care Act was signed by the governor. These bills include HB 4619, HB 4620, HB 4621, HB 4622, HB 4623, SB 356, SB 357 and SB 358. The League supported this package.
• The governor also signed a package of bills to implement the Filter First Program, which will ensure drinking water at child care and school facilities is lead-free and safe to drink, and will require the installation of drinking water filters. These bills include HB 4341, HB 4342 and SB 88. The League supported this package.
• The House passed SB 55, which would extend the property tax poverty exemption through 2023 for properties that were exempt in 2019-2021. The bill has been sent to the governor for her signature. The League supports this legislation.
• The House passed HB 4718, which would eliminate the ability for accused individuals to defend themselves in court by saying the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity drove them to violent actions (commonly called the “gay panic” or “trans panic” defense), on a party-line vote. The League supports this legislation.
• The House passed a portion of a package of bills to implement recommendations of the Task Force on Juvenile Justice Reform. These include HB 4625, HB 4626, HB 4628, HB 4629, HB 4630, HB 4633, HB 4636, HB 4637, HB 4639, HB 4640 and HB 4643, most of which passed with broad bipartisan support. The League supports this legislation.
• The Senate passed SB 410, which would repeal Michigan’s sweeping drug immunity law, on a vote of 30-8.
• The Senate passed SB 474, SB 475, SB 476 and SB 477, which include the Senate bills of the Reproductive Health Act, on a party-line vote. This package, like its House package, updates Michigan’s laws to eliminate medically unnecessary barriers to accessing abortion and reproductive health care. The League supports this legislation.
• The Senate passed SB 530 and SB 531, which work to fix some of the consequences of the 2019 no-fault auto insurance reform law, on votes of 23-14. The League supports this legislation.
• The House Criminal Justice Committee reported SB 471 and SB 472, which would prohibit people with domestic violence misdemeanors from purchasing a firearm for a period of years. The League supports this legislation.
• The House Government Operations Committee reported HB 4720 and HB 4721, which would require the state to create and implement a plan to improve language access to individuals with limited English proficiency. The League supports this legislation.
• The House Labor Committee reported HB 4932 and HB 4962, which would increase penalties for certain child labor law violations. The League supports this legislation.
• The House Health Policy started taking testimony on HB 5027, HB 5166, HB 5167, HB 5168, HB 5169, HB 5170, HB 5171, HB 5172 and HB 5173–a maternal and child health package to expand insurance coverage for care for pregnant and postpartum people. The League supports this legislation.

Budget Update

The Fiscal Year 2023-24 state budget took effect on October 1, 2023. Check out the League’s final analysis of the budget here and see below for just a few of the many people-centered budget items that the League is celebrating: 

• Historic levels of funding for pre-K-12 public schools, including healthy meals for all, additional movement toward a weighted school funding formula (and an opportunity index in the calculation for at-risk funding), funds to help with transportation costs, and more support for early literacy programs, learning opportunity gaps and mental health services.
• Waiver of the five-year waiting period for Medicaid and CHIP for lawfully present immigrant children and pregnant people.
• Sufficient funding to meet the 50-50 cost share for essential local public health services.
• A temporary reduction in the age of eligibility for the Michigan Reconnect program (from 25 to 21).
• Funding for clean, safe drinking water projects.
• Support for healthy food access.

And the budget cycle is beginning again! State departments are already working on their funding requests for the Fiscal Year 2024-25 state budget and the January Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference will be held sometime during the second week of January, pursuant to state statute, which will set the revenue projections that the governor will use in crafting her budget recommendation (to be released in early February).

The Legislature can also pass a supplemental budget bill, which may appropriate additional funds or ensure budget appropriations are aligning with anticipated expenditures, outside of the typical budget cycle. End-of-year and mid-year budget adjustments may be made for Medicaid expenditures, foundation allowance appropriations and cash and food assistance caseload expenditures. A supplemental to close the books on the FY 2022-23 budget is anticipated, but the timing is unknown.

Legislative Update

The Legislature is continuing to push forward on their list of priorities until they adjourn for the year. Here are some of the highlights from this week:

• HB 4341 and HB 4342, which would implement the Filter First program, passed the Senate, and SB 88 is starting to move through the House. The Filter First program would require child care and school facilities to develop drinking water plans, test drinking water for lead concentrations and ensure filtration of water to make it safe for drinking. The League supports this legislation.
• SB 483, SB 484 and SB 485 were passed by the Senate on a party-line vote and are currently pending before the House Insurance and Financial Services Committee. These bills would create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board to help rein in the costs of unaffordable prescription medications. The League provided testimony in support of these bills and also issued this statement when the bills were introduced.
• HB 4945 and HB 4946, which would prohibit someone convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor from possessing a firearm until certain provisions are met, were reported from the House Criminal Justice Committee. The League supports this legislation and also supported SB 471 and SB 472.
• HB 4718, which would eliminate the ability for accused individuals to defend themselves in court by saying the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity drove them to violent actions (commonly called the “gay panic” or “trans panic” defense), was reported to the floor by the House Criminal Justice Committee. The League supports this legislation.
• The House Criminal Justice Committee also took testimony on HB 4948 and HB 4960, which would prohibit landlords and employers from requiring Michiganders from disclosing their expunged convictions (testimony provided by the ACLU is linked). The League supports this legislation.
• The Senate Committee on Finance, Insurance and Consumer Protection took testimony on SB 530 and SB 531, which would address some of the shortcomings of the 2019 no-fault insurance reform legislation. The League supports this legislation.
• SB 356 and SB 357–the last two bills of the package to codify some of the important provisions of the Affordable Care Act into state law–were reported to the House floor by the House Insurance and Financial Services Committee. The League testified in support of this legislation a couple of weeks ago.
• HB 4740, which would codify the waiver of the five-year waiting period for Medicaid and CHIP for lawfully present immigrant children and pregnant people under the Immigrant Children’s Health Improvement Act, got its first hearing before the House Insurance and Financial Services Committee. This would statutorily implement a budget allocation provided in the current year budget. The League submitted written testimony in support of this legislation.
• The Housing Subcommittee of the House Economic Development and Small Business Committee continues to take up housing and renters’ rights legislation. These include HB 4919, HB 4891 and HB 4878, all of which the League supports. 

Budget Update

It was another busy week under the Capitol dome. The big issue on the chamber floors this week was the passage of budget implementation bills. These bills modified and/or extended fees on various services, such as occupational licensing and certain environmental permits. The fees essentially pay for the programs that administer those services. Without these bills, the budget would eventually become imbalanced. The Fiscal Year 2023-24 state budget will take effect on October 1, 2023. View the League’s final analysis of the budget here.

Legislative Update

Here are a few legislative items from the past week that the League supported and/or is following closely: 

• The House voted on House Bill (HB) 4511 and HB 4512, which would provide some updates to Michigan’s child safety seat requirements. The bills, which are meant to bring state law in line with federal and manufacturer recommendations and standards, passed with bipartisan support. 
• The Senate Housing and Human Services Committee reported Senate Bill (SB) 382 and SB 383 to the floor. This package would require the state to create and implement a plan to improve language access to individuals with limited English proficiency. The League supports this legislation.
• The Senate Education Committee reported SB 500, which would make the universal healthy school meals program permanent. The League supports this legislation.
• The Senate Finance, Insurance and Consumer Protection Committee reported SB 483, SB 484 and SB 485, which would create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board to help rein in the costs of unaffordable prescription medications. The League supports this legislation.
• The House Criminal Justice Committee and Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety Committee both reported bills to implement recommendations of the Task Force on Juvenile Justice Reform. In the House, these bills included HB 4624-HB 4633 (use arrows to see the other bills). In the Senate, these bills included SB 418-SB 437. The League supports this legislation.
• The Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety Committee also reported SB 471 and SB 472, which would prohibit someone convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor from possessing a firearm until certain provisions are met. The League supports this legislation.
• The Senate Health Policy Committee took up HB 4619, HB 4620, HB 4621, HB 4622, HB 4623 and House Insurance and Financial Services took up SB 356, SB 357 and SB 358. This eight-bill package would codify some of the important provisions of the Affordable Care Act into state law. The League testified in support of this legislation in each committee. The Senate moved HB 4619-4623 to the floor and the House moved SB 358 to the floor.
• The House Tax Policy Committee reported HB 4966, HB 4967, HB 4968, HB 4969 and HB 4970–a package of bills that would allow for the creation of a land value tax in place of the current ad valorem property tax system. This is a proposal that Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has been working on for the better part of this year. The bills were amended to make the option open to the City of Detroit only. The League is continuing to monitor this legislation, but is not taking a position on it.

State Budget Update

The Fiscal Year 2023-24 state budget will take effect October 1, 2023, with the House taking action on a number of bills over the past few weeks that are necessary to implement the budget.

The League’s policy analysts have completed their final analysis of the budget and have produced briefs on several key areas. These budget briefs cover childcare and early childhood education, K-12 education, postsecondary education, healthcare, public and environmental health, basic needs for Michiganders and corrections. 

Some of the things that the League is applauding in the 2023-24 budget agreement include more alignment of school funding with the needs of Michigan students, universal breakfast and lunch for school-aged children, a funding increase for Essential Local Public Health Services, investments in early childhood services and an expansion of the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies initiative to waive the five-year waiting period for healthcare coverage for lawfully residing immigrant children and pregnant people through the Immigrant Children’s Health Improvement Act.

Legislative Update

The Michigan Legislature is back in action this fall. Here are a few legislative highlights from the past couple weeks that the League has supported and/or is following closely: 

• A key package of bills, Senate Bill (SB) 31 and House Bill (HB) 4200, which would require screening young children for lead poisoning, received final approval by the Legislature and were sent to the Governor for her signature. The League supports this legislation.
• Another package of bills, HB 4341 and HB 4342, which would implement the Filter First program, passed the House with bipartisan support (76-34 and 75-35, respectively). These would require child care and school facilities to develop drinking water plans, test drinking water for lead concentrations and ensure filtration of water to make it safe for drinking. The bills currently sit before the Senate. The League supports this legislation.
• HB 4302, which was one of the last bills in the package to ban child marriage in Michigan, got the final stamp of approval and has been sent to the governor for her signature. The League supports this package.
• The House also passed a package of bills that would designate new state holidays, recognizing Diwali, Deepavali or the Festival of Lights (HB 4446, passed 89-19); Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr (HB 4447, passed 87-21); Lunar New Year (HB 4448, passed 70-38); Vaisakhi or Baisakhi (HB 4449, passed 88-20); Rosh Hashanah (HB 4544, passed 90-18); and Yom Kippur (HB 4545, passed 92-16). These have been referred to the Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety Committee.
• The House Criminal Justice and Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety committees held joint meetings to discuss and take testimony on a package of bills resulting from the recommendations of the Task Force on Juvenile Justice Reform. These bills included HB 4624, HB 4625, HB 4626, HB 4627, HB 4628, HB 4629, SB 418, SB 419, SB 421, SB 422 and SB 423. The League submitted testimony on the part of the package to eliminate various fees and fines for justice-involved youth. The League supports this legislation.
• The House Economic Development and Small Business Committee took up SB 293, which makes amendments to the Housing and Community Development Fund. The League supports this legislation.
• The House Tax Policy Committee took up the following:
  • HB 4530, HB 4531 and SB 127, which collectively would restore income tax credits for contributions to homeless shelters, food banks and community foundation endowment funds that were eliminated with the 2011 Republican tax reform package. The bills passed and were reported from the committee. The League supports this legislation.
  • HB 4966, HB 4967, HB 4968, HB 4969 and HB 4970–a package of bills that would allow for the creation of a land value tax in place of the current ad valorem property tax system. This is a proposal that Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has been working on for the better part of this year. Essentially, land would be taxed differently than the real property improvements, and the stated intent would be to reduce taxes on improved property (homeowners, some businesses, etc…) while increasing taxes on vacant/unimproved land. The League is currently monitoring this legislation and has not yet taken a position.
  • HB 4553 and HB 4554, which were reported from committee. The bills are tie-barred to SB 331, which was taken up by the Senate Finance, Insurance and Consumer Protection Committee. These bills would collectively modify the small business personal property tax exemption and create a fund for distributing Personal Property Tax losses associated with the small business exemption. The bills would also dedicate $75 million from the current state general fund to the fund for reimbursements to local governments. SB 331 has been reported from the Senate committee and is currently sitting on the Senate floor. 
• The House Local Government and Municipal Finance Committee took up the following:
  • HB 4274 and HB 4275, which would create the Revenue Sharing Trust Fund and dedicate a portion of current sales tax revenue (currently estimated to be about $600 million based on Fiscal Year 2025 sales tax estimates) to the fund for distribution to local governments. The bills were reported unanimously, 13-0, and are now pending before the full Chamber.
  • HB 4605 and HB 4606, which would create the Public Safety and Violence Prevention Fund and dedicate a portion of current sales tax revenue (currently estimated to be about $110.9 million based on Fiscal Year 2024 sales tax estimates) to the fund to support community public safety initiatives. The bills are now pending before the full Chamber.
  • HB 4894 and HB 4896, which would make changes to the disabled veterans property tax exemption to shift the cost from local governments to the state. Currently, certain disabled veterans and surviving spouses are eligible for a full property tax exemption on their homestead property. The bills would instead shift this to an income tax credit for the full amount of the taxes, which would then allow the recipient to pay the local governments. The effect would be the same, but the cost would fall to the state instead of local governments. 
• The Senate Health Policy Committee took up HB 4619, HB 4620, HB 4621, HB 4622 and HB 4623, and the House Insurance and Financial Services Committee took up SB 356, SB 357 and SB 358. This eight-bill package would codify some of the important provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into state law–such as mandating coverage for preventative services; extending coverage to dependents up to age 26; prohibiting the denial of coverage due to pre-existing conditions; ensuring Michiganders are not being discriminated against due to race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or other specified factors; and providing transparency measures around healthcare plans to make sure families get the coverage they need—to help ensure continued access to healthcare in the event the ACA is repealed. The League supports this legislation.
• The House Health Policy Committee voted on a number of bills in the Reproductive Health Act (HB 4949, HB 4950, HB 4953, HB 4954, HB 4955, and HB 4956) and reported them largely on party-line votes. The League supports this legislation.
• The Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety Committee took testimony on SB 471 and SB 472, which would prohibit someone convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor from possessing a firearm until certain provisions are met, including completion of any sentence and parole or probation, payment of any fines or fees and after eight years have passed. The League supported this legislation.
• The Senate Housing and Human Services Committee took testimony on SB 382-383, which would require the state to create and implement a plan to improve language access to individuals with limited English proficiency. The League supports this legislation.
• The Senate Education Committee took testimony only on SB 500, which would make the universal health school meals program permanent. The League supports this legislation.
• The Senate Finance, Insurance and Consumer Protection Committee took testimony on SB 483-485, which would create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board to help rein in the costs of unaffordable prescription medications. The League supports this legislation.

State Budget Update

The Michigan Legislature has sent the final Fiscal Year 2024 Budget bills to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The governor can veto specific items and the budget will be signed in the next couple of weeks. Shortly after the budget agreement was finalized, the governor issued a press release applauding its passage. The League also issued a statement shortly after the budget agreement was finalized.

Legislative Update

With the Michigan Legislature now in its summer in-district work period, things have been quiet at the Michigan State Capitol; however, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been busy making her way through all of the bills recently passed to determine whether to sign or veto them.

• Senate Bill (SB) 35, which eliminates the SNAP asset test, was signed by the governor and enacted as Public Act (PA) 53. This is a huge win for Michiganders who need to access food assistance as it eliminates an unnecessary barrier. The League supported this legislation, and testified before both the Senate and House committees (read our testimony here).
• SB 50, which designates Juneteenth as an official state holiday, was signed by the governor and enacted as PA 54.
• SB 137 and SB 138, which ensure that guardians of Native American foster care children get access to additional support and resources, were signed by the governor and enacted as PA 68 and PA 69. The League supported this legislation.
• SB 209, SB 212, SB 213, SB 216, House Bill (HB) 4299 and HB 4300, which ban child marriage and raise the age of marital consent to 18, were signed by the governor and enacted as PAs 71-76. The League supported this legislation.
• HB 4202, which closed a loophole in Michigan’s marital rape laws, was signed by the governor and enacted as PA 77. 
• SB 56, which repeals Michigan’s lewd and lascivious cohabitation law–a law that made it a misdemeanor for unmarried people to cohabitate together and is not actively enforced–was signed by the governor and enacted as PA 78. 

In other big news, the governor has created a new department called the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP), which will focus on early learning and higher education, improving long-term student outcomes, developing talent and growing the economy. Existing state agencies that administer child care programs (subsidy and licensing), state-funded pre-K programs (i.e. Great Start Readiness Program) and post-secondary tuition financial aid (such as the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, other grants and Michigan Reconnect) will be transferred to MiLEAP once it is established. MiLEAP will work closely with the Michigan Department of Education, the Michigan Board of Education and the Growing Michigan Together Council. The League issued a statement echoing hopes that this new department meets its goal of ensuring a strong start before kindergarten and helps eliminate racial disparities in economic opportunity long-term.

State Budget Update

On the evening of June 28, 2023, the bipartisan 2024 state budget agreement was finalized and approved by the Michigan Legislature. It is a truly historic, transformational budget that includes many people-focused investments, demonstrating the state’s commitment to improving outcomes for Michigan kids, workers and families. 

Now that the agreement is finalized, the League’s policy analysts will be conducting a comprehensive analysis of the budget over the coming weeks and will produce briefs on each major budget area, which will be shared via the League’s website and social media. In the meantime, here are some of the budget highlights that the League is applauding:

• A historic boost in equitable education funding, with increases in spending for kids from low-income backgrounds, English-language learners and students with disabilities. Read more about it here and here.
• Support for student mental health as well as funding for tutoring, literacy programs and other supports to help kids bridge opportunity gaps that were created or worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Improved access for healthy foods, including universal free school breakfast and lunch for school-aged children and an increase in funding for the Double Up Food Bucks program. 
• Expansion of the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies initiative to remove the five-year waiting period for healthcare coverage for lawfully residing immigrant children and pregnant people.
• A huge increase for essential local public health services that will ensure Michiganders receive the preventative care they need.
• Investments in early childhood services.
• Increases for the Michigan Achievement Scholarship and other grant programs, providing more support for college students.
• Funding for Rx Kids–a one-time Temporary Assistance for Needy Families grant to help draw down foundation support to provide one-time payments to pregnant people and monthly payments for a child’s first year for families in Flint.

“In this historic session, Legislative leaders and the administration continue to make bold strides to meet the needs of Michiganders, and tonight’s agreement builds on the momentum of several policies enacted earlier this year, including the historic increase of Michigan’s Earned Income Tax Credit to 30% of the federal credit and the permanent, dedicated revenue stream for Michigan’s Housing and Community Development Fund,” League President & CEO Monique Stanton said in a statement issued shortly after the budget agreement was finalized. “But, even with these wins, we can’t stop working until every Michigander can access what they need to not only survive, but thrive. Our state leaders must build on these smart investments by continuing to lift up Michiganders and make our state a better place to live. This can only happen once we have things like a true weighted school funding formula, full funding for early childhood services and a strong safety net to help Michiganders in difficult economic times.”

For general overviews of the FY24 budget agreement, check out these articles from MLive, the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News.

Legislative Update

The Legislature has continued to work on a number of big legislative issues and wrapped up several time-sensitive items over the past two weeks. Here are some of the items that the League was watching and/or weighed in on:

• SB 35, eliminating the SNAP asset test, was passed by the House on party-line votes. The bill has been sent to the governor for her signature. The League has been working on this issue for a number of years and supported the bill. You can read our testimony here.
• The House passed its part of an eight-bill package to codify provisions of the Affordable Care Act into Michigan law. House Bills 4619, 4620, 4621, 4622 and 4623 passed the House on varying bipartisan votes and would do the following: prohibit insurers from discriminating against an individual either by denying them coverage or charging them higher premiums (the bill largely adds to current anti-discrimination policies), prohibit denial or limitation of coverage due to a pre-existing condition, require insurers to cover dependents up to age 26, prohibit annual or lifetime limits of coverage and require continued coverage of preventative services. The Senate portion of this package was passed three weeks ago. The League supports this legislation and submitted written testimony on it. You can read our testimony here. 
• The House and Senate both voted on their respective packages to end child marriage in Michigan. The bills were passed in both chambers on strong bipartisan lines. These bills have been enrolled and are on the way to the governor. The League supported this legislation. 
• Legislation to implement election law changes in response to the passage of Proposal 2 last November passed the House and Senate. The bills largely passed on party-line or near party-line votes. The bills have been enrolled and are on the way to the governor. The League supported this legislation.
• House Bills 4616 and 4617, which would ban conversion therapy, passed the Senate. The bills have been enrolled and are on the way to the governor for her signature. The League supports this legislation. 
• House Bills 4495 and 4496, which streamline and update the Healthy Michigan Plan, passed the Senate. The bills have been enrolled and are on the way to the governor for her signature. The League supports this legislation.
• The House Criminal Justice Committee began taking testimony on the juvenile justice package. The League supports this legislation. 
• The House and Senate continued conversations on legislation that would allow local governments more control in their abilities to enter into project labor agreements and set local wages and benefits ordinances by repealing two Snyder-era laws. The League supports this legislation.
• The House passed a package of bills to expand and enhance hate crimes statutes in Michigan, which received some bipartisan support. 
• Other legislation that received final stamps of approval: legislation that continues to update Michigan’s sexual assault, abuse and harassment laws following the Larry Nassar case from several years ago (recently signed by the governor), House Bill 4202 to eliminate a marital rape loophole and Senate Bill 56 to eliminate Michigan’s “lewd and lascivious cohabitation” law.

State Budget Update

Targets were set earlier this week and conference committee chairs and the administration are now working to negotiate the final Fiscal Year 2024 budget. A lot of the negotiations have moved behind closed doors, which is typical at this point. 

There are a couple of items that League staff hope will be a part of the final budget, including expansion of the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies initiative to waive the five-year waiting period for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Improvement Program for lawfully residing immigrant children and pregnant people; at least some increase for essential local public health services; and some investments in K-12 schools, including mental health services and additional learning services (i.e. tutoring and early childhood literacy). All budget details are still tentative at this point, however. 

Some longer discussions are anticipated in the days and potentially weeks ahead as there were a number of differences between the governor’s recommended budget and the House and Senate budgets. League staff anticipate that compromises will be reached, however, and that there will be some budget wins and areas of progress as it relates to the League’s 2024 budget priorities. 

Legislative Update

It was another busy legislative week! Here are some of the items the League was watching and/or weighed in on:

• The Senate Housing and Human Services Committee reported SB 205, SB 206 and SB 207 on a party-line vote, which would prohibit landlords from discriminating against a person based on their source of income. The League supported this legislation.
• The Senate passed SB 31, which would require universal lead testing of children, on a bipartisan vote of 27-11. The League supported this legislation.
• The Senate Housing and Human Services Committee reported SB 348 and SB 349 on a party-line vote, which would ban conversion therapy. Similar legislation (HB 4616 and HB 4617) was passed by the House on a party-line vote. The League supported this legislation.
• The House passed HB 4495 and HB 4496 on a bipartisan vote (80-27; 83-24). These bills are commonly referred to as the “Healthier Michigan Plan,” and will make some needed updates to Michigan’s version of Medicaid Expansion (Healthy Michigan Plan). The League supported this legislation and signed on to a letter in support with several of our other statewide partners.
• Both chambers started work on a package to implement Proposal 2, also known as Promote the Vote 2. These included a number of voting access bills, including legislation to implement early voting, permanent AV ballot lists, among others. While the House passed its package on a party-line vote, the Senate saw a bit of crossover (22-16) on passage. The League supported this legislation.
• The Senate approved SB 356, SB 357 and SB 358 on a bipartisan vote 23-15. These bills are part of an eight-bill bicameral package to codify some of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act into state law. The House Committee is currently anticipated to move its part of the package next week. The League supports this legislation.
• The House passed a package of bills to provide vital records (state IDs/drivers licenses) to individuals when they are released from incarceration. HB 4191, HB 4192, HB 4193 and HB 4194 passed by a vote of 73-36. The League supported this legislation.

This news coverage from Bridge Michigan covers some of the items above and some of the additional bills that were discussed this week. The governor also signed an executive order to create an LGBTQ+ Commission.

State Budget Update

The Legislature is headed into the final few weeks of Fiscal Year 2024 budget negotiations. At the time of this Under the Dome update, leadership was still working on finalizing funding targets, but conference committees are expected to receive them any day. Conversations between House and Senate Conference leads are ongoing, but details are still being worked out. It is anticipated that they will be wrapping things up by June 22, but they could go into the next week if needed. They’re still anticipating meeting the self-imposed statutory deadline of July 1, although there’s no penalty if they don’t meet that date.

Here’s a list of the bills and conferees:

• HB 4289: Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Reps. Brixie, Martus, Borton; Sens. Cherry, Shink, Bumstead)
• SB 201: Community Colleges (Sens. McCann, Irwin, Bumstead; Reps. Steckloff, Morgan, Kuhn)
• HB 4247: Michigan Department of Corrections (Reps. O’Neal, McKinney, Slagh; Sens. Shink, Santana, Bumstead)
• SB 186: Michigan Department of Education (Sens. Bayer, Klinefelt, Bumstead; Reps. Weiss, Morgan, DeBoer)
• SB 199: Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (Sens. Irwin, Singh, Bumstead; Reps. Hood, McKinney, Beson)
• HB 4292: General Government – Attorney General; Civil Rights; Executive Office; Legislature; Secretary of State; Technology, Management & Budget; and Treasury/Revenue Sharing (Reps. Brabec, Hood, Bollin; Sens. Cherry, Bayer, Bumstead)
• HB 4310: Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (Reps. Morse, Martus, Green; Sens. Santana, McDonald Rivet, Bumstead)
• SB 200: Higher Education (Sens. McCann, Irwin, Bumstead; Reps. Steckloff, Morgan, Kuhn)
• HB 4281: Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (Reps. Skaggs, Brixie, Schuette; Sens. Cavanagh, Santana, Bumstead)
• HB 4245: Judiciary (Reps. Wilson, Weiss, Lightner; Sens. Shink, Santana, Bumstead)
• SB 194: Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (Sens. Cavanagh, McDonald Rivet, Bumstead; Reps. Snyder, Martus, VanWoerkom)
• SB 195: Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (Sens. Cavanagh, Santana, Bumstead; Reps. Skaggs, Brixie, Schuette)
• SB 197: Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (Sens. Hertel, Klinefelt, Bumstead; Reps. Morgan, Wilson, Cavitt)
• HB 4290: Michigan Department of Natural Resources (Reps. Brixie, Martus, Borton; Sens. Cherry, Shink, Bumstead)
• SB 173: School Aid (Sens. Camilleri, Polehanki, Bumstead; Reps. Weiss, Morgan, DeBoer)
• HB 4244: Michigan State Police (Reps. Morgan, Wilson, Cavitt; Sens. Hertel, Klinefelt, Bumstead)
• SB 178: Michigan Department of Transportation (Sens. Klinefelt, Hertel, Bumstead; Reps. Puri, Morgan, Steele)

There are also vehicle bills for omnibus budget bills, also referred to as the “school bus” for pre-k through higher education and the general government “omnibus,” to include all of the state departments and agencies. It is anticipated that each of these individual conference committee recommendations will be rolled up into their respective omnibus for final action on the floor. 

League staff are watching all of these budget bills closely.

Legislative Update

It was a busy week for policy committees and floor action, with a lot of bills receiving testimony and/or movement. Bills that the League has supported and/or has been following closely are listed below.

• Bills banning conversion therapy were considered by both the House and Senate Committees. The League supported this legislation.
• Bills to implement Proposal 2 and to expand voting rights in Michigan were introduced and considered by legislative committees. The League supported this legislation. 
• Two packages of bills (five bills in the House and three bills in the Senate) to codify specific provisions of the Affordable Care Act into state law saw testimony in committees. The League supported SB 356, SB 357 and SB 358, and provided written testimony in support of HB 4619, HB 4620, HB 4621, HB 4622 and HB 4623.
• SB 90, which would enact the CROWN Act, banning hair-based discrimination, passed the House (100-7) and is on the way to the Governor’s desk for her signature.
• The Governor signed updates to Michigan’s distracted driving laws, which will take effect June 30, 2023.

State Budget Update

The Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference (CREC) was held on Friday, May 19. Revenues for the current year and the next two budget years have been adjusted down, with tax changes that were implemented at the start of the year (including the quintupling of Michigan’s Earned Income Tax Credit, some additional sales/use tax exemptions for delivery/installation and the income tax rate reduction) being the driving forces behind the new forecast. There are some risks on the horizon though, including the ongoing debt ceiling debate federally and the possibility of a mild economic contraction. The League issued a statement following CREC on the consensus figures. 

Here’s a link to the executive summary of the final numbers derived by the state fiscal experts. This sets the numbers that the Legislature and the Administration will use to craft the state’s final Fiscal Year 2024 budget. They’ll be setting departmental targets, working through boilerplate and funding levels and working to come to an agreement on their priorities. It is anticipated that they will finish this work by mid- to late-June.

During the week of May 22, the Senate non-concurred in the House zeroed-out substitute to their budget bills and named their conferees. Those include the following:

• Community Colleges: SB 201 (McCann)
• Dept of Education: SB 186 (Bayer)
• EGLE: SB 199 (Irwin)
• Higher Education: SB 200 (McCann)
• Labor and Economic Opportunity: SB 194 (Cavanagh)
• Licensing and Regulatory Affairs: SB 195 (Cavanagh)
• Military and Veterans Affairs: SB 197 (Hertel)
• School Aid: SB 173 (Camilleri)
• Transportation: SB 178 (Klinefelt)

The House has not yet non-concurred in its half of the budget bills, nor have they named conferees. 

Legislative Update

Here are the latest updates on recent hearings and legislation that the League has supported and/or has been following closely:

• The Senate Housing and Human Services Committee had an initial hearing on SB 205, SB 206 and SB 207, which would prohibit source-of-income discrimination for housing purposes (example: a potential renter using a Housing Choice Voucher). The League supported this legislation.
• The House Economic and Small Business Committee reported SB 35, which would repeal the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) asset test. The League testified in support of this legislation in early May.
• The House Families, Children and Seniors Committee took testimony on HB 4085, HB 4086 and HB 4087, which would enact some needed reforms to state homeless youth services. The League supported this legislation. 
• The House Health Policy Committee reported HB 4495, which makes some updates to Michigan’s Healthy Michigan Plan to provide increased flexibility for enrollees to meet certain program requirements and modernize and clean up some of the language. The League supported this legislation. 
• The House Judiciary Committee reported the bill package (HB 4293, HB 4294, HB 4295, HB 4296, HB 4297, HB 4298, HB 4299, HB 4300, HB 4301 and HB 4302) to eliminate child marriage in Michigan. The League supported this legislation. Similar legislation was taken up in the Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety Committee. 
• The House Insurance and Financial Services Committee reported HB 4343, which requires some reporting around payday lenders in Michigan. The League supported this legislation.
• The Senate passed SB 90 33-5, to prohibit discrimination based on traits historically associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles. This has been referred to as the CROWN Act. Here’s an article on this legislation: https://www.michiganradio.org/social-justice/2023-05-23/crown-act-passes-michigan-senate. 
• The Senate passed SB 288 29-9, to eliminate the sunset on the Michigan Energy Assistance Program. The League supported the legislation. 
• The House Criminal Justice Committee started taking testimony on HB 4450, HB 4451, HB 4452 and HB 4453, which would reinstate productivity credits for incarcerated individuals, commonly referred to as “good time” credits. The League supported this legislation. Here’s an op-ed from State Rep. Amos O’Neal on this issue: https://www.bridgemi.com/guest-commentary/opinion-restore-good-time-credit-michigan-inmates-who-earn-it. 
• The Senate Health Policy Committee took testimony on SB 31, which would require screening children for lead poisoning. The League supported this legislation.
• The House Health Policy Committee reported HB 4496, which would make some changes to and modernize the Healthy Michigan Plan. The League supported this legislation.

State Budget Update

At this point in the state budget process, all individual budget bills have been reported from the House and Senate Appropriations Committees and the House and Senate passed all of their respective departmental budget bills last week, setting the stage for negotiations between the House, Senate and Administration on the final budget.

The Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference (CREC) has been set for Friday, May 19 at 9 a.m. At the conference, experts from the Research Seminar on Quantitative Economics at the University of Michigan as well as other state fiscal and budget experts will present on the trajectory of the national and state economies and the impacts on revenues. Updated caseload projections for things like Medicaid and other human services programs and K-12 pupil counts will also be presented. CREC runs from 9 a.m.-noon, at which point updated revenue and caseload projections will be available to start crafting the final budget. 

League Fiscal Policy and Government Relations Director Rachel Richards anticipates that much of the budget will be completed in advance of the self-set July 1 deadline, likely sometime in June. The budget must be in place by October 1, 2023, which is the start of the 2023-2024 budget year for the State of Michigan.

A list of the budgets can be found below:

• Agriculture and Rural Development (HB 4289 and SB 187)
• Community Colleges (HB 4303 and SB 201)
• Corrections (HB 4247 and SB 191)
• Department of Education (Child Care) (HB 4287 and SB 186)
• Environment, Great Lakes & Energy (EGLE) (HB 4249 and SB 199)
• General Government (Attorney General; Civil Rights; Executive Office; Legislature; Secretary of State; Treasury; Technology, Management & Budget) (HB 4292 and SB 189)
• Health and Human Services (HB 4310 and SB 190)
• Higher Education (HB 4304 and SB 200)
• Insurance and Financial Services (HB 4281 and SB 196)
• Judiciary (HB 4245 and SB 192)
• Labor and Economic Opportunity (HB 4246 and SB 194)
• Military and Veterans Affairs (HB 4248 and SB 197)
• Natural Resources (HB 4290 and SB 188)
• School Aid (PreK-12) (HB 4286 and SB 173)
• State Police (HB 4244 and SB 198)
• Transportation (HB 4309 and SB 178)

Legislative Update

Here are the latest updates on recent hearings and legislation that the League has supported and/or has been following closely:

• The Michigan Legislature put a final stamp of approval on HB 4166, which would eliminate the A-F school accountability system. The bill received some bipartisan support in the House when it passed in March, but it passed on a party-line vote in the Senate. Proponents of the bill explain that this system was duplicative as Michigan already had a different school accountability dashboard that complies with the requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act. Opponents argued that eliminating this system gets rid of an easy-to-understand rating system for parents. Here’s an article published following the passage of the legislation in both the House and Senate: https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2023/05/03/michigan-bill-repeal-a-f-public-school-ranking-system/70179327007/. 
• The Senate also passed a bipartisan eight-bill package (SB 66, SB 67, SB 68, SB 69, SB 70, SB 71, SB 72 and SB 73) that continues to work on strengthening penalties for sexual assault and protections for victims following the conviction of Larry Nassar. The bills were referred to the House Committee on Criminal Justice. Here’s an article published following the passage of the legislation by the Senate: https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/michigan-senate-passes-sexual-assault-reform-six-years-after-nassar-conviction. 
• The Senate also passed SB 127 and SB 128 on bipartisan lines. These bills would essentially restore Michigan income tax credits for charitable giving (donations to community foundation endowment funds, homeless shelters and food banks). There has been work to restore these credits since they were eliminated in 2011. The League supported this legislation. The bills have now moved to the House Tax Policy Committee. Learn more about this legislation: https://www.crainsdetroit.com/politics-policy/michigan-senate-votes-restore-tax-credits-donations. 
• The House passed HB 4250, HB 4251 and HB 4252, which deal with distracted driving and penalties, on bipartisan lines. These bills had been pulled off the board recently for failing to get enough votes – there were concerns from some Democratic members about inequitable treatment and enforcement, especially for communities of color and people with low incomes who may not be able to afford vehicles with the necessary technology. A few amendments were added to garner enough Republican support to get them passed in the House. The bills saw swift action in the Senate Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety and are now pending before the full Senate. Here’s an article published following the passage of this legislation in the House: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/michigan/2023/05/02/michigan-house-greenlights-ban-on-handheld-cellphone-use-while-driving/70176195007/. 
• The House passed a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund appropriations bill (HB 4238) with strong bipartisan support. 
• League Fiscal Policy and Government Relations Director Rachel Richards testified in support of SB 35, which would repeal the SNAP asset test.

• The League submitted cards in support of the following:
  • HB 4160, HB 4161, HB 4162, HB 4163 and HB 4164; which would statutorily end the practice of sentencing juvenile offenders to life without the opportunity for parole. Here’s an article published after the recent committee meeting on this legislation: https://michiganadvance.com/2023/05/09/a-second-chance-at-life-or-a-slap-in-the-face-to-victims-of-crime/. 
  • SB 137 and SB 138, which would clarify support provided to guardians of tribal children in our child welfare system. Here’s an article with additional information about this legislation: https://www.mlive.com/politics/2023/03/michigan-tribes-fight-to-receive-guardianship-support-for-native-children.html. 
  • HB 4293, HB 4294, HB 4295, HB 4296, HB 4297, HB 4298, HB 4299, HB 4300, HB 4301 and HB 4302; which would end child marriage in Michigan. Here’s an article published after the recent committee meeting: https://michiganadvance.com/2023/05/10/house-panel-weighs-bills-ending-child-marriage-in-michigan/. 
  • HB 4343, which would require some additional reporting for payday lending. Here’s an article with additional information about this legislation: https://www.mlive.com/politics/2023/04/michigans-payday-loan-landscape-is-murky-change-could-be-coming.html. 
  • HB 4340, HB 4341 and HB 4342, which would implement the Filter First program to require schools and child care facilities to install water filters to protect kids from lead contaminated drinking water. The House Health Policy Committee recently reported out this legislation and the Senate passed its Filter First bills a few weeks ago. Here’s an article published after the Senate vote: https://michiganadvance.com/blog/senate-passes-bill-to-ensure-safe-drinking-water-at-schools-and-childcare-centers/.  

A few bills got the final stamp of approval last week:

• • The final gun violence prevention bills dealing with red flag laws/extreme risk protection orders were presented to the Governor for her signature.
  • The distracted driving bills, which would prohibit cell phone use while driving, passed the Senate and were enrolled to be sent to the Governor.

State Budget Update

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer released her Fiscal Year 2024 (FY 24) executive budget recommendation in early February and, soon after, League staff combed through the governor’s budget to develop our “First Look” overview, which you can view here. The House and Senate subcommittees also began to review the governor’s budget recommendation soon after it was released and began taking public testimony, hearing from stakeholders and gathering target figures in preparation to make their recommendations.

Just last week, the League saw subcommittees move a number of big budgets, including the K-12, Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) budgets. We were pleased to see many things in these larger budgets that align with the League’s budget priorities (linked below):

• K-12/School Aid (HB 4286 and SB 173): There are a number of positive things in these budgets, including some additional focus on equity. While at different levels, the budgets include increases for the following:
  • Per-pupil foundation allowance
  • At-risk:
    • The House would enshrine an increase of the statutory weight to 35%, but would continue to allow prorated payments. Based on the funding level proposed, at-risk payments would be set at 14.6% of the foundation allowance—an increase over the 11.5% weight today.
    • The Senate would start implementing an opportunity index based on concentrations of poverty, keeping the minimum weight at 11.5% and increasing the maximum weight up to 15.3%.
  • English language learners:
    • The House would enshrine increased weights (35%, 50%, 75% based on WIDA English Language Development standards) and increase funding, but allow for prorated payments.
    • The Senate would essentially double the weights and double the funding.
  • Special Education:
    • Both the House and Senate would allow districts to receive 100% of the foundation allowance and would allow for full reimbursements of statutory costs.
  • Additional investments include universal school meals, investments in child and adolescent health centers, support for recruitment and/or retention of school teachers, and support for student mental health, among others.
• DHHS (HB 4310 and SB 190): Several things in these budgets align with the League’s work and budget priorities:
  • Immigrant Children’s Health Improvement Act (ICHIA): Both the House and Senate budgets include the expansion of the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies initiative to waive the five-year waiting period for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for lawfully residing immigrant children and pregnant people.
  • Essential Local Public Health Services: While their calculations on the 50-50 cost share differ, both the House and Senate include increases to attempt to reach the 50-50 statutory cost share for essential local public health services.
  • Some additional investments also include wages for direct (and in some cases non-direct) care workers, Healthy Homes, drinking water (with additional support in Environment, Great Lakes and Energy [EGLE] budgets) and community violence prevention programs, among others.
• MDE: While at different levels, both the House and Senate budgets seem to assume continuation of the 200% FPL child care subsidy entrance eligibility. 

Here are some of the additional budgets that have been moved:

• Agriculture and Rural Development (HB 4289 and SB 187) – House and Senate
• Community Colleges (HB 4303 and SB 201) – House and Senate
• Corrections (HB 4247 and SB 191) – House and Senate
• Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (HB 4249 and SB 199) – House and Senate
• Higher Education (HB 4304 and SB 200) – House and Senate
• Insurance and Financial Services (HB 4281 and SB 196) – House and Senate
• Judiciary (HB 4245 and SB 192) – House and Senate
• Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (HB 4280 and SB 195) – House and Senate
• Military and Veterans Affairs (HB 4248 and SB 197) – House and Senate
• Natural Resources (HB 4290 and SB 188) – House and Senate
• State Police (HB 4244 and SB 198) – House and Senate
• General Government Budgets (HB 4292 and SB 189) – House and Senate 
• Labor and Economic Opportunity (HB 4246 and SB 194) – House and Senate
• Department of Transportation (HB 4309 and SB 178) – House and Senate

Subcommittee recommendations have been considered by the full Appropriations Committee and are pending before the full House and Senate chambers.

League Action: Over the legislative spring break in early April, the League submitted written testimony on the House Health and Human Services Subcommittee’s budget. Additionally, members of a coalition that the League is a part of (the Michigan Partnership for Equity and Opportunity) provided testimony on the K-12 budget, which included information that was in line with the League’s weighted funding formula recommendations.   

As a reminder, we’re at a point in the state budget process where you should reach out to share the issues and concerns that matter to you and your community in the 2024 state budget. Check out the People’s Budget to see the issues that the League is working on most closely. 

Talk to your lawmaker, or find out which lawmakers are on the appropriations subcommittees that focus on the issues you care about.

Click here to view the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee information (scroll to the bottom of the page). 

Click here to view the House Appropriations Subcommittee information

Legislative Update

Here are the latest updates on recent hearings and legislation that the League has supported and/or has been following closely:

• On March 7, 2023, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed HB 4001 as Public Act 4 of 2023, which includes an increase of the state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) from 6% to 30% of the federal tax credit for working families. League President and CEO Monique Stanton and League Fiscal Policy and Government Relations Director Rachel Richards were able to join the governor for this major win for the EITC. This legislation also provides a potential for a permanent revenue stream for the Housing and Community Development Fund, which the League has also long supported. As long as the Corporate Income Tax brings in more than $1.2 billion per year, the first $50 million above that will go to the Housing and Community Development Fund. Here’s an article on the bill signing: https://michiganadvance.com/2023/03/07/whitmer-signs-tax-relief-bill-law-increases-eitc-repeals-pension-tax/. 
• While HB 4001 passed without immediate effect (IE), Michigan Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet has since introduced SB 144, which would make the Earned Income Tax Credit increase effective this year instead of waiting until next year. SB 144 has been passed by the Senate and this legislation will now go before the House for consideration. Prior to the bill’s passage in the Senate, League President and CEO Monique Stanton and Small Business Association of Michigan President and CEO Brian Calley authored this great OpEd, which ran in the Detroit News on March 19. 
• The first batch of the gun violence prevention package (SB 79, SB 80, SB 81, SB 82, HB 4138, HB 4142) passed both the House and the Senate and has been signed into law by Gov. Whitmer. These include bills around the safe storage of firearms as well as requiring universal background checks for the purchases of all firearms. The House and Senate also recently passed extreme risk protection order legislation (SB 83), also commonly called “red flag laws,” which has been signed by Gov. Whitmer. Additional extreme risk protection order legislation (HB 4146, HB 4147 and HB 4148) has since been sent to the governor. The League supported this legislation. Here’s an article on the House vote on the universal background checks: https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/universal-background-check-gun-bills-clear-michigan-house).
• History was made when SB 4, which amends the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression, passed the House 64-45. This legislation was signed into law by Gov. Whitmer on March 16. Here’s an article on the vote and impact: https://www.wxyz.com/news/michigan-house-passes-bill-to-protect-lgbtq-rights-in-elliot-larsen-civil-rights-act.
• The House and Senate put final stamps of approval on legislation to repeal Right to Work and reinstate prevailing wage (HB 4004, SB 34, HB 4007), enrolling this legislation to be presented to Gov. Whitmer, who signed it into law on March 24. The League supported this legislation. Here’s an article that was published following the passage of the legislation in the House: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2023/03/08/michigan-right-to-work-law-repeal-prevailing-wage-restoration-unions-democrats-republicans/69984580007/.
• SB 12, which repeals the retention component of the third grade reading law, passed the House 57-51 and was signed into law by Gov. Whitmer on March 24. Here’s an article published after the legislation’s passage in the House: https://www.mlive.com/politics/2023/03/repeal-of-3rd-grade-reading-retention-law-heads-to-whitmers-desk.html. 
• SB 35, which repeals the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) asset test, passed the Senate 25-13. It was referred to the House Committee on Economic Development and Small Business. The League has long supported this move, most recently with League President and CEO Monique Stanton providing this testimony. Learn more about this bill: https://www.mlive.com/politics/2023/02/more-michiganders-could-become-eligible-for-food-benefits.html. 
• HB 4006 and HB 4032, which repeal the 1931 abortion ban and its accompanying sentencing guidelines, passed the Senate on a party-line vote and have been signed by Gov. Whitmer. The Senate also moved much of its package (SB 2, SB 37, SB 39 and SB 93) on party-line votes and referred the legislation to the House Judiciary Committee. SB 2 and SB 37 have since been passed by both the House and Senate and have been signed by the governor. Read more here: https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/michigan-senate-votes-repeal-abortion-penalties-under-1931-ban.
• Legislation to provide driver’s licenses or state IDs for persons being released from incarceration and on parole (HB 4191, HB 4192, HB 4193, HB 4194) was reported from the House Criminal Justice Committee. The League supported this legislation.
• The Drive SAFE legislation (SB 265, SB 266, and SB 267 and HB 4410, HB 4411 and HB 4412) was reintroduced in both the House and the Senate. These bills would restore the rights for all Michiganders to have access to driver’s licenses and state IDs, regardless of immigration status. Data reported by League staff was cited at the press event and in a number of news reports on the legislation.
• The Senate moved its Filter First package (SB 88 and SB 89) on bipartisan votes (31-6 and 30-7, respectively), and have been referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources, Environment, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation. The House Health Policy Committee took testimony on its Filter First package (HB 4340, HB 4341, HB 4342). The League supported this legislation. Learn more about the Filter First legislation by checking out this League blog: https://mlpp.org/filter-first-bills-will-protect-kids/. 
• The House Labor Committee took testimony on the workers’ rights package (HB 4390-HB 4406). The League supported this legislation.
• The Senate Energy and Environment Committee held a hearing on recent weather-related power outages.
• The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on DHHS held a hearing on recent news coming out of one of the Wayne County juvenile justice facilities. See here for news coverage of the hearing. 
• The Senate unanimously approved legislation to expand a program to allow for the State of Michigan’s federally recognized tribal courts to access funding to help guardians provide for children (SB 137, SB 138). The League supported this legislation.
• The House Health Policy Committee reported HB 4224 on party lines. This bill will repeal the unenforceable and unimplemented work reporting requirements for enrollees of the Healthy Michigan Plan. League staff testified in support of this legislation.

Key Accomplishments from the State Legislature’s First Quarter

• Changes to the taxation of retirement income (HB 4001)
• Substantial increase to our state EITC (HB 4001)
• Permanent revenue stream for the state’s Housing and Community Development Trust Fund (HB 4001)
• Expansion of Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act protections to the LGBTQ community (SB 4)
• Repeal of the antiquated 1931 abortion ban (HB 4006)
• Repeal of Right to Work (HB 4004 and SB 34)
• Restoration of Prevailing Wage (HB 4007)
• Repeal of the automatic retention component of the third grade reading law (SB 12)
• Passage of the gun violence prevention package (SB 79, SB 80, SB 81, SB 82, SB 83, HB 4138, HB 4142, HB 4146, HB 4147 and HB 4148), including universal background checks, safe storage laws and red flag laws.